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A black-and-white lighthouse tower and keeper's house among dune grass at golden hour.

Region 2 of 6

Ludington & Manistee

Harbor towns, big dunes and quiet inland lakes.

This stretch of the shore pairs two harbor towns, Ludington and Manistee, with a string of smaller places that many visitors drive past: Pentwater to the south, Onekama on Portage Lake, Arcadia on the bluffs, and inland villages such as Bear Lake and Kaleva.

Behind the shoreline the land turns to forest and inland lakes, which makes the region a good base for anyone who wants Lake Michigan beaches and a quieter lake cottage on the same trip.

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

Regional map

Map of Ludington & Manistee

42 places on an OpenStreetMap map

Map of Ludington & Manistee. The same places are listed on this page.

Key destinations

A railed pier along the water under a streaked orange and purple sunset sky.

Ludington & Manistee

Ludington

A Lake Michigan harbor town for beach and lighthouse trips, with the S.S. Badger car ferry and a big dune state park just north of town.

A white lighthouse at the end of a pier with a catwalk, seen across calm Lake Michigan water

Ludington & Manistee

Manistee

A Lake Michigan port city where the river meets the lake, with a historic downtown riverwalk, three city beaches and a pierhead light to climb in season.

Smaller towns

Small towns worth a detour.

Lake Michigan stretches south along a wooded bluff below a wooden viewing deck near Arcadia.

Ludington & Manistee · Small town

Arcadia

A quiet Lake Michigan stop on M-22: a public beach at the end of Lake Street, a marina on Arcadia Lake, and Arcadia Dunes trails just north.

A wooden dock with a small boat on a calm, misty lake on an overcast day.

Ludington & Manistee · Small town

Bear Lake

For campers and anglers who want a simple lake base: a quiet Manistee County village with a campground right on Bear Lake and ice fishing in winter.

A green Michigan historical marker tells the story of Kaleva's Finnish founders.

Ludington & Manistee · Small town

Kaleva

A tiny Finnish-American village in Manistee County, worth a stop for the Bottle House Museum and streets named from the Kalevala.

A golden sun low over open water with dune grass silhouetted in the foreground.

Ludington & Manistee · Small town

Onekama

A small summer village on Portage Lake, joined to Lake Michigan by an 1871 channel. Swim at the village park or the big-lake beach, and boat between the two.

A lone motorboat crossing calm gray-blue water beneath a heavy bank of storm clouds.

Ludington & Manistee · Small town

Pentwater

A laid-back Lake Michigan village on the channel to Pentwater Lake, with a state park beach, piers, a marina and a dune trail a short walk from downtown.

Lakes and rivers

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

Hamlin Lake glows pale orange at dusk beside a silhouetted wooded point.

Lake · Ludington & Manistee

Hamlin Lake

Ludington State Park's big all-sports lake: ski and tube the open water, swim at the park beach, paddle the marsh trail, and ice fish for bluegill in winter.

  • All-sports
  • Swim beach
  • Public launch
  • Rentals
Suspension footbridge over a calm river reflecting clouds and fall trees

River · Ludington & Manistee

Manistee River

A big steelhead and salmon river below Tippy Dam, with liveries for summer canoe trips, winter steelhead, and 26 miles of National Recreational River.

  • Public launch
  • Rentals
Clear river flowing between grassy, wooded banks in spring green

River · Ludington & Manistee

Pere Marquette River

A free-flowing trout, steelhead and salmon river to Ludington: canoe and tube it from Baldwin in summer, fish winter steelhead from plowed access sites.

  • Public launch
  • Rentals

Lake · Ludington & Manistee

Arcadia Lake

A small harbor lake at Arcadia with a township marina, a kayak put-in and a channel to Lake Michigan. Ski and tube outside the no-wake north end.

  • All-sports
  • Public launch

Lake · Ludington & Manistee

Bear Lake

An all-sports lake at the village of Bear Lake: ski, tube and wakeboard, fish for walleye and bluegill, swim and camp at Hopkins Park, ice fish in winter.

  • All-sports
  • Swim beach
  • Public launch
Old timber pilings line a calm, reflective bend of the Big Sable River in autumn.

River · Ludington & Manistee

Big Sable River

A one-mile stretch inside Ludington State Park for tubing, paddling and salmon and steelhead fishing, with paddlesport rentals in the park in season.

  • Public launch
  • Rentals

Lake · Ludington & Manistee

Chief Lake

A 126-acre inland lake west of Chief in Manistee County, with no local boating limits listed. Official information is limited, so check before you go.

  • All-sports
The Little Manistee River winds past pines and a bleached stump on a sunny spring day.

River · Ludington & Manistee

Little Manistee River

A small wild-steelhead and salmon river with canoe access sites and the DNR weir at Stronach, where you can watch the spring steelhead egg take.

  • Public launch

Lake · Ludington & Manistee

Manistee Lake

An all-sports lake beside downtown Manistee: ski, tube and cruise, then take the bridge-free channel to Lake Michigan. Three launches and a lakeside marina.

  • All-sports
  • Public launch

Lake · Ludington & Manistee

Pentwater Lake

An all-sports harbor lake at Pentwater with two marinas and a channel to Lake Michigan. Swim at Mears State Park; ice fish the lake in winter.

  • All-sports
  • Swim beach
  • Public launch
Aerial view of Pere Marquette Lake at Ludington, with a marina, two car ferries at the dock and Lake Michigan beyond.

Lake · Ludington & Manistee

Pere Marquette Lake

Ludington's harbor lake: a city marina with fuel and transient slips, a four-lane launch, open water past the no-wake channel, and the S.S. Badger dock.

