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A small harbor building on a dock beside moored boats under a hazy sunset sky.

Region 5 of 6

Charlevoix & Petoskey

Little Traverse Bay, Lake Charlevoix and classic resort towns.

The towns around Little Traverse Bay and Lake Charlevoix have welcomed summer visitors for generations. Charlevoix, Petoskey and Harbor Springs sit on the water with walkable downtowns, while Boyne City, Boyne Falls and Walloon Lake lead inland.

This is an editorial grouping for trip planning, not a county or tourism-bureau boundary.

Regional map

Map of Charlevoix & Petoskey

30 places on an OpenStreetMap map

Map of Charlevoix & Petoskey. The same places are listed on this page.

Key destinations

A red pier light at the end of a channel lined with a blue railing and large rocks, under a cloudy sky.

Charlevoix & Petoskey

Charlevoix

For boaters, beachgoers and first-timers: a harbor town where three lakes meet, with a summer drawbridge, a pier lighthouse and Earl Young's stone houses.

Orange autumn ferns and green undergrowth around a shallow woodland pool.

Charlevoix & Petoskey

Harbor Springs

For history, harbor views and the Tunnel of Trees: a small town on the north shore of Little Traverse Bay, with two ski areas nearby for winter.

A Petoskey stone among wet beach pebbles at the water's edge

Charlevoix & Petoskey

Petoskey

A walkable bay town for stone hunting, shopping the Gaslight District and riding the Little Traverse Wheelway, with historic Bay View next door.

Smaller towns

Small towns worth a detour.

Aerial view of a sandy beach edged by trees, with clear green water over a shallow lake bottom.

Charlevoix & Petoskey · Small town

Bay View

A Victorian summer community beside Petoskey for history lovers and concertgoers, a National Historic Landmark with music and lectures you can attend.

Wooden Young State Park entrance sign set in a fieldstone base in front of dense green forest

Charlevoix & Petoskey · Small town

Boyne City

For Lake Charlevoix days in any season: a small city with a state park beach, ridge trails above downtown and the National Morel Mushroom Festival each May.

Dense evergreen forest beneath low fog.

Charlevoix & Petoskey · Small town

East Jordan

For paddlers and anyone avoiding crowds: the Jordan, Michigan's first designated Natural River, floats into this small city at the south tip of Lake Charlevoix.

The main road runs through the village of Walloon Lake on a sunny summer day.

Charlevoix & Petoskey · Small town

Walloon Lake

A small resort village on clear Walloon Lake, south of Petoskey, for boating, swimming and the Hemingway family's summer story.

Lakes and rivers

The inland lakes, bays and rivers that bring many visitors here in summer.

The clear Jordan River flows between thick green banks in summer.

River · Charlevoix & Petoskey

Jordan River

A cold, clear, motor-free trout river for long floats through the Jordan River Valley, with DNR canoe launches, an East Jordan outfitter and winter steelhead.

  • Public launch
  • Rentals
Aerial view from over Lake Michigan of the Charlevoix channel, Round Lake and Lake Charlevoix stretching inland.

Lake · Charlevoix & Petoskey

Lake Charlevoix

An all-sports lake of 17,200 acres linking Charlevoix, Boyne City and East Jordan, with town marinas, a channel to Lake Michigan and walleye through the ice.

  • All-sports
  • Swim beach
  • Public launch
  • Rentals
Frozen, snow-covered Little Traverse Bay at Petoskey with the red-and-white breakwater light in the distance

Bay · Charlevoix & Petoskey

Little Traverse Bay

A Lake Michigan bay with marinas in Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Bay Harbor, swim beaches at the state park and Zorn Park, and Petoskey stones in the shallows.

  • All-sports
  • Swim beach
  • Public launch
The Bear River spills over a low weir below an arched bridge in Petoskey.

River · Charlevoix & Petoskey

Bear River

A short, fast river through Petoskey, with a quarter-mile whitewater course, a canoe livery for easy family floats and brook trout above the dam.

  • Rentals
The Boyne River flows between leafy banks with a riverside walkway on the right.

River · Charlevoix & Petoskey

Boyne River

A short trout stream into Lake Charlevoix at Boyne City, with an easy float of an hour or two from Dam Road to the lake and steelhead below the dam.

  • Public launch
  • Rentals
Crooked Lake under heavy clouds, seen from a grassy shore.

