Indian River, Onaway, & Ocqeouc Falls

---

Whew. . must have written myself out for a while. Took quite a break from my last post, and I never even finished our trip! Well, we will have to fix that.



If I remember correctly, we left off when we were coming up the east side of Michigan, along the shore, and about to pass through Rodgers City. From there it was only a short distance to what we thought would be our end destination, one of the small state forest campgrounds at Ocqeouc Falls. To understand our next move, you would have to understand our way of thinking that directed us this summer. I'm not sure if I stated previously our camping dilemma we had this year, but having a baby makes us quite nervous about tent camping ever since we had a bear experience our first year adventuring together. So until we would get our camper in the coming spring, we would ride out quite the camping trips over this last season.

When we arrived at the small Ocqueoc Falls state forest campground, we took a drive through, only to find it very wooded with only a couple campers in the 15 sites it offers. It was definitely a bear paradise, with thick pine, lots of underbrush and tall grass-type mini marshes lurking in miniature valleys. It was surely quaint and more for the adventurous camper (which we were!), but with a small tent and an almost one year old it definitely didn't tempt our inner outdoorsman this time around.

I will divulge your curiosity on Ocqueoc in a bit, if you have never been there, but first we'll move onto the rest of our night. The baby was growing restless and upset, the day was growing dark, and we were growing tired of a full day of driving and site-seeing. We decided our best (and safest) bet, would be to pitch tent for the night at Onaway State Park, which was about ten to fifteen minutes down the road from the falls.

The campground itself was really nice. The upper park campsites were surrounded by large white pines giving the surrounding space a very majestic, and cozy, feel. While this is true, I wouldn't recommend staying there if a storm is going to roll through, like the one night we did. I prayed that after hundreds of years of standing tall, the trees above us would stay strong another night, and not crush us in our little tent. However, we had a nice grassy campsite (for the crawling and just walking child) that ran at a slight angle, and was walled on both sides like a cubicle by a couple roof-tall pines, growing almost like bushes. I felt that it may have been one of the more, or possibly most, private sites in the campground; an opportunity that befell us probably because there were only about two other campers in the whole upper campground. It was also one of the few nice grassy ones, yet the others didn't lack in their dirt & pine-needle filled luster. They still gave a great sense of comfort.

The lower campground is really neat itself, and consists of campsites lined along the lake in which the campground sits against. The campsites are beautiful, butting up to pebbled water, and framed by cedars (or so I feel I recall, don't hold me to my word, lol). We didn't stay in any of these because of the baby, since most sites in the lower campground were taken and quite close to other people.

The lake in which the lower campsites are strung along is called Black Lake, and holds a lot of travel adventure fun just in the facts it swells with. It's one of the very few places in Michigan you can fish for sturgeon, a beautiful prehistoric fish I would love to hold. It can only be fished through ice with a spear, and once five are caught the season is over. Due to the sturgeon in the area Onaway has earned itself the nickname of Michigan's "Sturgeon capitol".

There are quite a few other attractions around the state park as well, such as Ocqeuoc Falls which I mentioned previously. The area is also well known for it's sink holes, and two state forest campgrounds in the vicinity, Shoepac Lake and Tomahawk Lake, are a prime example of this, as the lakes were created by sinkholes. Below is a bit from the visitors guide I find quite interesting, and so I wanted to share.

Shoepac Lake: The lake is mostly 18 to 20 feet deep; some areas are over 100 feet deep. 500 feet into the lake from the eastern shore is a sinkhole that is 120 feet deep, with pine trees growing on the floor and sides 90 feet below the water. The park also contains dry sinkholes.

The area beneath Onaway area is filled with sinkholes, caverns, and underground streams; Ocqueoc being a partial underground river itself. The visitors guide refers to it as a "karst topography", which is good to know if you love geography like myself. 😉 There are also two other campgrounds in the area as well, Black Lake State Forest Campground and Clear Lake State Park, as well as Black Forest Mountain Recreation Area.

The next morning after our night at Onaway S.P., I made an awesome breakfast on our camp stove per usual, and packed up everything to go (an AMAZING feat considering everything we bring with us in a smaller suv, and only staying a night or two anywhere we go). When we left we stopped at a small convenient/party store just outside of the park for morning snacks, and headed to the falls after.

