Quick Facts

The Petoskey Area is made up of six unique communities in northern Michigan’s Lower Peninsula: Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Boyne City/Boyne Falls, Bay Harbor, Bay View and Alanson. Petoskey and Harbor Springs are on the shore of Lake Michigan’s Little Traverse Bay. Boyne Falls is located south of Petoskey, and Boyne City is on the southern tip of Lake Charlevoix. The area is characterized by rolling hills, wooded terrain and inland lakes, including a 38-mile inland waterway. The Petoskey area includes Village Suites Bay Harbor with luxurious amenities and private yacht club. There is world-class golf at Bay Harbor Golf Club and upscale lodging and dining at Inn at Bay Harbor.  The area is also home to the internationally-known BOYNE ski and golf resorts, Boyne Mountain and The Highlands, as well as Nub’s Nub for skiing and riding in the winter.

Free Visitor Brochures Available:
Order a complete Petoskey Area Travel Guide

Fall Color, Golf Guide, Hemingway Brochure for digital viewing and download

Lodging assistance: 
The Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau will direct visitors to lodging suited to their needs. Call 800.845.2828 toll-free (U.S. and Canada) 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau Office Information
401 East Mitchell Street Petoskey, MI 49770
Telephone: 800.845.2828 ~ Toll-Free / U.S. and Canada or call
Phone: 231.348.2755
E-mail:  info@PetoskeyArea.com

Average Temperatures – Highs/Lows
January 27/14; February 29/13; March 38/18; April 49/30; May 64/43; June 72/52; July 77/58; August 76/57;
September 70/50; October 56/40; November 43/30; December 31/20

Average Rainfall:
May 3.2″; June 3.5″; July 2.3″; August 3.5″; September 3.9″

Average Snowfall:
October .4″; November 9″; December 39″; January 37″; February 25″; March 12″; April 2″

The Petoskey Area includes a 30-mile corridor located in northern Michigan along U.S. 131 near Little Traverse Bay. It stretches from Boyne Falls and Boyne City at the south end to Petoskey, Alanson and Harbor Springs in the north.

More than 2,800 rooms in the area. Ranges from hotels, condominiums, country inns and four-season resort complexes to budget motels. Many offer meeting rooms and convention facilities.

Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County is served by Delta Air Lines and United Airlines with direct flights to Detroit and Chicago. Indian Trails offers service out of Petoskey. Rental cars are available. Air strips for non-commercial planes are located at Boyne Mountain (private air strip) and in Boyne City and Harbor Springs. Just one and half hours away is Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City that services 20 cities with nonstop flights.

Boyne City Municipal Airport – N98:  231.582.0377

Boyne Mountain Airstrip: 231.549.6000

Delta Air Line: 231.539.8365

Harbor Springs Municipal Airport – MGN:  231.347.2812

Pellston Regional Airport – PLN: 231.539.8441

Traverse City Regional Airport (Cherry Capital Airport) – TVC: 231.947.2250

Warm weather recreation in Petoskey Area includes fishing, canoeing, boating, sailing, beachcombing (for Petoskey Stones), golfing, hiking, cycling, in-line skating, camping, picnicking, and mushroom hunting. Winter activities include Alpine and Nordic skiing, snowmobiling, ice skating, snowshoeing and ice fishing. The area also features exclusive shops and boutiques, dining and entertainment facilities.  Check out our Things To Do section

The Highlands – 600 Highland Drive, Harbor Springs 49740
1.844.773.8320 (U.S. and Canada).
55 trails, 4 terrain parks, 430 skiable acres, 552 feet vertical drop, 35 kilometers of cross-country and snowshoe trails. 13-foot halfpipe. Tubing park and FREE 16-acre ski and snowboard area for beginners. Ability to transport 17,400 skiers per hour.

Boyne Mountain – 1 Boyne Mountain Road, Boyne Falls 49713
1.844.773.8321 (U.S. and Canada).
60 trails, 7 terrain parks, 415 skiable acres, 500′ vertical drop. Boyne Nordican Center with 35 kilometers of tiller-groomed cross-country trails, five kilometers lighted for night skiing. Tubing park. FREE 14 acre ski and snowboard area for beginners. Ability to transport over 19,000 skiers per hour.

Nub’s Nob – 500 Nub’s Nob Road, Harbor Springs 49740
1.800.SKI.NUBS or 231.526.2131.
The Midwest’s most award-winning resort.  53 runs, 9 chairlifts and 2 surface lifts, 427 feet vertical drop, 28 kilometers of power-groomed cross-country trails with 2 kilometers lit for night skiing. 3 terrain parks rated best in the Midwest by Outside Magazine.  FREE Learn-to-Ski area. Ability to transport over 18,000 skiers per hour.

Cycling and in-line skating are permitted in all 5 area state parks on interior roads. Fisherman’s Island and Wilderness State Parks have designated “non-motorized” trails. Several bicycle and electric bike rental companies in the area. Be sure to check out popular trails like North Western State Trail, Little Traverse Wheelway, etc.

