I had heard folks touting Lake Huron and the “sunrise side” of the state but never had much inkling to go over there. With all of the great beach towns on this side of the state, what could we possibly be missing? Well, a few summers ago, a group of old friends and I packed up our camping gear and decided to find out. We met up near Kalkaska and zig zagged across the state, taking all back roads. We stopped for a burger and beer at the Hi Way Inn, in Hillman on Old M32. Nothing fancy, but exactly what you would think that an up north Michigan bar should look like. Old worn wooden floors and furniture with waitresses knowing everyone that walked in. We were given a few glances but quickly got to talking and were filled in on more than we ever wanted to know about Hillman.
We found our campsite in the P.H. Hoeft State Park on Lake Huron. It was very hot (98 degrees earlier in the day) so we could not wait to jump in the lake. This side of the state does not have the sandy beaches that we are accustomed to on the Lake Michigan side. The beach grasses grow down close to the water, and it is little rocky.
After driving into Rogers City, we found that the town does not have a lot to offer. Probably the most famous landmark is the 110-year-old Plath’s Meats. A wonderful old butcher shop with a giant hotdog sign out front. We did have breakfast at two good local spots and found a sports bar to watch the Tigers.
My dad took our family to a place called Dinosaur Gardens in Ossineke, near Alpena, back in the mid-1960’s, and I had read that it was still open. I convinced the group that we needed to check it out. We found that it had recently been fixed up, and I would stack it up against any of the best “roadside attractions” in the state. It includes a dozen or more acres of woods with brightly painted, life-sized dinosaurs around each corner. It was built in the late 1930’s by Paul Domke and has stood the test of time.
On the way back, we stopped in Alpena and were impressed with this decent-sized old town on Lake Huron. Alpena houses several dozen restored brick buildings, theatres, antique stores, restaurants, etc. Unfortunately, the legendary John A. Lau Saloon recently burned down. Traveling Ladders is one of the most interesting antiques shops I have visited in quite some time.
One morning we got up early and rode our bikes a few miles north of the state park on the paved Huron Sunrise Trail (one of this side of the state’s best trails that winds through woods running along the water between Alpena and Rogers City) to 40 Mile Point Lighthouse. This lighthouse was built in 1896 and is surrounded by a handful of restored old buildings full of antiques and shipwreck artifacts. Just a short walk down the beach lie the remains of the Joseph S. Fay that ran aground in 1905.
Ocqueoc Falls, the largest falls in the Lower Peninsula, is also worth a stop. A nice walk through the woods to a river with several small falls. The river is not deep or fast, so we were able to take our shoes off and walk from rock to rock to cross the river for more trails on the other side.
Although the “sunrise side” of the state may not have the gorgeous beaches that we are used to on Lake Michigan, it is still worth a weekend trip to experience the look and feel of these classic old shipping towns.