The falls were a lot of fun, and if you've never been or are unaware, as this was our first time there, Ocqeuoc Falls is the largest falls in the lower peninsula. There is access to a bicentennial pathway 3-6 miles in length, and there are trails spanning along the length of the river, which we hiked a while. This was our first time using the hike pack we had, which worked amazing, and even has it's own little back story. Please skip the next paragraph if you don't like babbling..lol.


• Back story: I really wanted this specific hike pack above all others, which happened to be one of the cheapest, but I wanted it because I personally felt it looked much nicer and more supported than the $300 ones. Well the check I needed didn't come through until a couple days later than the shipping would have taken to deliver it before the start of our vacation. Since we were going to my sister's in TC first for her 21st birthday I decided to check the yard sale sites up there (we usually, on most years anyways, begin our vacation with the National Cherry Festival up there as well). So before I headed up I posted on one of the sites, looking for some place that might sell the particular model I was looking for (which I found doubtful, since they didn't have a Babies R Us, and neither Cabelas or Gander Mountain had any, TC only having a Gander Mountain anyways). Well, I got some links right away, and not for stores. Not only was someone selling the second model type carrier I was looking at, but someone was also selling the exact one I wanted. Not only was I able to get the one I wanted before our vaca started, but I got it for half price, which saved us $50 for our adventures. 😊



Anyways. . . Most of our vacation was discovery and exploration, not leisurely. If it had been more for relaxation though, Ocqueoc Falls would have been a great place to swim. We did spend a lot of time walking in the waters, and although most of it was all rock bottom it wasn't really slippery at all. Many kids with their families were playing in the falls, and luckily one of them happened to catch the pacifier we lost, which went down the river and over the falls to gather in the pool of play. It was hard to tear myself away from the refreshing water, and I definitely plan to make another day of visiting sometime.



Our next stop after Ocqueoc Falls was Indian River. For some, these simple places have probably been visited many times, but for me, I am just now exploring them for the first time, unless I was too young to remember doing so as a child. Depsite visiting many, many places in Michigan, these were not on my accomplished list, neither was it of Barry's, and both of our families are seasoned outdoorsmen/campers. So I have to say that as our first Indian River experience, it was pretty awesome! Again, it wasn't much of a leisurely vacation, so no canoeing, swimming, or other extra curriculars.

If you want to see some elk in Michigan, your best chance would be in these areas, because it is the only secluded population we have between both the upper and lower peninsulas. The tourist building in Indian River has all the information and maps you'll need on the elk in the area, as well as any other information you may be seeking about trails, recreational areas, refugees, and other activities.

Spending the last part of our vacation in Indian River allowed for some much needed relaxation . . . well, the closest thing to relaxation as you'll get with us. I believe we stayed for two days, with the contemplation of a third that never came to fruition. The campground we resided in was Burt Lake State Campground, which is probably the most occupied campground in the area, although there are a lot who probably visit a Jellystone Park in the vicinity as well.

The lake itself is absolutely gorgeous, and I'd really love to get out on it with a boat or jet-ski someday. There are quite a few really nice and grassy sites, especially on the lower half closest to the lake. While most were taken, we were lucky to get one available for the Thursday and Friday we stayed there, and it made for a great place for Autumn to play. In fact, it is here, in this site, that she first started to walk! What a great memory, learning to walk at the end of her first family vacation! ^_^

There is a camp store located beside a beach, and an area at the front of the campground where the campsites begin with activities for campers and kids, as well as a brochure shelf. There is also an activity/nature building that seems to keep the kids busy with activities and learning. You can also find informational brochures here on wildlife. If you're looking for some good family entertainment head into Indian River for their "Rhythm on the River", free concerts every Friday from 6-8, at least from July 26th to August 30th anyways. You can obtain the performance schedule at the tourist information center in town.

Located just outside of the campground is a well-known adventure business called Big Bear Adventures, where you're sure to get your fun on if you're looking for some. It serves as a store with a subway, and they have an 18 hole adventure golf, ropes challenge, and bumper boats. They also have canoe/kayak/raft/tube trips, guided winter raft trips, and ski/snowshoe rental. There is also a neat little story behind the name of the business, and the large stuffed standing Alaskan Brown Bear out front for all to see. You can view this story on their site, which will be linked at the bottom of this entry. Just hover over the mini-golf tab to find the it.