Little Traverse Wheelway by Solanus Beach

Crafts of all types are available throughout the region for rent, including canoes, kayaks, power, sail, pontoon, and aluminum boats. Other water activities to enjoy: jet skiing, tubing, and water skiing. Free launch sites throughout the region. Popular areas include the Bear, Sturgeon, and Pigeon Rivers. Also, the Inland Waterway.

Crooked River in the Inland Waterway

Anglers can fish in Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix for chinook salmon, lake trout, blue gill, bass, perch, walleye and steelhead as well as brook, brown and rainbow trout. Trout can also be found in the Maple, Jordan, Boyne and Bear Rivers. Charters and guides available.

5 state parks feature campsites: Petoskey, Burt Lake, Fisherman’s Island, Young, and Wilderness State Parks. Most parks offer swimming, picnicking, hiking and boating. For State Park reservations anywhere within Michigan, call 1.800.44.PARKS.

Camp Petosega – 90 RV and campsites and a swimming beach on Pickerel Lake in Alanson. 231.347.6536.

Jellystone Park Petoskey –Jellystone Park™ Petoskey is formerly Petoskey KOA and they offer RV Sites, tent sites, and lodging. You’ll also get to spend time with YOGI BEAR™ and his friends at our family-friendly resort, one of the highest-ranking RV parks in North America. 231.347.0005

Avalanche Mountain Preserve – Boyne City’s jewel – take the long way up via trails or climb 462 steps to the top of this outlook point.  The views of Lake Charlevoix make it worthwhile either way.

Little Traverse Conservancy Nature Preserves – Protects 70,000 acres of land in this area and 136,000 overall. Activities to enjoy: educational walks, birdwatching, nature study, and photography.

Numerous championship courses throughout the area. Boyne Mountain and The Highlands offer a combined ten championship courses. Golf Digest named The Highlands’ Heather course and the Donald Ross Memorial among America’s 75 best Resort Courses. Plus, Bay Harbor’s three 9-hole courses are available for play. Golfweek says Bay Harbor is one of the most picturesque golf sites in the country.

Doon Brae Golf Course at The Highlands

More than 150 bars and restaurants in the area. Everything from fast food, to gourmet to casual family dining. Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Indian, and more!

Craft beverages and wineries have become more and more prevalent over the past ten years. Petoskey Area is home to 15 wineries in the Tipp of the Mitt AVA. The area has been privy to craft beer since 1898 when a brewery occupied what is currently Petoskey Brewing. Today, Petoskey Area is home to 10 breweries. Beards Brewery, Burnt Marshmallow Brewstillery, Elder Piper Beer & Cider, Gabriel Farms & Winery, Mackinaw Trail Winery & Brewery, Petoskey Brewing, Pond Hill Farm-Winery, Brewery, and Café, Resort Pike Cidery and Winery, and Stiggs Brewery & Kitchen of Boyne City.

Stiggs Brewery & Kitchen, Boyne City

The area features about 90 specialty shops in Petoskey’s Gaslight District. There are delightful stores in downtown Harbor Springs, Good Hart and Boyne City. Upscale shopping is also offered at the Village at Bay Harbor. Boutique type shopping in each area includes high-fashion, specialty foods, unique gifts, art galleries and sportswear.

Michigan’s state stone, the Petoskey stone, is actually fossilized coral thought to be at least 350 million years old. The Petoskey State Park Beach and Magnus Park are two of the few places in the state where the coral pieces can be found.

Petoskey Stone Hunting at Solanus Beach

From small lakes to the ‘Big Lake’ (Lake Michigan), Petoskey Area has bodies of water to enjoy around every corner. Walloon Lake is surrounded by 52 miles of wooded shoreline, and Lake Charlevoix is the third largest inland lake in Michigan. Boyne City is on Lake Charlevoix’s southern tip. Approximate maximum depths (in feet): Crooked Lake – 61; Pickerel Lake – 70; Walloon Lake – 100; Lake Charlevoix – 150.

Sunset over Lake Charlevoix in Boyne City

A series of lakes and rivers once used by Indians, French voyageurs, loggers and fishermen to travel along the lower peninsula. This 38-mile water route is located 25 miles south of the Mackinac Bridge, 15 miles west of Interstate 75 and Indian River. Today it provides a leisurely waterway for family boating fun. The Inland Waterway is considered federal waters. It begins in Crooked Lake, connects through Crooked River with Burt Lake to Indian River, then Mullet Lake. Finally, the waterway connects with Cheboygan River out to Lake Huron. Boats up to 30 feet in length may travel the waterway.

Crooked River, Alanson

Strawberries, apples, pears, sweet corn, morel mushrooms in the wild and maple syrup. Local products include custom wood furniture, plastic products, cedar and log homes and specialty foods.