Torch Lake Adventures

 We had not heard of Torch Lake until our oldest granddaughter told us that she wanted to vacation there. She had learned about it on social media through influencers and was anxious to see what all the hubbub was about. 

This vacation to Torch Lake is a family one, but we feel there are Seniors out there who also want to include kids and grandkids in some of their travels, so we are including this one. This trip is also suitable for Seniors sans family. We traveled there in August 2021, still Covid but things were much more relaxed than our Grand Canyon Trip. The biggest issue now was for restaurants, hotels, and other businesses to find enough employees to operate. Most places were closed a few days of the week.

Torch Lake is located in the northwest part of Lower Michigan near Bellaire. We rented a condo through Air BnB located in a ski resort that had two pools, a number of restaurants and bars on sight. When traveling with grandkids, we find it almost a necessity to have a pool. This location also happened to have a Starbucks which is always a plus with teens.

On our first full day, we explored Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. What a fantastic, amazing place.Who knew that Michigan had even better dunes that Wisconsin? This is a must see when you are visiting this area, but do not go down the dune unless you are able to climb back up or it will cost you a pretty penny.  After we visited the dunes we found a hidden gem called North Bar Lake thanks to our Air BnB host who suggested it. (Proves my point that Air BnB hosts are very helpful) North Bar Lake is a beautiful, small lake with sand surrounding it and if you walk over a large dune on the side of the lake, you find yourself on the shores of Lake Michigan. We blew up our paddleboards and used them for the first time. This lake was the perfect place to try them out before we used them on Torch Lake.While there were many people at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Shoreline on this beautiful August day, there were very few people at North Bar Lake, truly an unknown gem. If you do visit this area, make North Bar Lake a stop. If you have grandkids with you, they will love it.

Torch Lake day had arrived! My granddaughter who wanted to visit Torch Lake planned the day for us and it was a very memorable one. Torch Lake is known for its Caribbean blue waters and its world-famous sandbar. It was her idea that we should make our way to the sandbar and have our packed lunch there. So, we headed out with paddleboards, two rafts, a blow-up chair, and a cooler filled with our lunch and drinks. Finding parking is not easy around Torch Lake. There are a few access points with limited parking spots available around the lake. I believe there are some parks where there may be parking available, too. Torch Lake is indeed a very beautiful lake, although I did not think it was as blue as the Carribean by any means. We inflated up our paddleboards and started our journey to the sandbar which we figured was about one mile up the lake.

A few of us were on the boards, John was walking, and my daughter was sitting on the pull up chair which we were towing on one of the boards. I think we made quite a site to see. The good thing was that the lake has a sandbar way out from shore that we could walk along on our travels. At one point, John and I decided we should go back, move the car closer to the final destination, because no one would want to paddle/walk all the way back. Before we parted company, we had our lunch, right out there in the middle of Torch Lake using a paddleboard as our table. John and I bid farewell to the others, and we made it safely back to our car. We moved to another area, parked and noticed them making their way toward the sandbar, way out in the lake. I motioned to them, and my daughter and the younger granddaughter made their way back to us on foot. They had had enough. My other granddaughter with the big ideas and my SIL continued on to the infamous sandbar. The four of us drove on and found a parking area from which we could easily see this crowded sandbar, in fact it would have been an easy walk or paddleboard ride out to it from shore and at about the same time, we spotted Granddaugther and SIL at the sandbar eating a hamburger from a food boat there. They had made it, her dream had been fulfilled. 

What a memorable day that was for all of us and that is what family vacations are about! We spent the rest of the day and  night laughing and reliving this adventure. If you visit Torch Lake and want to see the sandbar, just find that close parking area and walk on out.

Just a few facts about Torch Lake

1. Torch Lake was ranked the third most beautiful lake in the world by National Geographic
2. Torch Lake is the second biggest lake in Michigan, it's pretty big as far as lakes go. It's 19 miles long and 2 miles wide.
3. Torch Lake offers a little bit of the Carribean to Michigan since its color is considered Carribean blue.
4. Torch Lake is known for its sandbar which goes the entire width of the lake at the southern end, that's where we found the parking lot located nearest the sandbar.
5. Kid Rock, Michael Moore, and Eminem call Torch Lake their home
6. As stated above, there is limited parking at a few access points located around the lake.
7. The town of Alden is located on Torch Lake. We found parking in downtown Alden on both of our visits and the walk to the Lake is short from anywhere in the town. Alden has quaint little shops and nice eateries and bars. Alden is on the southeast portion of the lake.
8. There are a number of small towns located around the lake, but we liked using Alden as our go to spot.

One day, we took a trip to a lake town named Charlevoix. It's 41 miles from Torch Lake. It is a hustling, bustling, yet charming town. Everything is walkable. There is a drawbridge that raises every half hour on schedule. Their main attraction is the "mushroom houses". They are actual homes, designed by Earl Young and are distinct due to their mushroom-like shaped rooflines. The city has numerous free beaches.

There is one more attraction, the world's largest cherry pie!  It is a monument to a celebration of the Bicentennial. An oven was also built to accommodate the pie.

While some businesses were open, on this particular Wednesday, many were closed due to the COVID-induced worker shortage and those that were open were packed. Very few restaurants were accessible.

After having seen the sandbar up-close and personal, we decided a pontoon cruise of Torch Lake Chain of Lakes, a three-hour tour (you did sing this, I'll bet) with Foxy's Custom Cruises out of Belaire. Captain Foxy showed us lots of beautiful scenery and wildlife on this cold, drizzly day, including a stop on the sandbar just as there was a break in the clouds where we disembarked for a photo op. We highly recommend this tour with your small group (six or so) as it is relaxing and informative.

                                                                        Captain Foxy

There is so much to love about Michigan. For us it is just a short drive to this vacation paradise, but even if you have to drive a distance to get there, it is worth the trip! This is only one small area, there are so many more. Later this year for our anniversary in June, we will be returning to visit Mackinac Island, one of our favorite places and some other fun spots, so stay tuned for that.

On an added note, every Labor Day you are able to walk across the Mackinac Bridge. We did this on Labor Day 2021, and it was such a fun experience even though because of Covid (it was still affecting things, sadly) we could only walk halfway and then return, still 5 miles but no shuttle service from one end to the other. So, if walking is your thing and you want to add walking across the Mighty Mac to your bucket list, go for it! On that trip we also visited Tahquamenon Falls and Whitefish Point on the beautiful Lake Superior. Both of those are worth the trip but I will leave that to a future post.

Happy Travels!  See you in Key West!