The water is the reason most people come to Northern Michigan in summer. Lake Michigan does the heavy lifting, but there’s also Big and Little Glen Lake, the Crystal River, the Platte, and the channels and inlets between them. Five things to do on the water, all within easy reach of Glen Arbor Bed & Breakfast and Condos.
Beach day
The closest public Lake Michigan beach is a four-minute walk from the inn, down the side street. If you want options, drive fifteen minutes south to Empire, where Esch Road Beach, Glen Haven Beach, and Bohemia Beach all sit along a short stretch of M-22. If Lake Michigan is still too cold (it usually is until mid-July), head inland to North Bar Lake. The water there warms faster and the swimming is easy. Stay for the sunset wherever you land. Lake Michigan sunsets are the part of the day people remember a year later.
Kayak the river
The Crystal River runs slow and shallow between Glen Lake and Lake Michigan: sandy-bottomed, rarely deeper than a foot, easy water for first-time paddlers. It’s a good place to spot great blue herons, turtles, and the occasional bald eagle. Bring binoculars if you’re a birder. Crystal River Outfitters rents single and double kayaks for two-to-three-hour floats. The current does most of the work. You mostly steer.
Rent a pontoon boat
Glen Lake is over six thousand acres between the two basins, which is a lot of lake to explore from a car. A pontoon solves that. Anchor in the shallows at the Glen Lake Narrows, swim off the deck, pack a cooler, take turns at the wheel. On the Narrows Marina sits at the bridge between Big and Little Glen, with pontoons, tri-toons, and ski boats. Glen Craft Marina rents off their own dock on Big Glen. Either one will set you up for a day or an afternoon.
Visit a historic lighthouse
Three lighthouses sit within an easy drive of Glen Arbor: Point Betsie (1858, twenty-five miles south, still an active navigational light), the Grand Traverse Lighthouse (also 1858, forty miles north at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, climbable tower), and Mission Point Lighthouse (forty-five miles east, on the 45th Parallel, with hiking trails and beach access).
For more on each one, plus the two offshore lights you can see from the Glen Arbor beach at dusk, see our full guide to lighthouses near Glen Arbor.
Go fishing
For trout and salmon on Lake Michigan, charter out with Watta Bite or Mariah Fishing Charter. Both run sunrise, daytime, and sunset trips with all the equipment provided. You keep what you catch.
If you’ve got your own pole, the Narrows Bridge between Big and Little Glen is the spot locals will mention if you ask. There’s a small fishing platform; it doesn’t show up on most maps.
Planning your visit
Book a room or condo at Glen Arbor Bed & Breakfast and Condos. The public Lake Michigan beach is a four-minute walk from the front porch. Most of the rest of this list is within thirty minutes of breakfast.
