Boyne City

Boyne City is a small, easygoing base at the east end of Lake Charlevoix. Downtown sits on the water, the state park beach is just up the shore and a wooded ridge with a lake view rises right behind town. One day covers the town. A second lets you add Boyne Mountain, a paddle on the Boyne River or the loop around the lake.

Getting there and getting around

M-75 runs through town, and Lake Street (C-56) follows the north shore of the lake toward Charlevoix. By our routing estimates, the drive takes about 3.5 hours from Grand Rapids, about 4 hours 40 minutes from Detroit and about 6 hours 45 minutes from Chicago.

The nearest airline airports are Pellston Regional, a little over an hour away by our estimate, and Cherry Capital in Traverse City, about an hour and a half. Private pilots can use Boyne City Municipal Airport at the edge of town or the resort’s own Boyne Mountain Airport at Boyne Falls.

Plan on a car to get here, then walk. Downtown is a few blocks of Water Street and Lake Street, with the marina, Veterans Park and the Boyne River all close by. A few ways to get around:

• On foot. The shops, restaurants, Peninsula Beach and the riverside parks are within a short walk of each other.
• By bike. The Boyne City to Charlevoix Trail, for walkers and cyclists, starts inside Young State Park and links up with the Little Traverse Wheelway. Boaters at the city marina will find loaner bikes listed among its services.
• By boat. The marina’s transient slips are booked through the state reservation system, so reserve ahead for summer weekends.

Where to eat

Downtown along Water Street and Lake Street holds nearly all of it, and you can walk between every place on this list. These are spots local writers and the visitors bureau single out:

• Café Santé. A European-style bistro by the marina with lake views inside and out, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is known for wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas and French standbys such as escargot, boeuf bourguignon and steak frites.
• Provisions Lounge. A more polished spot for small plates, entrées and drinks, with live music on some evenings. It is known for parmesan truffle fries and big Piedmontese beef burgers. The deli next door does sandwiches and soups to go.
• Boyne City Taproom. A taproom in a 1905 building on Lake Street, opened in 2016, with about 40 taps of Michigan beer, a full bar, mocktails and a deck. The menu runs from burgers and sandwiches to salmon and a pork ribeye, and it lists sushi as a Wednesday night special.
• Stiggs Brewery & Kitchen. The town’s craft brewery, on South Park Street in a restored brick building from 1899, pairing its own beer with smoked barbecue.
• Red Mesa Grill. Southwestern and Latin-inspired cooking on Water Street, with house margaritas and a collection of hot sauces.
• Boyne River Inn. The casual pick on Water Street for pizza, steaks and seafood, with a porch over the Boyne River.
• Gildas’ Lake Street Bakery. A French bakery run by a baker from northern France, for breakfast, lunch or a snack. Croissants, pain au chocolat and sweet and savory crêpes are the draw.
• Lake Charlevoix Coffee Company. The coffee stop, attached to Lake Street Pub with its own entrance. Take your cup to the lakeshore or the riverbank.
• Lake Street Market. A market and deli for gourmet sandwiches, soups and pizza, plus wine, local beer and pantry items. Handy for a picnic or stocking a rental kitchen.
• Muskrat Distilling. A lounge near Veterans Park with a seasonal cocktail list and a newer food menu. It lists live music on Friday nights.
• Something sweet. Alpine Chocolat Haus is the chocolate shop, and Kilwins on Water Street makes fudge in copper kettles and scoops ice cream.

Where to stay

Boyne City’s lodging is small and close to the water. Our listings include the Water Street Inn, an all-suite hotel on the lake at the edge of downtown, with kitchens and lake-view balconies, and the Boyne City Motel, a small motel two blocks from downtown. For a resort stay, Boyne Mountain is a short drive south at Boyne Falls. See them all in places to stay in Boyne City. For the morel festival, Boyne Thunder and the Fourth, book early.

Our picks

Young State Park. The swimming beach on Lake Charlevoix, just up the shore from town, with sandy frontage, trails and a modern campground. You need a Recreation Passport on your car.

Avalanche Preserve. A city park of about 300 acres on the ridge above town. Its trails climb to Avalanche Peak, about 439 feet above the lake, for a long view over Lake Charlevoix. The trails are rated moderate to challenging, so wear real shoes.