  • All-sports
  • Public launch
Kayakers paddle a shaded stretch of the Pine River below a steep wooded bank.

River · Ludington & Manistee

Pine River

A narrow, winding river near Cadillac for canoe, kayak and raft trips from Wellston liveries, blue ribbon trout fishing and year-round access.

  • Public launch
  • Rentals

Lake · Ludington & Manistee

Portage Lake

An all-sports lake at Onekama with marinas and a channel to Lake Michigan. Swim at the village park, fish for perch and bass, ice fish in winter.

  • All-sports
  • Swim beach
  • Public launch

Major attractions

Big Sable Point Lighthouse, a black-and-white banded tower, under a blue sky

Lighthouse

Big Sable Point Lighthouse

An 1867 lighthouse, 112 feet tall and banded black and white, on the Lake Michigan shore in Ludington State Park. You reach it on a 1.8-mile walk or ride.

Rolling sand dunes with beach grass at Ludington State Park, Lake Michigan on the horizon

State park

Ludington State Park

A big dune park between Hamlin Lake and 7 miles of Lake Michigan shore, with three campgrounds, 21 miles of trails and the walk to Big Sable Point Lighthouse.

The SS Badger car ferry sits at its dock in Ludington with smoke rising from its stack.

Attraction

S.S. Badger

A 1953 coal-fired steamship and National Historic Landmark that carries passengers and vehicles across Lake Michigan between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

Beach

Arcadia Beach Natural Area

Arcadia's public Lake Michigan beach at the west end of Lake Street, with parking, restrooms, picnic tables and a playground. An easy family beach day.

A wooden viewing deck looks out over Lake Michigan and the wooded shoreline from a high bluff.

Attraction

Arcadia Overlook

A state scenic turnout on M-22 north of Arcadia, with a lower viewing platform by the lot and stairs up to a high deck over Lake Michigan.

Trail information kiosks stand at the Big M trailhead under early fall color.

Trail

Big M Trail System

Groomed cross-country ski and winter fat-tire bike trails, and summer singletrack, in the Manistee National Forest near Wellston.

The Kaleva Bottle House, its lower walls built from glass bottles that spell out Happy Home.

Museum

Bottle House Museum

A house built in 1941 from about 60,000 glass bottles, now the Kaleva Historical Society's museum of local Finnish-American history.

Beach

Captain John Langland Park

Onekama Township's Lake Michigan beach at Portage Point, next to the channel's north pier, with stairs to the sand and a deck for sunsets.

State park

Charles Mears State Park

A small Lake Michigan beach park at the edge of Pentwater, with a buoyed swim beach by the harbor pier, a campground and a trail up Old Baldy.

Beach

First Street Beach

One of Manistee's three city beaches on Lake Michigan, with sugar sand, a free family disc golf course and parking for the riverwalk.

Nature preserve

Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary

Michigan Audubon's 75-acre sanctuary on a bluff north of Manistee, with old arboretum trees, about two miles of trails and Lake Michigan frontage.

Nature preserve

Magoon Creek Natural Area

A 97-acre Filer Township park south of Manistee with dune and forest trails, a creek, Lake Michigan shoreline and a picnic area.

Museum

Manistee County Historical Museum

Manistee's history museum in a downtown drugstore building on River Street, with period rooms, a log cabin replica and maritime exhibits.

Attraction

Manistee National Forest

More than half a million acres of public forest, run from Cadillac, with backpacking and ski trails, campgrounds and two National Scenic Rivers.

A white lighthouse at the end of a pier with a catwalk, seen across calm Lake Michigan water

Lighthouse

Manistee North Pierhead Light

Manistee's 38-foot pierhead light at the end of the north pier. Tower climbs began in 2026; the tower is now listed as closed until May 21, 2027.

The Manistee River bends through fall color seen from a high bank along the Manistee River Trail.

Trail

Manistee River Trail

A backpacking loop in the Manistee National Forest: the Manistee River Trail and the North Country Trail, joined by a suspension bridge near Hodenpyl Dam.

Waterfront

Manistee Riverwalk

A boardwalk along the Manistee River behind downtown, with benches, history markers and boats going by, open year-round.

A sandy Lake Michigan beach runs below a wooded bluff at Orchard Beach State Park.

State park

Orchard Beach State Park

A bluff-top park north of Manistee for Lake Michigan sunsets, forest trails and camping. Despite the name, you cannot reach the beach from the park.

Dune grass and sand slope down to Lake Michigan at the 13 Mile Road beach, with a wooded bluff beyond.

Beach

Pierport Beach

A rustic public Lake Michigan beach at the end of 13 Mile Road in Pierport, near Bear Lake. Limited parking, few amenities, an artesian well nearby.

The brick Ramsdell Theatre with its columned portico on a clear day in Manistee.

Historic site

Ramsdell Theatre

Manistee's 1903 opera house, on the National Register of Historic Places, restored and still staging plays, concerts and live broadcasts.

The retired car ferry SS City of Milwaukee moored across the water in Manistee harbor.

Historic site

S.S. City of Milwaukee

A 1931 Great Lakes rail car ferry and National Historic Landmark preserved in Manistee, with guided tours in summer and a haunted ship in October.

Upcoming events

Aglow on the Avenue

Saturday, November 28, 2026, 6:00 pm

Ludington · Ludington & Manistee

ParadeHoliday

Victorian Sleighbell Parade

Saturday, December 5, 2026, 5:30 pm

Manistee · Ludington & Manistee

ParadeHolidayHeritage

All events in this region

Sample itineraries