Boating

Boating opportunities shine bright along the Michigan shore line. Delta County's waterside cities, towns and access sites, provide excellent recreation for the transient and seasonal boaters who dock at their shores.

The city of Escanaba is home to the Northshore Boat Launch and Escanaba Municipal Marina, two excellent facilities located in a town that offers an array of recreational activities. The full service marina is adjacent to excellent park and recreation facilities and nearby businesses as you cruise or fish on beautiful Little Bay de Noc.

The marina is located in the city's 120-acre Ludington Park complex on the west shore of Green Bay's Little Bay de Noc. It has a total of 165 boat slips, docks and moorings with some set aside for transient berthing.

The Escanaba Municipal Marina staff, which includes full-time dock attendants, is well-trained and committed to making your long-term stay as comfortable as possible.

When you dock at the Escanaba Municipal Marina for more than a day, you can enjoy the acres of recreational space in Ludington Park which are perfect for a family Frisbee game or a cookout. Grills and picnic tables are available. The park is also home to tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts, a soccer field, restrooms, a pavilion, Harbor Hideout, an exploratory wooden gym for kids, and the Karas Band Shell, where the city band performs each Wednesday evening. Adjacent to the marina are the Delta County Historical Museum and Sand Point Lighthouse, both open summer-long.

Take a ride down the bicycle path to hit the beach, where you can enjoy hours of fun in the sun and swimming in a lifeguarded area with bathhouses. Continue on down Aronson Island, past the boat launches and you can find an ideal nook for fishing. Stop at the end of Aronson Island, take in the view of the harbor, and watch the boats zip around the bay. The Municipal Marina offers bicycles for rent, which you can take for a ride down Ludington Street to check out the historical buildings, shop or dine.

While docked, visitors will enjoy the modern amenities offered at the marina such as free wireless Internet connection, dockside phone and cable TV service, in addition to a full range of utility services. Storage/dock box rentals, night watchman, marine fuels, dog run, day-use dockage, water, electricity (30 and 50 amp with 220 volt available), sanitary pump out services, ice, laundry and car rental are also available. In 2000, the city and the Michigan State Waterways Commission built harbor service buildings with ADA compliant restrooms showers, and long-term parking, beautiful landscaping and laundry accommodations. The $2.2 million project includes 400 feet of broadside docking for vessels 60 feet and larger. It also includes plenty of parking. The improvements were specifically intended to better serve seasonal and transient boaters. The marina is open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

The Gladstone Marina and harbor are located on the Little Bay de Noc, within the city's recreational hot spot - Van Cleve Park. The harbor holds 34 fixed docks, and 10 primitive docks, with the 25-30 feet boats, being the average size served by the harbor. The marina offers amenities for both transient and seasonal boaters, including 120-volt, 30-amp electric service, gas, diesel, holding tank, pump-out, ice, public phone, restrooms, showers, boat launch and long-term parking.

Van Cleve Park provides tons of recreational activities. A fantasy playground called Kid's Kingdom, two pavilions, a lighted baseball field, a sand volleyball court, a fully-lifeguarded swimming beach, restrooms, grills and picnic tables can all be found in the park.

The harbor is also connected to Gladstone's trail system, and the Gladstone Marina offers complimentary bicycles so visitors can take ride downtown for shopping and dining. Those who are planning on spending the night can stay at the Gladstone Bay Campground located on 200 feet of Lake Michigan, where they can camp out, grill out and slumber beneath the starts before boarding their boats again. The Gladstone Marina is open from May 15 to Labor Day.

The Manistique Marina is located right off U.S. 2 in Manistique's downtown vicinity. This picturesque marina offers transient slips and broadside docking, as well as seasonal slips. The marina is equipped with electricity (30 amp,120 vac outlets) water, ice, sewage pump-out, showers, toilets, security lights, gasoline, a launch ramp, telephone, long-term parking. Car and bike rental, and public transportation are on site, and hospital, laundry, dining, motels, and a movie cinema can all be found within a half mile distance of your slip. Fishing in the Manistique River is just 500 yards inside the breakwall from the marina. The marina is open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

Cedar River, a harbor town that rests on the Green Bay, between Escanaba and Menominee is home to the Cedar River State Harbor. The harbor provides 61 transient slips and 61 seasonal slips. The channel coming into the Cedar River State Harbor was dredged in September 2006. The harbor boasts depths of approximately 8-10 feet. The harbor's boat launch provides river and lake access. The Cedar River area also provides a number of recreational activities in addition to boating and fishing, such as hiking, camping, and biking, as well as snowmobiling and cross-country skiing on the area's impressive trail system, during the winter months. In spring, the Cedar River can be boated up to a rapids two miles from the mouth. A small tackle shop services sport fishermen. Other attractions in the Cedar River area include the Peninsula Point Lighthouse and Tower and the Sand Point Lighthouse. Amenities include water, electricity (30- and 50-amp), restrooms, showers, gasoline, diesel, biodiesel fuel(B5), pump out, boat launch, long-term parking, dog run, day-use dockage and grills/picnic tables.

Fayette State Park, located off of U.S. 2, between Escanaba and Manistique, is home to the Snail Shell Harbor and the Fayette State Park boat launch.

The Snail Shell Harbor offers 300 feet of broadside docking space. Scuba diving is allowed during certain times of the day, with fee and use permit No reservations are needed; space is offered on a first come/first serve basis. Fishing is allowed here.