The lake has been popular for many years and is mostly developed with a mix of year round homes, cottages and trailers. You can find a little bit of everything on the lake, from a motel, to several seasonal cottage resorts to seasonal trailer / RV parks.

A ride around any Michigan lake is always an adventure and this lake is no different. To take a drive around this lake, just follow Lakeside Drive all around the lake, except on the west side, when you would take Aster Road north or south, depending on your direction.

The most interesting resort on the lake may be the Wolf Lake Ranch. I must admit I have never been to the ranch, but in my travels have many times passed by it on the northwest tip of the lake and have always found it intriguing. The lake front, combined with the ranch style environment and  the horses, sounds interesting. Add to that the thousands of state and federal owned acres just across the road to enjoy, you may find this is just the weekend destination spot you are looking for. If you have ever stayed there, I would like to hear your about your experience.

Where they grow thickest, you can often see broad stretches of rich, open maple and beech woods carpeted with white, as if someone had strewn popcorn through the hardwoods. Of all the spring wildflowers, the great white trillium is the icon of this time in the northwoods when the forest floor comes alive with color.

For the past two weeks I had been laid up with a nasty bug. I finally reemerged from my enforced confinement, where life had been reduced to four walls and many a bowl of homemade chicken soup, to discover that spring had not waited for me. What had a short time before been just the first hints of emerging greenery—wild leeks popping up in the woods, the first Canadian anemones and a few pioneer trout lilies showing their blooms—had become a full-blown explosion of color and life.

My first tentative, post-convalescent hike told me that I was by no means up to snuff yet physically. But by my second outing earlier this week, I had improved greatly, and was in good enough shape to finally enjoy the season’s progression along the Coldwater River.

Stately sycamores grace both sides of the river along the Dolan Trail where I went walking. Their striking olive, beige, and gray mottled bark so much resembles camouflage that you’d swear nature had cloaked the trunks in RealTree. The woods along the trail are marked by large trees of every kind—huge sycamores, big maples, immense old beeches. With large branches spreading high overhead, the understory is thin, and the presiding mood is spacious, ancient, and cathedral-like, the way I have always pictured Sherwood Forest. Pileated woodpeckers nest there, and I once watched an enormous gray owl hopscotch through the treetops. On this day, as I sat by the bluff just below where the fast-flowing river forks into two channels, an otter slipped along the opposite bank and disappeared into a hole.

Virginia bluebells were at their peak, covering large patches of the woodland in an Impressionistic azure wash. Fat bumblebees moved busily among the flowers, poking their heads into the long, bell-like tubes. I’ve never been stung by a bumblebee and I hope never to acquire the experience. Judging from their size, I’m sure the bees pack a wallop. But they seem to be docile, peace-loving creatures that pay little attention to me. We’ve ranged through the same stands of bluebells together for many springs, coexisting, the bees pursuing with single-minded purpose their mission of pollinating the flowers and ensuring that in the few places where this rare Michigan wildflower grows, it spreads and prospers in profusion.

Unlike the Virginia bluebell, the great white trillium is fairly easy to find. Most Michigan residents know it by sight. With its three rich, creamy white petals and three broad leaves, Trillium grandiflorum is a flamboyant plant, commonly growing in colonies too large to overlook. Not that it grows everywhere. I don’t find it in oak woods, which tend to be a bit sterile overall. The trillium is a friend of maples, beeches, and rich, black soils, and it prefers woods edges and settings where light can filter through rather than deep, heavily shaded forest interiors.

From now until late May, this queen of the spring wildflowers holds court. In another week or two, look for some of the older flowers to start turning pink. Another species of trillium has dark red petals, but the two plants are distinctly different. There are in fact a number of trillium species native to Michigan, most being considerably rarer than the great white trillium. The toad trillium’s hallmark is its odd, mottled leaves; the painted trillium has a striking, crimson V on each of its three white petals; the diminutive snow trillium is one of the earliest of the spring wildflowers.

But the great white trillium is the belle of them all–showy,  stately, graceful, an emblem of the Michigan wildwoods in the spring.

Anyone who drives even a few miles per year in an enclosed vehicle and experiences close calls or mechanical problems, can appreciate that a person on a bike feels even more vulnerable. Divine help makes all the difference in life.

Come on out, enjoy the spring.

Big Star Lake has a Lake Association, as well as its own  Lake Webcam and even a Historical Website  with tons of interesting stories, pictures and postcards. And, of course,I don’t want to forget to include the link to the Lake Map.

Star Lake Drive will get you around Big Star Lake.  Many private roads and private drives run off this blacktop street. The area is well wooded, but can be rather busy at times.

The DNR manages a public access site to Big Star Lake. You can find this on the southwest section of the lake. A hard surface boat launch is there, as well as vault style toilets and plenty of parking. Looks like there is a sandy beach there, but not sure swimming is allowed.

