Houghton Lake Area Tourism Bureau

20 Reasons TO Visit Houghton Lake

Discover some of the many reasons to visit Houghton Lake, listed here in no particular order.

Houghton Lake Area Beaches

If a day in the sand and the sun is what you enjoy, the Houghton Lake Area is the place for you. With dozens of resorts, motels and lodges located right on the water and many more public beaches and picnic areas, you will have your pick of the right beach for you. There are great public beaches that include swimming, children toys, barbecue pits and sheltered picnic areas and some even have showers and toilets

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Marguerite Gahagan Nature Preserve

Peaceful hiking trails amongst mature white and red pine forest and cedar swamp. This is an area working to protect habitat and wildlife forever. The Preserve is open to the public from dawn until dusk. One trail is paved and wheelchair accessible. Gahagan Preserve is located in Roscommon, off M18 and Southline Rd. directly behind Compost Center.

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Houghton Lake Historical Village

The Historical Village contains 13 restored 1800s Buildings and a 1920s era Playhouse. These buildings include a schoolroom, museum, town hall, dress shop, general store, doctor’s office/ pharmacy, barber shop, a homestead, a chapel and others. Every year on the first weekend of August, Village Day Festival is held in the historical village. During Village Days the historic site comes alive with demonstrations, guides in period costumes, all buildings open and operating. There are also numerous craft and musical demonstrations.

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St Helen ORV Jamboree

A weekend gathering of ATV enthusiasts providing enjoyment of the outdoors, the company of family and fellow ATV enthusiasts, and unique, fun activities. The main events of the Jamboree are the Mud Bog, Sand Run, and ORV Pull. Other Attractions include: ORV Training, Silent Auction, Obstacle Course, Vendor Displays, Scenic Rides and more. Each year it gets bigger and better. Fun for the entire family !!

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Michigan State Firemen's Memorial

The Firemen's Memorial is a monument dedicated to all fire fighters that have died in the line of duty. This memorial is one of few in the nation to honor these fallen heroes. Each year usually during the 3rd week of September, the Michigan Firemen's Memorial Festival is held in remembrance these brave citizens at the Roscommon County Fire Training Grounds. During this festival there is a parade, antique equipment demonstration, a memorial service, a light parade, music, dancing, emergency crew competitions and many more planned activities.

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AuSable River

The South Branch of the AuSable River is world renowned for canoeing, kayaking and tubing. The South Branch of the AuSable River flows northward out of St. Helen to Roscommon (This section is floatable only at certain times of the year). Out of Roscommon the AuSable River flows north and east through the George Mason Wilderness Retreat. There are no homes or roads in the 3,500 acres between Chase Bridge and Smith Bridge; this stretch of the river is preserved as a wilderness.

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Civilian Conservation Corps Museum

The Civilian Conservation Corps Museum has many photographs and artifacts depicting the CCC workers day-to-day life and accomplishments, including a replica CCC barracks building with exhibits. This group between 1933 and 1942 planted 484 million trees, constructed 7000 miles of truck trails, 504 bridges and 222 buildings.

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WELLINGTON FARM

Wellington Farm, USA is a 60-acre open-air interpretive museum designed to provide an educational opportunity for visitors to experience life as it was in rural mid-America during The Great Depression. Through a series of displays, a wide variety of exhibits, and beautiful natural settings, the park provides a variety of educational, recreational, and cultural opportunities for visitors to Northern Michigan.

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Wind Surfing / Higgins Lake

Great Lakes Windsurfing LLC is your source for all windsurfing needs. They host the Great Lakes Demo Tour to provide introductory lessons, rigging and tuning clinics and an opportunity for riders of all levels to try the latest gear in locations where they live and sail.

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Marl Lake

To the south of Higgins Lake lies Marl Lake, more wildness, and better wildlife viewing. The Marl Lake portion of the park is about 700 acres and includes Marl Lake and a small boat launch with vault toilets. This area is also the parking area and trail head for the five mile hiking trail along and around the west and south shores of Marl Lake. The Marl Lake upland is forested with oak, maple, and pine predominating with some white birch, ash, and other species mixed in.

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BLODGETT MEMORIAL AIRPORT

A county-owned public-use airport located five miles northeast of the central business district of Houghton Lake.

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Fishing/Houghton Lake

Michigan's largest inland lake covering 22,000 acres. The lake offers great fishing possibilities. Here you will find good fishing possibilities for walleye, pike, bass and bluegill. There are seven access sites strategically located around the lake.

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Lakeland Recreation

Lakeland Recreation is the number one place in Houghton Lake to go for fun, whether you are celebrating a birthday, going on a date, or looking for a place where you can take the entire family. We have lots to do, including 2 go-kart tracks, 2-18 hole miniature golf courses, an arcade, bumper cars, bumper boats, baseball and softball batting cages with many pitching speeds, a haunted mansion, kiddie rides and the extremely fun air powered bazooka ball guns.

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The Pines Theatre

The Pines Theatre is a 450-seat Log Cabin Chalet was designed by C. Howard Crane to look like a hunter's cabin. Originally opened in 1941 by W.J. Olson, who owned many theaters in Michigan at the time, the Pines features 40-foot cathedral log ceilings, a parquet wood floor, and a large collection of trophy game animals.

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ATV Trails

Let’s get muddy. Let’s rev up our engines and venture out on hundreds of miles of the best ORV trails in the State of Michigan. Here two-track, twisty single-track, and soggy mud bogs welcome dirt bikes, quads and four-wheelers.

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Tip-Up-Town USA

Michigan's largest winter festival is 60 years old in 2010. It's the Diamond Anniversary and promises to be bigger and better than ever before! The festival gets its name from an ice shanty community that springs up on Houghton Lake every winter. The "town" has its own by-laws, which state that “the purpose of the village on the ice is to promote bigger lies, hilarity, tom foolery and good will.” As you can imagine, the “lies” are usually related to those fish stories: the one that got away!

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Snowmobiling

With roughly 200 miles of groomed snowmobile trails in Roscommon County, Houghton Lake is the perfect stop for the snowmobile enthusiast. It is clear to see why Houghton Lake attracts thousands of snowmobile enthusiasts each winter. With northern Michigan's extensive trail system, abundant snow and exciting terrain, it is the perfect setting for a snowmobiling adventure for all ages.Houghton Lake is the perfect base for accessing Michigan's 6100 miles of snowmobile trails.

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Cross Country Skiing

The Cross Country Ski Headquarters is a charming Nordic Skiing / Snowshoeing center that includes 18 km of trails, has facilities for night skiing, a cozy lodge with food and hot beverages available. There is a complete store with sale or rental of cross county and snow shoeing equipment, clothing and accessories. Cross-Country Ski Headquarters has snowmaking equipment and frequently groomed trails.

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Lost Twin Lakes Pathway

This 3 mile loop trail winds through an old growth pine forest. Designed for hiking and cross-country skiing this trail has several bridges, including a covered bridge. The trail contains scenic overviews of pristine wetlands areas.

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