Summers spent at the lake!
Written: Nov 29 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful clean lake
Cons: Grand Traverse Bay is prettier and only a few miles away
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| babypod's Full Review: Duck Lake State Park |
Summers with my Grandmother meant summers at Duck Lake. She lived two miles from Duck lake. We would walk there in the summer and spend the day at the beach.
Duck Lake is located South of Interlochen, Michigan. It is about ½ a mile south of the world known Interlochen Arts Academy. It is free to use if you walk in. There is a fee for driving in and camping.
With that, there is a really nice camp ground in the woods before you hit the beach. I am not sure how many sites there are, but each site has a picnic table and a small grill. The woods are very nice looking and filled with all sorts of wild animals. There is also a huge red tractor/plow thing that I have many photos where I was swinging from. You can crawl up there and sit in the seat.
The beach was the biggest draw for me. It is a very nice beach. First of all, there are loads of picnic tables on the outskirts of the sand. Near each table there is also a small grill to cook hot dogs and burgers. Many a summer meal was spent eating hot dogs off those grills.
On the sand there is a fairly nice sized playground for the kids. There are swings. There are slides. There are a couple of merry go rounds. There are also smaller pieces of equipment for the younger kids. This way, if your kids don't want to swim they can play on the equipment.
Next, there is a gift shop. Here you can buy shirts that say "Interlochen" or "Duck Lake" on them. You can also buy drinks and junk food there, just in case you forget to bring your own. The kids will love the flavored ice that you can buy there.
There is also a nice bathroom there. It is a fairly well maintained bathroom, meaning it actually gets cleaned. Many bathrooms at beaches are really gross, but this one isn't that bad. You don't have to hold your breath while you use it.
The beach is very nice. It comes with the Michigan sand that you see at all beaches. It is clean (usually not a lot of icky things in the sand). It is one of the nicer beaches in the area.
The lake, that is the best thing about this park. It is Duck Lake and it is kept pretty clean. It does not smell bad. You USUALLY do not get swimmers itch from this lake (if you go too early in the season you may get swimmers itch.) It is crystal clear, like most Michigan lakes. You can see the bottom even when out in a boat. The swimming area does not have that disgusting mucky bottom to it. It is very nice packed sand to walk on.
There may or may not be a life guard on duty, but there is always a roped off area telling you where the swimming is safe. The water stays shallow for a ways out (it is not one of those lakes that drops off to four feet in the first ten feet of the lake). This allows younger kids to have more room to play.
As for how crowed it is depends on what time of year you go there. It is never as crowed as the Bay in Traverse City, and since that is only 15 miles away it helps to keep this beach not as crowded as it may be.
I love this lake, but it is the place to go swimming and camping. If you want to see the beauty of Lake Michigan, drive the 15 miles to the Bay in Traverse City. This lake is more meant for a day out with the family or a small place to take your boat.
Recommended:
Yes
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babypod
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Location: Buckley, Mi
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I am a part time dietitian and a full time mom to FOUR!
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