Located on the Muskegon River, Hardy Dam was completed in 1931. The Spanish Colonial Revival style architecture of the powerhouse and the intake tower is outstanding. The dam is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.The Hardy Dam backwater boasts of 4000 acres of surface water and fifty miles of shoreline.  The backwaters are reported to be one of Michigan’s largest lakes, if not the largest and the dam is one of the largest earthen dams in the county.  Five waterfront parks/campgrounds with a total of over 2000 campsites are located on the waterfront, along with boat launches and a marina.  The parks located on the backwater of the Hardy Dam are; Newaygo County Sandy Beach Park, Big Prairie Township Ox Bow Park and Big Bend Park, Newaygo State Park and Mecosta County Brower Park.

A three mile nature trail runs parallel to the Muskegon River. Along the trail are twenty-six different types of trees each with a plaque identifying it’s species. The trail is is home to wild turkeys, grouse, deer, beaver, mink and otter, and you may even be fortunate enough to catch sight of one of the resident bald eagles. The trail was constructed with the involvement and support of the Boy Scouts of America.Much of the Muskegon River front behind the dam is owned by consumers Power Company and has been left in it’s natural state.

On the west side of the dam is the Hardy Dam Marina. This is a small marina located on an inlet off the pond with 37 slips all occupied by house boats. Talk about lifestyle! A boat launch as well as restrooms are available.

On the east side of the dam, Consumers Power operates the Operator’s Village Park.  At the time of the construction of the dam, Consumers Power purchased four homes from the Sears & Roebuck company and built them for the operators of the dam to live in. The power plant required skilled operators to be on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This allowed staff to rotate shifts and to have help close by for special maintenance projects. The homes were disassembled in the 1960’s when the area became more populated and the equipment was updated. The area is now a popular place for picnickers.

 One thing everyone should do at least once while in the area, is to drive across the dam. The view is magnificent in every direction!

The Loda Lake Wild Flower Sanctuary is one of our recommendations to explore.

Loda Lake, formerly known as Bass Lake, was at one time surrounded by a pine forest. At the turn of the twentieth century, the pine was stripped from the land for the needs of the Pere Marquette railroad. The land became neglected and eventually became part of the Manistee National Forest. In the late 1930’s, a local garden group had a vision for something special there, a wildflower refuge. Their dreams and persistence paid off in 1949 with the creation of of the only wildflower sanctuary located in a National Forest.

The name of Bass Lake was changed at that time to Loda Lake to honor an Indian princess, wife of the Potawami chief.

Detailed descriptions of the plant life as well as a map to enjoy the sanctuary can be found at  Loda Lake Wildflower Santuary

No matter how many times you visit Lake Michigan at sunset, you never tire of watching the sun go down. You also find that, like snowflakes, are no two the same.

Some sunsets are brilliant oranges and reds, some pinks and purples.  Some have wispy clouds, some billowing clouds.  And some sunsets are cloudless, with the sun just slipping silently into the water.

I have seen this happen before, not only with jet skis, but also with other water toys. Lakefront property owners should remember what their mother’s taught them, and always put their toys away before going to bed.

The park is known for its natural, untouched beauty. Three little known Michigan lakes are found here: North Lake, Middle Lake and South Lake. These three lakes are not your all sports lakes, they are shallow lakes more suitable for wildlife and duck blinds.    

Rather than describe what you will find on the nature trails trough the park, we are including information found in the” handout available at the park.

Grand Mere State Park

Self Guided Nature Trail

1. The Great Sauk Trail: One of the principle Native American Migration Routes in Michigan passed close to the Grand Mere area. During the 1600’s and 1700”s several different tribes traveled through the area to each the St. Joe River. These tribes would camp along the shores of the inland lakes where they could fish as well as hunt beaver, muskrat, waterfowl, frogs and turtles before moving on.

2. Musclewood: (Carpinus caroliniana, bluebeech, hornbeam)Thrives in moist rich soils mainly along lakes and streams in the understory of hardwood forest. It is readily identified by it’s muscle-like ridges of the trunk. It’s other name, Hornbeam, is from the words “horn” (for toughness) and “beam”  (for tree) referring to it’s very tough and hard wood.

3. South Lake: When the glaciers retreated, they left an area know as the Great Lakes Basin. In addition to the five largest freshwater lakes in the world, many smaller freshwater lakes are found across the terrain of Michigan. Here is South Lake, sister to North Lake. Two lakes, south of this lake, have since filled in are now wooded swamps, and remnants bogs. The waters from this inland lake system drain into Lake Michigan from an outlet off North Lake.

4. Tree cavities: Whether found near the ground or high up, tree cavities are beneficial nesting boles for many woodland creatures. Opossum, squirrel, fox, raccoon, bats and wood ducks are just a few of the animals that use tree cavities to raise young or seek safety. Cavities are formed when tree limbs and knots decay and fall off, exposing the sapwood and heartwood.

