Some cool rocks i found at a little “private beach” off the beaten path at the tip of Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore (1-3)
And then some nice sunset and hobo dinner pics at the campsite at Wilderness State Park (4-8)
I’ve been itching to visit this area for a long time. Everyone always talks up how awesome the city and the island are, i was expecting much more and then…. I got here.
First off, the hotels in the city are awful. Musty, dirty, just unkempt in general. I felt cleaner taking a dip in the lake than the showers here. But I’ve heard over 20 of the hotels in the city are owned by one family who is under investigation by the attorney general due to a massive amount of complaints. I can’t speak for the ones on the island themselves but have heard similar experiences from others. If you do stay in the city, the Baymont was by far the best.
The food was subpar and overpriced. Most of the restaurants would be wiped out if something as basic as a McDonald’s was ever put in town. Besides a handful of polite people/servers the general population of the town was rude and seemed depressed to even be in the city. On the Island people were generally nice but the food was again, subpar and overpriced. The burgers were okay but i’m tired of this whole “kettle chips but you can upgrade to fries for an extra $4” on an already $18 burger thing.
On the island my favorite was the Yankee Rebel Tavern despite the price, the prime rib melt was delicious and staff was amazing. In the city the ONLY place truly worth eating is Fox’s Den Pizza, hands down best place in town and well worth the price, staff was also really nice. Dixie Saloon was also good and had a little live music to go with it.
The fudge, was really good, i don’t think it’s truly worth a special trip. But it was good, and was honestly the best thing about the entire trip here. In the city, Joann’s was the best no doubt. Best people and best fudge and was very close to being the #1 fudge but i had to place it #2 because when i got to the island Ryba’s became my outstanding #1. Flavor and texture are unmatched. #3 Kilwins, #4 Murdicks, #5 Marshalls. The other’s didn’t seem worth trying. Also, if you like ice cream, the Sweet Spot has a ton of flavors. Don’t sleep on the Huckleberry.
The beaches, were cold and dirty. I don’t think the lake ever gets warm and if you like stepping on cigarette butts and seagull poo to get to some cold murky water then more power to you. That being said, i can say i have now baptized myself in 2 (soon to be 3 in a few days) great lakes in a week. I also got a tick on my foot from the beach.
The Island, was an Island. If you enjoy a few old cottage houses and the smell of horse poo then great, the main strip is overpacked with people and there are about 6 of the same exact shop repeated along the whole strip and tons of gift shops selling the same overpriced gifts. The tourists are terrible and none of them have awareness of their surroundings and will walk straight into you as they stare at something with their mouth hanging open. The rest of the island is “okay” if you’re willing to pay an arm and a leg to rent a bike or go on a carriage ride. I live near amish so none of that really impresses me. And a forest is a forest, i can see the same forestry without paying to visit an expensive island. I’ll just go to the Manitou’s. And honestly, despite the whole “no cars” thing, i do not see the appeal. The “history” feel didn’t even seem to be there with a massive wave of tourists and people trying to sell you overpriced things. The island was nothing like what i thought it would be and you could pretty much experience everything on the island right in the city and never even bother paying to take the ferry over. That being said, Arnold Transit did amazing with making accommodations for my mother with a walking disability as well as my brother in a wheelchair.
Overall experience was a 3/10, will not visit again. If you do, visit at the least populated time you can. Maybe i’ll stop by the city to get some fudge on the way to the UP, but the general experience seemed like a giant waste of money and was my least favorite vacation ever. And honestly with how much things costed, you would think both the Island and the city would have way more to offer and be way nicer. Thank you to the few people and places that helped take the edge off of our bitter disappointment.
Has anybody else had a similar experience? Was there something “amazing” i was missing? Maybe i just expect too much when things cost this much.
Been a dream of mine for the last five years. (My first actual road trip….. lame, I know)
I’m planning on camping in Hiawatha for 4.. maybe 5 days after visiting Sleeping Bear, Traverse City, and Mackinac over a period of a few days too. Wanting my first go at practicing dispersed camping (with leave no trace principles) and hoping to kayak around Pictured Rocks if the water is calm enough.
Am I overthinking the possibility of running into bears?
Will an AWD family SUV be enough for most of the UP roads or should I plan on taking my Jeep?
Any good secret dispersed camping spots or fishing spots? I’m good at keeping secrets 👉🏻👈🏻
Any good stories to learn from or some first timer advice?
Thanks in advance :-)