This article was featured in Vacation! Northern Michigan. Want more insider tips, road trips and the low-down on the best beaches and dining Up North? Get your copy.
Photo by Gail Snable
Things to Do in the Gaylord & Grayling Region
1. Treat yourself to a beach day (or days) at Otsego Lake State Park with its half mile of sandy beach, boat launch and campground. The seasonal park store is the spot to hang, ice cream cone in hand, and watch the sunset over the lake.
2. Grayling’s Paddle Hard Yard, an outdoor venue made up of shipping containers, has drinks and live music. Just down the block, its older sibling, Paddle Hard Brewing, has Michigan beers and inventive thin-crust pizzas (think Coney dog and mashed potato) worth braking for.
3. Known as the Big Wild, Pigeon River Country State Forest is the largest block of contiguous undeveloped land in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Stop by the Discovery Center for travel tips—and to ask about elk viewing and the region’s gem-like sinkhole lakes.
Photo by Dave Weidner
4. Rent a pontoon and cruise the Inland Waterway, a 40-mile stretch of interconnected lakes and rivers. The town of Indian River sits in the middle—a great jumping off point. Find rentals at The Landings and Indian River Marina; food trucks and craft beer at Northland Brewing.
5. Thirty miles of hiking and skiing trails and another 60 of ORV, mountain bike and horse trails wind over wooded Black Mountain, north of Onaway, which flanks big beautiful Black Lake as well as several smaller lakes.
6. We all know the real star of summer cookouts: brats. The Nowicki family has been making sausage since 1917, serving up irresistible flavors. Swing by shops in Alpena, Gaylord and Rogers City.
7. Wander the paved Old Growth Forest Trail at Hartwick Pines State Park and be awed by towering pines that are centuries old. The 1.25-mile loop is wheelchair accessible.
Photo by Dave Weidner
8. What’s better than barbecue and craft beer and live music on the banks of the Au Sable River on a warm summer night? Call us if you think of something. Snag a patio or picnic table at Ray’s BBQ, Brews & Blues in Grayling and tuck into smoked chicken, spare ribs, black angus beef brisket and corn bread smothered in honey butter.
9. Paddle one of Gaylord’s 90-plus inland lakes. A local favorite for calm paddling is Big Chub Lake; a quiet, spring-fed lake that feeds into the Au Sable River. Nearly half of the lake is undeveloped and there are frequent sightings of eagles, hawks and deer. A little canal connects Big Chub and Bridge lakes, offering a fun afternoon adventure.
More Northern Michigan Vacation Ideas: