A Guide to the Rivers and Lakes of Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties, Michigan ― All Publicly Accessible Rivers and Inland Lakes and Their Access Points for These Two Favorite Northwestern

The northwestern Michigan counties of Grand Traverse and Leelanau have an abundance of inland lakes: 145 named lakes, and many, smaller unnamed lakes. (Add the neighboring Benzie County, and there are well over 213 lakes in the three northwestern counties.) The size of the lakes range from 2 to nearly 8,000 acres. Seven of them are in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (all in Leelanau County). There are also five rivers, the Betsie and Boardman Rivers in Grand Traverse County, and the Cedar, Crystal and Leland Rivers in Leelanau County.

This handy book provides the essential details for all 65 of the publicly and easily accessible inland lakes in Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties, the in-county pieces of the five rivers in these two counties, and ALL of the access points for those rivers and lakes. This guide is for anyone accessing these rivers and lakes, especially boaters — anglers, canoeists, kayakers, other paddlers, and any recreational boat users.

Some of the details offered include:

• For each river – location, description, length, paddle time, depth, width, difficulty, link to Google Maps, and more.

• For each river section – length, paddle time, other details about that section, link to Google Maps, and shuttle roads.

• For each lake – general location, general description, lake area, shoreline length, depth, inlets and outlets, link to DNR map (for some), link to Google Maps for the lake area, peninsulas, islands, and general surroundings.

• Complete access details for ALL boat launches and access sites for the rivers and lakes, including: type of access site and what 's offered at each, GPS coordinates, a link to Google Maps, and detailed road directions.

Also included are maps of the two counties showing the general location of all covered lakes and rivers and the major roads around them.

This book covers Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties. It's intended as a complement to theA Guide to Benzie County Michigan Rivers, Lakes, and Creeks book, which covers 32 of that county's 58 inland lakes, 2 of its 4 rivers, and 5 of its many creeks — all the navigable and publicly accessible inland water in Benzie County.

Whatever kind of boating you do, you'll find this guide invaluable. Keep a copy in your boat, vehicle, or cottage for easy reference!