Another well-known attraction in the Indian River area is "The Cross in the Woods". I believe it is considered the largest cross/crucifixion in the world, but at the moment I can find nothing in my pamphlets or on their site to confirm this. The property in which it's located is wooded with paved trails winding their way through beautiful moss covered mounds and delightful gardens which lead you through all the different shrines and wonderfully sculpted statues, ending finally at the big cross and outdoor worship area. There is also a large indoor worship area, a gift shop, and a doll museum. Yes, I said doll museum, and yes, it is as creepy as it sounds. Whether you're religious or not (myself being spiritual, but not religious) it is a unique place to visit to say the least.

The collection of 525 dolls and 20 mannequins represent Diocesan clergy and more than 217 religious orders of priests, sisters, and brothers of North and South America.

Located to the northeast of Indian River is Mullet Lake, which we drove completely around on one of days staying at Burt lake. On the way we stopped into Aloha State Park to check it out, located on the East side of the lake. A wide canal runs through the middle of campground, splitting it into two separate sides with a bridge connecting the them. There are many large campsites along the canal (also referred to as the "Boat Basin") on both sides, as well as plenty of campsites on the lake. The campsites along the canal are very ideal looking for the avid fisherman or boater, and we look forward to a stay here someday as well, to enjoy some fishing. *Mostly all of the campsites in the campground nice and grassy.

Besides driving around Mullet Lake, we also took drives around the residential areas in the vicinity, some of which meander through whole neighborhoods on beautiful canals. While driving through one of those neighborhoods we happened upon a garage sale where I picked up a licence plate reading "Burt Lake Preservation Association", surrounded by pictures of water and pine trees. It now sits on the window sill in our front porch as a memento of our vacation, and being that I'm going into Fisheries and Wildlife Management, I enjoy the context of its existence.

Whatever your pleasure is, Indian River has a lot to offer, and it's only about 30 minutes from Mackinaw City as well.

We were so worn out from this years trip, which didn't even make it past the Big Mac, that we decided to cut it short, skipping our last day. So we headed back toward TC going West, and to make use of our last day we stopped at Oden Fish Hatchery. It's pretty neat there. They have a gift shop, and an old train car beside the creek in which lies a hatchery museum. There are paved hiking trails that loop around the acreage behind the main building that lead to other waterways, an underwater observatory, two fish ponds with three types of trout you can feed, and eventually leading to the hatchery itself, where they give tours. We enjoyed making one last use of our baby hike pack, and despite the heat, Autumn enjoyed the walk and wildlife, while sporting her adorable fishing hat (I'm sad that she'll be grown out of it by next summer).

After the hatchery we drove through Petoskey, taking a scenic two-track tour through Jordan River Valley on our way. While we didn't have the time to park and take the hikes located here, we did stop to take in the view at Deadman's Hill Scenic Overlook, which allows you to enjoy a look over a vast expanse of countryside, and is well known for the beauty during the fall season (there is also a very interesting story behind this, and it can be found online).

The very last of our journey found us coming into TC through Lake Ann. We took a drive through Lake Ann State Forest Campground, a place I had stayed at quite a few times as a kid, and then headed to a roadside park on the water in town, to take a final rest before heading to my sisters to pick up the fur-kids.



I'm not sure what was more exhausting, the actual vacation by the end, or writing this, lol.

If you have any questions about any of the places we visited, or would like more information or links, feel free to contact me. I keep binders full of brochures I collect along our travels, which come in handy for future planning. I'd be happy to help in your travels as well. 😊 There are also links below, as well as more pictures at the bottom of the entry.



Finally! I can start covering some other wonderful places in Michigan that we have visited in our previous travels. Stay tuned!





For more information on the parks/recreation listed above please visit the links below. 😊



Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground:

http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/details.aspx?id=627&type=SFCG



Onaway State Park:

http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?type=SPRK&id=479



Burt Lake State Park:

http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?type=SPRK&id=439



Big Bear Adventures:

http://www.bigbearadventures.com/



Aloha State Park:

http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=434&type=SPRK



The Cross in the Woods:

http://www.crossinthewoods.com/

---

Photos

Ocqeouc Falls
The stone terraces that lead down to the river, with Barry and Autumn at top.

Onaway State Park
Our campsite.

Ocqueoc Falls
Lower Falls

Ocqueoc Falls
Hiking the cool waters of the river.

Ocqueoc Falls
Upper Falls

Burt Lake State Park
The morning View from our campsite.

Autumn
Enjoying her new found ability of walking

Autumn in her Fishing Hat
At Oden Fish Hatchery