6 Things to Do on the Water in Glen Arbor, MI
Being on the water (or near it) is the reason most people come to Northern Michigan in the 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. Six things to do on or in the water, all within easy reach of Glen Arbor Bed & Breakfast and Condos.
Beach day
The closest Lake Michigan beach is a four-minute walk from the inn. If you want options, Glen Haven Beach sits a few miles west, out by the old Cannery, and some folks head northeast to Bohemia Beach, at the end of S. Bohemia Road in the Port Oneida farm district. Or drive fifteen minutes south to Esch Road Beach and Empire Beach, both off M-22 near Empire. Lake Michigan stays cold deep into summer. Some people wade in anyway; some would rather look at it. Either way, North Bar Lake is worth the short trip. A narrow sandbar is all that separates it from Lake Michigan, and when storms cut the bar open, a shallow channel spills from one lake into the other. Stand on that strip of sand with the warm, still inland lake on one side and the open big lake on the other. It’s one of the most photographed spots in the park, and the North Bar side warms up long before Lake Michigan does. Stay for the sunset wherever you end up. 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, clear enough to watch the current slide past. It’s a good place to spot great blue herons, turtles, and the occasional bald eagle. Bring binoculars if you’re a birder. Katy and Matt Wiesen’s 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.
Sail Grand Traverse Bay
If you’d rather someone else read the wind, drive over to Traverse City and sail Grand Traverse Bay with Traverse Tall Ship Company. The 114-foot schooner Manitou, a replica of the schooners that once worked the Great Lakes, is the classic ride: hoist a sail, take a turn at the helm, or sit back with a drink while the crew works the ropes. They run two-hour daysails, dinner sails, and overnight bed-and-breakfast trips aboard the ship. Want the boat to yourselves? The sailing yacht Scout books private, six aboard, captain included, and sails wherever you point it.
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 Charters (now running under the MPP Charters umbrella). 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 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.
