Captain John Langland Park

Captain John Langland Park is the Portage Point beach: Onekama Township’s main Lake Michigan beach, on the shore just north of the channel that links Portage Lake to the big lake.

It suits beach days, sunset watchers and pier anglers. Park in the paved lot at the end of Second Street; portable toilets are listed in summer.

From the parking lot, a deck with two gazebos looks out over the water, and stairs drop down to the sand for swimming, sunbathing and long beach walks. It faces west, so stay for the sunset.

The channel’s north pier starts here. Walk out for the view or join the anglers who fish from it, but stay off the pier when the waves are up.

The park is named for Captain John Langland, who tended the original kerosene light at the end of the north pier, placed in 1891, until it was automated in 1917.