Fishermen enjoy Big Star Lake and report catches of Bluegill, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Tiger Muskellunge, Walleye and Yellow Perch. Surrounding Big Star are several smaller lakes, also lined with cottages, trailers and year round homes. Oxbow Lake, Reed Lake, Rainbow Lake, Orchard Lake, Gifford Lake, Honeymoon Lake, Cecilia Lake and Basford Lake, just to name a few, are some of the lakes surrounding the lake.

There is a lot to do in the area. Be sure to try one of my favorites, Jones Ice Cream.

Take time to enjoy a Michigan Lake!

Reed Lake is just one mile north and west of Big Star.Reed Lake is part of three small neighboring lakes:  Reed, Rainbow and Orchard Lakes. Reed Lake is the deepest of the three, with depths of up to 45 feet ,45 acres of surface water and 1.1 miles of lakefront. Too small for all sports water activities, but just for ideal for a time of quiet fishing or perhaps swimming.

The terrain around Reed Lake and the other two nearby scenic lakes is rolling and nicely wooded with mix of pine and hardwoods. The lakes are somewhat developed with modest cabins and cottages, reflecting reasonable prices if you are searching for a summer getaway. A getaway that is close to Baldwin to pick up your weekend supplies, including Jones Ice Cream.

Also nearby one will find other lakes: Oxbow lake, Cecilia Lake, Gifford Lake, Basford Lake and Honeymoon Lake.

Now is the time to begin dreaming of those warm, summer afternoons on a Michigan lake. Be sure to plan on spending one of those days in Lake County.

Big Bass is an irregular shaped lake, not round, not long and narrow so when you live on the lake you stand on your dock without seeing every home on the lake, nor can they see yours.

Big Bass Lake is also unique in that it has an island. For some reason, whenever a lake has an island or islands, it always seems a bit more interesting and appealing.

There is a public access site on the southwest side of the lake on Six Mile Road and Bass Lake Road. It is a small, two acre site with a hard surface boat launch, vault style restroom and limited parking. With its name, I would be disappointed if it was not full of bass.

In Michigan, we have cities designated as naturally cool. One reason Big Bass Lake earns our “Waterland’s Naturally Cool Area” award is that it has more than twenty other Michigan lakes within ten miles.   They say you are  known by the company you keep and Big Bass Lake is near Loon Lake, Harper Lake, Little Bass Lake, Cool Lake, the Sauble Lakes, and many smaller and quieter Michigan Lakes.

Big Bass Lake has a even has blog! Big Bass Lake and Beyond.  Check it out.  It has history, stories of the lake, the people and even recipes! Even though I don’t cook, I like to eat, so I watch the recipes and make suggestions to the cook in the family!

Bush Lake is one of those small Michigan lakes that largely go unnoticed by so many on the way to nearby larger and busier lakes. But, those in the neighborhood know that some of the “no name” lakes offer some of the better fishing holes in the state.

Located in Lake county, a mere mile outside of Baldwin Michigan, along US 10, is another one of  Michigan’s lakes.  Whalen Lake, a small 33 acre lake, has reported depths of 26 feet.

The waterfront of Whalen Lake is lined with a mix of seasonal cottages, as well as a number of year round lakefront homes.

No public access is known to exist for this lake.

This Michigan lake is one of the many beautiful lakes you will observe as you travel on Michigan roads. Whalen Lake, along with many of the Michigan lakes, offers a peaceful break  in the fast paced lifestyles we live.

You have seen it, chances are you have driven by it. Government Lake is located along M 37, one mile north of Baldwin Michigan. Perhaps you may have stopped and enjoyed a hamburger at the Government Lake Lodge.

This Lake County lake is a small lake of only 22 acres. Largely a shallow lake, the deepest point is only 15 feet deep.

The lake is home to mainly seasonal cottages, but there is also a handful of year round residents. This sand bottom lake is known for its aqua blue water.

Government Lake is neighbor to several other small Michigan lakes including Mench Lake, Cashion Lake, Putnam Lake and Little Star Lake.

If you know why this Michigan Lake is called Government Lake, drop me a note- I would like to know if there is a story behind the name.

There is something for everyone including hiking trails (48 miles) and camping, horseback trails (35 miles) and ski trails, snowmobile trails (50 miles) and ATV trails (19 miles).

Within Newaygo County, the forest offers two developed campgrounds. Nichols Lake and Benton Lake campgrounds are less busy than a private campground or a state campground. These campgrounds are designed for those who really like to rough it, as electric and sewage hookups are not available.

You may chose to use the campsites on one of Michigan’s small lakes within the forest: Brush Lake, Condon Lake, Hungerford Lake, Sawkaw or Shelly lake. These sites are more rustic but generally have drinking water, garbage disposal and restrooms.

As with most attractions, there are fees involved: $3.00 for one day, $5.00 for up to seven days or $20.00 for the season. You can get more information by writing: District Ranger, 650 N Michigan, Baldwin Mi., 49304 or by calling 1-231-745-4631