Peninsula Beach and the riverfront. The in-town swim, a short walk from downtown, with a playground and picnic area. Walk back along the Boyne River parks, which have boardwalk viewing and fishing spots.

The lower Boyne River. An easy float of an hour or two from Dam Road to Veterans Park on the lake. A Boyne City outfitter lists kayak rentals and shuttles; see the Boyne River page.

Market at the Pavilion. The farmers market at the Veterans Park pavilion lists Wednesday and Saturday morning markets from mid-May to mid-October, with live music, and runs through the rest of the year too. Check the market’s current schedule.

Stroll the Streets. On most summer Fridays, from mid-June through Labor Day, bands play on corners along Water and Lake streets, shops stay open late and there are activities for kids. Check the current season before you plan around it.

Boyne Mountain. The resort at Boyne Falls, a short drive south, for skiing in winter and SkyBridge Michigan, a 1,200-foot suspension bridge between two peaks reached by chairlift, in the warm months. Check its season dates before you go.

The loop around Lake Charlevoix. Drive west to Charlevoix along the north shore, down the South Arm to East Jordan and back across on the little Ironton Ferry, which runs in the warmer months.

One day, and two days

One day. Coffee and a croissant downtown, then the trails at Avalanche Preserve while it is cool. Lunch in town, then an afternoon at Young State Park or Peninsula Beach. On a summer Friday, stay for Stroll the Streets, then dinner downtown.

Two days. Start the second day with the market if it is a Wednesday or Saturday, then float the lower Boyne River. In the afternoon, head to Boyne Mountain for SkyBridge, or drive the Lake Charlevoix loop with the Ironton Ferry. With more time, spend a day in Charlevoix at the west end of the lake or in Petoskey to the north.

With kids, and on a rainy day

With kids: Peninsula Beach’s playground, a swim at Young State Park and the kids’ activities at Stroll the Streets. The Fourth has a decorated-bike parade for kids. Boyne Mountain’s Avalanche Bay indoor waterpark works in any weather. In winter, Avalanche Preserve has free sledding and an outdoor skating rink.

On a rainy day: The Boyne Heritage Center, in the city’s waterfront municipal building, has local history displays, including a restored vintage fire truck and the restored 1905 town clock; check when it is open. Freshwater Art Gallery shows local and regional artists, and the downtown shops are a short walk apart, including Dust & Blush, a romance bookshop with a mocktail bar that opened in 2026.

Best time to go

Summer is the season, built around the lake and a run of big weekends. The National Morel Mushroom Festival comes first, the weekend after Mother’s Day in May, with a competitive hunt, tastings, a seminar and a carnival. It draws thousands, so book early.

July is the busiest month. The Fourth of July runs over two days with an art fair, a raft race on the Boyne River, the parade and fireworks over the lake at dusk. Old City Park is the spot for the raft race.

The fireworks launch over Lake Charlevoix. Veterans Memorial Park and the downtown waterfront are the places to watch, along with Peninsula Beach, Sunset Park and the marina. Arrive early, park legally in a downtown public lot or on the street, and walk in; there is no dedicated fireworks lot, and street closures change from year to year. The schedule lists a rain date the next night. Check the festival site for each year’s schedule and times. A week later, Boyne Thunder brings high-performance powerboats on the second weekend in July, with a Friday night street party downtown and parade laps on Saturday morning.

September and October are the calmer months. The Harvest Festival is listed for the last Saturday of September at the farmers market, Boyne Mountain lists Skitoberfest in October, and the color loop around Lake Charlevoix runs through town.

Winter

Boyne City keeps going in winter, and the center of it is Avalanche Preserve. The hill has free sledding (Michigan Blue magazine once called it the state’s best sledding hill), an outdoor rink that opens when the weather allows and a warming house with restrooms and a limited supply of free loaner skates. Almost 3 miles of trails are open to cross-country skiers and snowshoers, and the preserve lists fat biking too. Conditions change with the weather, so check before you go.

For downhill skiing, Boyne Mountain lists 65 trails on 415 skiable acres, plus cross-country and snowshoe trails, a short drive south. Young State Park also lists cross-country skiing. The downtown holiday open house kicks off the season, and the Fat & Flurrious fat bike race, run since 2016, is a winter tradition.

Hours, menus and schedules change, so check with each place before you go.