As a Michigan native I like to think I am pretty familiar with our beautiful state. However, If you had asked me 2 years ago where Drummond Island was, I would have had no idea! I was looking for a place for a group vacation. We needed 4 or 5 cabins, ideally on a lake and someplace that “felt” like a vacation. We wanted peace and quiet. A chance for our families to be able to catch up with each other. I never expected to find something so PERFECT!
I stumbled on Drummond Island when searching online for rental cabins in Michigan. It is one of the farthest points north in Lake Huron that you can go and still be in the USA. To get there you need to take a ferry from Detour. The ferry ride is pretty quick and inexpensive. Click here for info: Drummond Island Ferry
The island is like a giant nature preserve with deer, bear and an abundance of birds. There are a lot of ORV trails which are popular with Jeep clubs and off roading enthusiasts. While there are a couple of beaches, this is not a place I would consider going if you want a beach vacation. We were there for a week at the end of July and it was in the mid to upper 70s every day. Perfect for fishing, reading on the porch swing, kayaking, not so much for the chilly waters of Northern Michigan. Though we did venture in a couple of times.
The resort we chose was great. The only negative part was that the reservation process is tricky as they only book out a year in advance and they give preference to their regulars. So it took some work to find a week that would work for everyone…but it was worth it in the end. We ended up with 4 cabins right next to each other on the water. Our hosts were very helpful, the cabins while older were clean and stocked with the essentials. We would have booked again for this coming summer but there was a conflict with someone in the group and the cabins were not available when we needed them to be for this year. So our loss is someone else’s gain. Click here for more info about the resort, Papin’s Resort
The week was exactly what we needed. Away from people, traffic, computers. We rented a pontoon boat for the week, had access to kayaks and rowboats. We went out of a couple of fishing trips every day and every night ended the day around the campfire. Life doesn’t get much better than this!
We did some exploring too. We took the boat around the islands and found a couple of places to swim. The “kids” in the group had fun chasing snakes and turtles. There was a swan family that made several appearances around the dock. We also spent an afternoon renting ORVs and checking out the trails. I’m pretty sure this was our son’s favorite part of the trip! It isn’t cheap, but it is a lot of fun and we felt it was worth the money. Beaver ATV rentals. The owner was very helpful. We talked about what type of ride we wanted to take and he gave us maps and pointed us in the right direction. He even sells goggles and masks…which you will need!
There are a couple of small restaurants and a grocery store in town. If you are looking for specific non perishables you may want to bring them with you. I didn’t have much luck finding my berry flavored Propel or diet wild cherry Pepsi! They have the basics though and the people were very friendly. You can also buy firewood there as well.
If you are looking for a new place to explore on your next vacation, I would highly recommend giving Drummond Island a try. If you have a favorite Michigan place you think would work for my group please let me know and I will put it on my list of places to check out. We are booked at a place near Munising for this summer. Stay tuned later this year for the details of that trip. If it goes as well as our trip to Drummond Island did I will be a very happy girl.
Simply Shannone 