5. White Oak: (Quercus alba)* The classic White Oak of Eastern U.S. is found growing in moist well-drained uplands and lowlands. It is slow-growing, long-lived (500-600 years) and differs from it’s cousin in the Red Oak by having round-lobed leaves instead of bristle-tipped lobes of the red oak. It’s acorns mature in one season and are an important food crop for squirrel and deer. It’s also called “Stave Oak” because it’s wood, when cut into narrow strips (staves), is an outstanding material for making light barrels for whiskey.

6. Ferns: In place of flowers, fruit and seeds that enable most plants to propagate themselves, ferns have spores. Spores are a single-celled reproductive organ. They are dust-like and are hidden on the underside of the frond and upon maturity, burst, and scatter where they germinate. Ferns are characterized by compound leaves (frond) with divided leaflets. The four most common ferns found here are bracken, royal, sensitive and cinnamon.Red Oak: (Quercus rubra)* The red oak, whose leaf lobes are bristle-tipped, produces acorns that mature the second year. Read oak demands more moisture than white oaks, but they also tolerate colder climates. In the northern Lower and Upper peninsulas, red oak can be found on sandy, well-drained soils with white and red pines. It is an important lumber tree, it’s wood being used in flooring, furniture, fence posts, railroad ties and pilings. It is a rapid grower and is an important landscaping tree for parks and lawns.

8. Tipovers: In bottom land wood communities where the water table is close to the surface, the root complex of trees have a tendency to spread out laterally rather than grow downward. As the trees mature, much of their mass is above ground and they literally become top heavy without a deep root system to stabilize them. Periodically during strong storms with high winds, a tree will blow over, pulling it’s root system out of the ground. Occasionally, enough roots remain in the ground to keep the tree alive and it continues to grow literally laying down on the job. Otherwise, it will probably decay and provide food and shelter for forestland creatures.

9. Witch-Hazel: (hammamells virginiana) The interesting note on this tree is the time of flowering. Flowers appear in October and November and continue well after leaf fall. The tree is shade-tolerant, slow growing and short-lived. The forked twigs were used by water diviners or “well witchers” to seek water. Witch-Hazel astringent is obtained from the leaves, twigs and bark and used in lotions and medicinal extracts.

10. Sassafras: (Sassafras albidum) Favors well-drained soil and ample sunlight. It is easily identified  by three distinct shapes of leaves on the same tree; unlobed, 2-lobed “mitten” and 3-lobed (rarely 5-lobed). Oil of sassafras is distilled from the bark of the roots. It is used to flavor medicines, candy, tobacco and soap. Sassafras tea, made from the rood bark (which has a distinct root beer odor) was used as a spring tonic to “thin the blood”.

*Oak Trees: Oaks are divided into two groups, white and read oaks, each group is comprised of many species. There are more than 400 oak species in the world. The white oak group is characterized by leaves with rounded lobes and acorns tat mature in their first year. The red oak group has leaves with bristle-tipped lobes and acorns that mature in their second year.

Lake Macatawa is located along the Park and Holland Township line in Western Ottawa County.  The 1780 acre lake generally reaches depths of only10 feet, but there are some reported depths of up to 20 feet. A channel is maintained for navigation of deep ships to cross the six mile length of the lake to access the docks at the City of Holland. The channel is routinely dredged.

Lake Macatawa is fed by the Macatawa River, formerly known as the Black River, and flows into Lake Michigan.

Fisherman should find Black Crappie, Bluegill, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow Trout, Small Mouth Bass, Walleye and Yellow Perch.

There are several public access sites to Lake Macatawa.  The first is located at the Howard Dunton Park located on Howard Ave, just west of River Ave. on the North East side of Lake Macatatawa. You can launch your boat, fish from the fishing pier, or enjoy the boardwalk. 

Another boat launch, Kollen Park, is located at the west end of 12th Street in downtown Holland on the southern side of Lake Macatawa.  This public access hard surface boat launch has plenty of  parking.  You can enjoy the lakefront, picnic tables, the water fountain and watch the sunset. You may even be fortunate enough to catch some live music from the band shelter.

The Lake Macatawa launch on Ottawa Beach Road  is located between the Anchorage Marina and Eldean Yacht Basin and is the third public access site with a hard surface boat launch and  parking.  

The lakefront is mainly lined with upscale homes and public and private marinas. The far eastern portion of the Lake Macatawa lakefront is lined with a number of industrial sites. Lake Macatawa is home to the Heinz Company, a scrap yard, an aggregate yard, a pharmaceutical company as well as Holland BPW, a coal fired power plant.

Boatwerks, a hip new lake front restaurant, is located on the southeast shore of Lake Macatawa  just west of downtown on VanRaalte Ave. This is an excellent choice for enjoyable dinner.

