Cruise the Inland Waterway from Near Lake Michigan to Lake Huron
This Inland Waterway covers 38.2 miles from outside of Petoskey to Cheboygan. Find state parks, fishing, swimming, and more along the way.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.com
St. Ignatius Church is often first recognized by the steep, white steeple peering above the treeline as M-119 enters Good Hart, twenty miles north of Harbor Springs.
Travel along the Tunnel of Trees from Harbor Springs to Cross Village and you will pass through Good Hart, a Northern Michigan cross roads rich with history. In Good Hart, turn onto Lamkin Road and head down the hill into Middle Village, an old Native American village.
The first structure in Middle Village was a Jesuit Mission in 1823 but the mission began in this area, once called Apatawaaing, in 1741. It was rebuilt in 1823 by Native Americans and then built again in 1889 after a fire destroyed it. What was once named the St. Ignatius Church of Loyola is now known as St. Ignatius Church.
Thanks to a massive restoration project, the St. Ignatius Church is now open to the public for Sunday mass in July and August, weddings, and funeral visitations. The church is adjacent to the Middle Village Cemetery where row and row of white crosses mark the graves of Odawa Indians. Also nearby is a pathway to Middle Village Beach, a popular spot for swimming.
101 N. Lamkin Rd., Good Hart, MI, 49737
(231) 526-2017
This Inland Waterway covers 38.2 miles from outside of Petoskey to Cheboygan. Find state parks, fishing, swimming, and more along the way.
The Harsha House and the Charlevoix Depot Museum, run by the Charlevoix Historical Society, preserve much of Charlevoix’s rich history.
When visiting Northern Michigan, be sure to ride one of the local Lake Michigan ferries. It’s an adventure that should be on every travelers’ Up North bucket list!
In Northern Michigan, you’ll find lighthouses where lighthouse keepers once lived and worked that have been restored and are open to visitors.
Fisherman’s Island State Park has more than 2,600 acres and miles of gorgeous Lake Michigan beach and is located just south of Charlevoix.
Bicyclists, walkers, and roller bladers can go from Harbor Springs to Charlevoix on the 26-mile long Little Traverse Wheelway.
Acres and acres of Northern Michigan are abloom with trillium during May, only adding to the beauty of spring Up North!
Just a short drive from Harbor Springs or Petoskey are more than a dozen Northern Michigan cross country ski trails in Emmet County.
Mackinaw City’s Heritage Village lets visitors explore life in the Straits of Mackinac as it was during the era of 1880-1917.