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Northern Michigan Bro trip


tdelandsheer

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My brother is getting married and I have been named best man. We grew up on the water and he is very active guy. So, it is my duty to plan a fun bachelor party that he would enjoy (my friends have decided bachelor party means a full weekend and I am pulling the idea over for him).

My tentative plan is to go to the Traverse city/ Petoski area in August. I'd like to do one day on Torch Lake with the Bu. We have never been there and have always heard legends of how cool the lake is. The second day I'd like to do some Mt biking at Boyne Highlands.

Now is where you guys come in. We are looking for somewhere to stay. Currently I think some sort of camping situation would be best (he likes camping and I get to stay close to the Bu). There will be a total of 6 of us. I'm sure there will be drinking but I don't think it is a super rowdy group. However, i don't really know two of his buddies that are coming.

Any suggestions for campgrounds, boat launches, restaurants, or different activities would be great!

I'm still very open to ideas here so throw anything you got at me!

Thanks for any ideas.

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if your looking for a great restaurant for dinner, one of the best in the whole area is The Rowe Inn just outside of Ellsworth.

6303 East Jordan Rd.

Reservations suggested. 231-588-7351

The place is semi casual and fairly pricey.

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I don't know Torch all that well, so I'll recommend what I do know in the area: Lake Charlevoix! Young State Park would be a perfect campground for you, and it is right on Lake Charlevoix. A trip through Round Lake out to Lake Michigan is always a blast. And you can pull the boat up to The Landings restaurant next to the Ironton Ferry. I know the area very well, so feel free to hit me up with any questions. +1 on the Rowe Inn. It is well worth it.

I do know that if you go to Torch, you will want to check out the sand bar and the restaurant at the mouth of the river (boat slips available).

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Walloon Lake is amazing, and there is a Tommy's Malibu dealer on the lake.  Downtown Petosky is a good time too.  There is a casino there as well.  Lodging will be pricey.

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ahopkins22LSV
17 hours ago, tvano said:

inland waterway

great fish at boones near traverse city

great filet mignon at modes bum steer in traverse city

I was going to suggest the waterway as well! I haven't personally done it, but it looks amazing. And I can only imagine what kind of trouble a bunch of guys can get into hanging out up there!

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5 hours ago, Michigan boarder said:

Walloon Lake is amazing, and there is a Tommy's Malibu dealer on the lake.  Downtown Petosky is a good time too.  There is a casino there as well.  Lodging will be pricey.

My first experience at Walloon lake was early this spring when we bought our boat from Tommy's.  We really loved the Lake, Hotel Walloon is awesome, and The Barrel Back restaurant is a destination all in its own right!  Walloon Village looks like it will be a really cool area in the summer, unfortunately we were a little to early for most of the seasonal activities but it's definitely high on our list of destination trips for this summer.  

We have a cottage on a small lake (Guthrie Lake) in Waters about an hour away from Walloon, but I'm 100% positive we will to taking day trips to Walloon, Mullett, Burt and Torch lakes with our Malibu. 

Sunset view of Walloon Lake from our room at Hotel Walloon

20160325_200029_zps7aljxleo.jpg

 

 

Edited by APoko
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On 6/15/2016 at 8:59 AM, Tao of Wake said:

I don't know Torch all that well, so I'll recommend what I do know in the area: Lake Charlevoix! Young State Park would be a perfect campground for you, and it is right on Lake Charlevoix. A trip through Round Lake out to Lake Michigan is always a blast. And you can pull the boat up to The Landings restaurant next to the Ironton Ferry. I know the area very well, so feel free to hit me up with any questions. +1 on the Rowe Inn. It is well worth it.

I do know that if you go to Torch, you will want to check out the sand bar and the restaurant at the mouth of the river (boat slips available).

I am going to go ahead and just steal your entire trip Tao. :) After seeing the park I couldn't resist, it was exactly what I was looking for! We are booked at Young State Park Aug 28-30, going to bike ride at Boyne highlands on the 28th and spend the rest of the time on the lake and around a camp fire. Will probably go looking for some steaks eventually and will definitely do at least a lunch at The Landings! 

Thanks to everyone for the ideas once again TMC turns out to just be a great community. I will post again afterwards to let y'all know how it went and if we discover anything new you guys should try!

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9 minutes ago, tdelandsheer said:

I am going to go ahead and just steal your entire trip Tao. :) After seeing the park I couldn't resist, it was exactly what I was looking for! We are booked at Young State Park Aug 28-30, going to bike ride at Boyne highlands on the 28th and spend the rest of the time on the lake and around a camp fire. Will probably go looking for some steaks eventually and will definitely do at least a lunch at The Landings! 

Thanks to everyone for the ideas once again TMC turns out to just be a great community. I will post again afterwards to let y'all know how it went and if we discover anything new you guys should try!

Excellent! You won't regret it. When you go through Round Lake, take a tour around the perimeter to check out the houses and mega yachts. You can even pull up to the "shopping" dock to tie up and walk through the town of Charlevoix.

I may be up that weekend if you want to meet up for some surfing.

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Torch is epic for crystal clear water and a great sand bar.  Bellaire (near Torch) has shorts brewery, and glacial hills mountain bike trails.  I'll be on Elk and torch most weekends this summer, if you make it down this way you will not be disappointed!

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So just one thing, if you get out on Lake Michigan with one of our boats be very aware of weather. I would recommend a good AM radio on a good local station. NOAA is not a good source for small boats on the grate lakes. They do not update fast enough. Good for overall look but local storms can and do come in in a very short time. you can go from A gorges day to very quick but saver storm in fifteen minutes on the big lakes. I have sailed the big lakes and have been cough in storms that opened our eyes on 41' boats that are made for big water.  Have a grate time!

     

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Absolutely agree with Sixball and tvano. When I head out to the big lake, I tend to just stay along shore and only about a mile from the entrance. There is a great dune just north of the channel that is fun to explore.

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  • 2 months later...

If your looking for a good meal, Chandlers in downtown Petoskey will not disappoint.  Pic from my dock on Elk which connects to Torch. 

elkglass1.JPG

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1 hour ago, Raimie said:

@powderjay how busy is Elk on a weekend in July?

Not bad at all.  10 mile long lake you can usually find a calm area.  Southern part of torch is where everyone goes for the most part.  Wind is the rub.  Chop picks up with anything over 10mph.  

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Stop by Higgins lake on your way up, one of the best lakes in Michigan and you won't find many camp grounds nicer than south state park.

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