Lake Mac, as many call it, flows into Lake Michigan through the man made channel. In the 1860s Albert van Raalte, Holland’s founder, organized the digging of the channel. On the north side is the very popular Holland State Park, with its sandy Lake Michigan beach and pier. On the south side you will find the pier with the Holland Harbor Lighthouse.

Built in 1872 at a cost of $4,000, Big Red is a western Michigan landmark. The lighthouse was not always known as Big Red, but it soon received that nickname after the Coast Guard painted it bright red in 1956.

The Holland area is rich in history and so is Lake Macatawa. During the 40’s and 50’s it was home to Chris Craft, the manufacturer of the beautiful vintage wooden motorboats.

I ran across this video of a reminder of another type of vintage water craft. Just for fun.

Today, the city of Grand Rapids completely surrounds this 110 acre Michigan lake. The northeast Grand Rapids neighborhood is home for shopping, schools and work. Year-round homes with year-round residents line the lakefront of Dean Lake.

There is something very rewarding to coming home every evening after work, enjoying the pontoon after dinner or speeding twice around the lake on a pair of skis. Lake front living within a city offers the advantage of having only one lawn to cut and only one home to care for.

On the other hand, a convincing argument could be made to hop in the car, get away from it all  and make the trip to that special Northern Michigan place that you could never take for granted.

The good news is, you may not have to wait for the budget to catch up to your dreams. You may have purchased it as a retirement home and living there is 5, 10 or 15 years away, but you would also like to use it now. You do not have to spend a lot of money to get a whole different feel for you new lakefront home.

The first thing add a fresh coat of paint inside and out. You can change the color entirely or just paint the trim.

Add some shutters to the cottage, paint them a complementary color.

Power wash the cottage and the decks and put a new coat of stain on the deck.

Add some flower boxes to the front for curb appeal.

Plant some easy to care for perennials around the property.

Update the house numbers with some bold numbers or letters.

Install a flagpole and a flag.

Install new light fixtures will modernize the appearance of the cottage.

Replace the doorknobs throughout the cottage.

Refinish the floors, install some new carpet or consider an area rug.

Install new switch plate covers and outlet covers.

Change the hardware on the kitchen cupboard and drawers. Or, consider new cupboard doors and countertops.

If necessary, consider new or gently used appliances.

Change the fixtures in the bathroom, install new towel bars and other hardware. Don’t forget new towels to compliment the paint color. Pick up a new shower curtain.

Consider going to the local art festival. Invest in some local art. It will make more of a difference than you think. Sometimes reframing the art or mirrors you already have or just repainting the frames will give them an entirely new look.

But, most important thing is to relax and enjoy your weekends at the lake!

Be friendly.  Guests are customers and they like to be welcomed and pampered.

Any small thing that you can do or provide will set you apart form your competitors. Some of the better coffee companies sell small bags of coffee, enough for one pot . Having a selection of these around is a nice touch and a great way for your guests to start their day. Always make sure your coffee maker is working and there are plenty of filters available.

Make your guests feel if they need anything all they have to do is ask. Many times we can overlook the most simple necessitates. If one person asks for something,  it means others have or will have noticed the same missing ingredients.

Provide your guests a list of local phone numbers: your number, emergency maintance, and even the local pizza place with delivery. Having a few menus from local restaurants in the cottage is a nice touch.

Keep some cards in the drawer as well a some games, books and magazines in case the weather turns bad.

Some comfortable deck or beach furniture is a must. If it is not comfortable for you, it will not be for them. Keep you eye open for sales, estate sales and moving sales for anything that you can provide for a better vacation experience.

Be available to your guests and their needs, make them feel wanted but never invade their space.  Many guests are looking for privacy and don’t want to be bothered.

Word of mouth is on of the best ways to attract new guests.  Have business cards or brochures with pictures printed up and have them available in the cottage so guests can remember how to contact you and have enough available for them to pass out to friends and family.

A lumpy or well worn mattress that is no longer providing you a good nights sleep at your home will not improve by being at the rental cottage. A shower that quickly runs out of hot water will be as disappointing to others as it is to you. A cottage that is not clean or has an “old” odor to it probably will not encourage guests to return.

Make the cottage feel like home. Attractive pictures on the wall, plenty of blankets for chilly evenings and comfortable furniture to relax on make for a very pleasant stay. Make sure you have a TV that works and has a clear picture for those evenings indoors and rainy days.

Guests tend to remember the worst of their vacations. You and your cottage do not want to be part of those memories. People will often return year after year if they had a good experience the first time.

A few basic tips:

If you know of any problems or things not working properly- fix or repair them before hand. Emergency repairs are often very expensive and guest’s vacations are interrupted.

Make sure the cottage is squeaky clean. You do not want guests feeling they have to spend the first half day cleaning the unit prior to using it.

Make sure your cleaning cabinet is well stocked with cleaning supplies and equipment. A guest that cleans up well during the course of their stay makes your job easier.

Use your parental eye on the property. Look around the property and determine if there is anything you should do to “child proof” the property for any children.