Fresh air. Who doesn’t love it? Take a deep breath and imagine being in the Petoskey Area where there’s tons of stuff to do in the great outdoors.
What’s your idea of a good time outside? Chances are, you can do it in at least one of our waterfront communities.
Bring your bike and hit the trails. Paved or mountain, it doesn’t matter – we’ve got them and there are even more trails being worked on.
The Little Traverse Wheelway, Boyne City to Charlevoix Trail and the Northwestern State Trail offer either paved or crushed limestone to travel on, along with some great views and cool places to stop at like the Oden State Fish Hatchery.
Mountain bike trails are maintained at Boyne Mountain Resort in Boyne Falls, where you can catch the chairlift to the top of the trail, and Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs, one of the top rated parks in the country.
Riders won’t want to miss the newly expanded Boyne School Forest Trails in Boyne City and the highly anticipated Tanton Family Working Forest Reserve Trail at the east end of Petoskey, which has riders psyched for high adventure riding, opening in summer 2020.
Getting out on the water is easy in the Petoskey Area. Bring your own or rent pontoon boats or jet skis, speed boats or fishing boats. Keep it low key in a canoe, kayak or atop a stand-up paddle board. Splash with a buddy or someone you love in the sparkling waters of Lake Charlevoix, Little Traverse Bay or Crooked Lake.
Want to fly through the sky? Make like Tarzan and soar from one tree and past the next on an awesome high-speed Zipline Adventure or Twin-Zip ride at Boyne Highlands or Boyne Mountain, home to the area’s first zipline.
Play a round of golf in the Petoskey Area and you may just decide to stay an extra few days. 17 championship courses, many with incredible views, are waiting for you to tee off. It may be a serious challenge to decide which of Boyne’s stellar courses to start with before moving on to their next course, Hidden River or maybe Dunmaglas.
Not so keen on the big kid courses? Try putt-putt golf instead! And for a totally different type of golf, give disc golf a try.
Michigan’s state stone is the Petoskey Stone – and guess what? Spend the day hunting for these fossilized bits of coral along Little Traverse Bay and you may conclude that the hunt is almost as much fun as the find.
Hiking trails abound. More than 100 miles of Little Traverse Nature Conservancy hiking trails alone dot our towns. Add to that places like Pond Hill Farm in Harbor Springs and breathtaking (literally and figuratively) Avalanche Mountain Preserve trail, and you can cover a ton of ground! Lace up and take in boardwalks, overlooks and the beauty of our woods. Why not bring a pair of binoculars and do some bird watching while you are at it?
The list goes on to golf cart rides, chairlift rides, tennis, paintball, Segway rides and horseback rides – all part of the outdoor amenities available at either Boyne Mountain, Boyne Highlands or both.
Once you’ve decided where to stay in Bay Harbor, Alanson, Petoskey, Boyne City/Boyne Falls or Harbor Springs, start narrowing down your plans for a great getaway. If you haven’t already ordered your free Vacation Guide, please do! It will give you even more ideas of fun things to do on your northern Michigan Vacation.
About the author
Diane Dakins is passionate about all the lakeside communities that comprise the Petoskey Area of northern Michigan: Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Bay Harbor and Boyne City. As assistant director of the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau, she has “been there – seen that” when it comes to virtually every area attraction. Her blogs give potential visitors the scoop on planning a northern Michigan vacation.