Lake · Charlevoix & Petoskey

Crooked Lake

A broad, shallow all-sports lake east of Petoskey that starts the Inland Waterway, with marinas and rentals in Oden and Alanson and slow channels at each end.

  • All-sports
  • Public launch
  • Rentals

Lake · Charlevoix & Petoskey

Pickerel Lake

Crooked Lake's deeper all-sports neighbor east of Petoskey, with a free county park beach and a short channel onto the Inland Waterway.

  • All-sports
  • Swim beach
The Pine River channel opens into Round Lake in downtown Charlevoix.

Lake · Charlevoix & Petoskey

Round Lake (Charlevoix)

Charlevoix's slow no-wake downtown harbor between Lake Charlevoix and Lake Michigan, with the city marina, fuel next door and the Channel for trout.

Lake · Charlevoix & Petoskey

Round Lake (Emmet County)

A small, shallow all-sports lake behind the Petoskey State Park dunes, with a small DNR launch and a nature preserve with easy trails and a boardwalk.

  • All-sports
  • Public launch

Lake · Charlevoix & Petoskey

Walloon Lake

A deep, clear all-sports lake south of Petoskey with marinas at Walloon Lake village, small township beaches and launches, and ice fishing in winter.

  • All-sports
  • Swim beach
  • Public launch
  • Rentals

Major attractions

An Earl Young stone house in Charlevoix with a curved shingle roof and boulder walls, seen from the street

Attraction

Earl Young Mushroom Houses

Charlevoix's curving stone homes by self-taught builder Earl Young. They are private, so you see them from the street on a self-guided tour.

Yellow 'Bike Trail' sign with an arrow nailed to a tree in a leafy forest

Trail

Little Traverse Wheelway

A paved, non-motorized trail along Little Traverse Bay linking Charlevoix, Petoskey and Harbor Springs, much of it with open views of the water.

Small waves roll onto a pebbly sand beach at Petoskey State Park.

State park

Petoskey State Park

A mile of Lake Michigan beach on Little Traverse Bay between Petoskey and Harbor Springs, with wooded dunes and the climb up Old Baldy.

Historic site

Bay View Association

A Victorian summer community above Little Traverse Bay and a National Historic Landmark, with summer concerts and lectures open to the public.

Attraction

Beaver Island

Lake Michigan's largest island, a ferry ride of just over two hours from Charlevoix, with beaches, lighthouses and long trails. Plan to stay the night.

Skiers line up at the base of a six-person chairlift at Boyne Mountain on a sunny winter day.

Ski area

Boyne Mountain

A big resort at Boyne Falls with 65 trails on 415 skiable acres, 35 km of cross-country trails, and SkyBridge Michigan and bike trails in the warm months.

Charlevoix South Pier Lighthouse, a red tower at the end of a pier, beside calm Lake Michigan water

Lighthouse

Charlevoix South Pier Lighthouse

A red steel pierhead light where Charlevoix's Pine River Channel meets Lake Michigan, beside Michigan Beach and a favorite place to watch the sunset.

Attraction

Crooked Tree Arts Center

Petoskey's arts center in a restored 1890 church on Mitchell Street, with free galleries, a 220-seat theater and classes year-round.

Museum

Little Traverse History Museum

Petoskey's history museum in the 1892 railroad depot on the waterfront, with a Hemingway collection and exhibits on Native American history and lumbering.

Snowy ski runs and lifts at Nubs Nob, with forested hills behind.

Ski area

Nub's Nob

A family-owned ski hill near Harbor Springs with 53 runs on 248 acres, 427 feet of vertical, terrain parks and night skiing.

Snowy ski runs cover the hillside at The Highlands at Harbor Springs, seen across a wooded valley.

Ski area

The Highlands at Harbor Springs

A ski resort near Harbor Springs with 55 runs on 435 acres and 552 feet of vertical, plus Nordic trails, and a bike park, hiking and golf in summer.

State park

Young State Park

Boyne City's state park on Lake Charlevoix, with a swimming beach, a boat launch, three modern campgrounds and 6.5 miles of trails.

Upcoming events

Harbor Springs Ice Fest

February 5 to 6, 2027

Harbor Springs · Charlevoix & Petoskey

FestivalArtsFamily

Boyne Thunder

July 9 to 10, 2027

Boyne City · Charlevoix & Petoskey

SportsFestival

All events in this region

Sample itineraries