The Best on the Betsie
2399 Dam Rd.
Benzonia, MI 49616
231.882.9950
rustic-resort@att.net
(PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW EMAIL ADDRESS!)
2399 Dam Rd.
Benzonia, MI 49616
231.882.9950
rustic-resort@att.net
(PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW EMAIL ADDRESS!)
Hiking and Biking Trails
We are just 1 mile from the trails to Crystal Lake and also the biking trails that go for miles through the most beautiful country Michigan can offer. They are filled with deer, birds, wildlife of all sorts. Take your camera! Have a go around Crystal Lake or go to Thompsonville down the trails, it's peaceful and beautiful with the most enjoyable of walks or rides. Very safe too. Take the kids and then go swimming in beautiful Crystal Lake, or take a nice long ride down the trail to see some of the most gorgeous scenery in the north.
Golfing
We also are close to golfing. We have many golf courses in the area for you to come and play. We have many here who come to play the local courses and also the courses near Traverse City, it's a great time to be had by all. There's even a put-put course in Benzonia if you prefer.
Mushroom Hunting
Your experience with mushrooming is always a great time, walk in the woods gather your mushrooms and have a fantastic meal with morels and beefsteaks during the spring. We are close to all the great spots for hunting, or come and enjoy the Mesick Mushroom festival only miles away. A great springtime event.
Fall Fishing
We have the best in fall fishing. Located on the Betsie River, next to Homestead Dam. From Mid August to the end of October there's salmon fishing drawing hundreds to the area for a try at getting the big one. Book early to get a good spot, or book a year in advance. We offer what others do not, we pick you and your catch up at the dam and bring you to our fish cleaning station for free. Just have someone call or come up and let us know you need a ride and we'll be right there between 8am and 8pm. For those night fishermen, you can come up and use the wheel barrel to get your fish and bring them up, better than dragging them. We also feature our now famous Saturday night fish fry's available to our guests only, you may come up and put on a feed bag for some of the best salmon you've ever had. Jack does his southern style deep fried and I do a pan fried, when you put it together with french fries homemade, and a desert MMMM what a great night for eating out. We also add some BBQ smoked fish, smoked fish with our secret brine, and you never know what we'll have going on, maybe a night of singing or just having great company and talking it's worth it.
Spring Fishing
Come and join our contest during the spring from March 1 - April 30th. First place is a two night stay on us, Second place is a 4 hr charter boat ride on Jim's boat in Lake MI from Arcadia docks, third place a set of waders from BackCast Fly Shop our local fishing headquarters offering a large variety of items to use during fishing seasons, hunting, or items for your pet, and we may come up with some other prizes as well.
Charter Fishing
There is a charter available here for your enjoyment. Go on a 4 or 6 hour charter from Arcadia MI only a few minutes away. Our son Jim is happy to take you for a great time either fishing or just viewing the beauty of the Lake Michigan coastline. You do get a discount for booking a charter and if you don't catch any fish you get a rain check for another try. Weather permitting of course.
Kid Fun
We have a very nice play area we are working on for the kids to have a place to play here too. Here are a couple of our guests that are enjoying the swings and hanging device also the slide we have. We love kids to have a good time too, so come often and enjoy the stay in the summer sun! We're not done with it yet, we are going to build a small cabin to hide in and include a sand box as well. Come watch us grow (the kids are not the only ones)
Canoes and Kayaks
We have canoes and kayaks to enjoy, this family is having a great time going up the river, they went for a short trip, but told us they had a great time. It's simple to canoe and kayak, we'll take you up the river or you can start from here and paddle up and float down again, we can start you at the dam and let you go downstream for 2 hrs to a DNR spot we know of, it's a landing. Whatever your choice is you're sure to have some fun here. We love to see others having so much fun on their vacations too! We charge $10.00 to take you upriver and drop you off or pick you up down river, either one is a fun filled day of going down one of the most beautiful rivers in MI and there's an added benefit of having only a few others who use the river, it's not like other rivers around here that are crowded and packed with tons of canoes, kayaks and people to run into, we offer quiet peaceful beauty, lots of sandbars and very few hazards. Plus the river is shallow so even if you do fall in you can land in water up to your knees in most places.
Snowmobiling
We have the best in snowmobiling, we make a snow ramp to unload your ride, and from here it's a very short mile to the main trails to enjoy going all over for hundreds of miles. We even provide maps for you to download or get from the office. There's also a place to rent your snowmobile from only a few short minutes away. We are working on getting a discount from them for our customers just call for details.
Skiing
Crystal Mountain downhill and cross country skiing is only a short 10 minutes from here. We may even have a ski lift % off ticket for you too. Most people have the year long ski pass, but if you don't they are available online as well. Just look their site up.
Hiking & Biking
The trails are the same as the snowmobile trails, they do not allow motorized vehicles on them after April 1, so anyone can enjoy the scenic beauty of biking on quiet trails that go all over, even around Crystal Lake. Hikers can also go to the conservancy area just a few short minutes from here to hike along Lake Michigan and through the woods.
Cherry Festival
Traverse City is just a short drive about 45 minutes away and there's all kinds of activities there, but you won't pay the prices for lodging by staying here. The cherry festival is the most popular in the area during first and second week of July, there's fireworks, pie eating contests, winery tours, the Regatta Boat Race, even a carnival to enjoy. It's "Pure Michigan" all the way.
Snowshoeing
There's plenty of state land on the conservancy to snowshoe or even cross country ski on for free, lots of trails and fun to be had exploring the snowy wonder of the Lake MI trails or going on an adventure for a day. Come back and relax in one of our newly remodeled cabins while sipping on some local wine.
We are just 1 mile from the trails to Crystal Lake and also the biking trails that go for miles through the most beautiful country Michigan can offer. They are filled with deer, birds, wildlife of all sorts. Take your camera! Have a go around Crystal Lake or go to Thompsonville down the trails, it's peaceful and beautiful with the most enjoyable of walks or rides. Very safe too. Take the kids and then go swimming in beautiful Crystal Lake, or take a nice long ride down the trail to see some of the most gorgeous scenery in the north.
Golfing
We also are close to golfing. We have many golf courses in the area for you to come and play. We have many here who come to play the local courses and also the courses near Traverse City, it's a great time to be had by all. There's even a put-put course in Benzonia if you prefer.
Mushroom Hunting
Your experience with mushrooming is always a great time, walk in the woods gather your mushrooms and have a fantastic meal with morels and beefsteaks during the spring. We are close to all the great spots for hunting, or come and enjoy the Mesick Mushroom festival only miles away. A great springtime event.
Fall Fishing
We have the best in fall fishing. Located on the Betsie River, next to Homestead Dam. From Mid August to the end of October there's salmon fishing drawing hundreds to the area for a try at getting the big one. Book early to get a good spot, or book a year in advance. We offer what others do not, we pick you and your catch up at the dam and bring you to our fish cleaning station for free. Just have someone call or come up and let us know you need a ride and we'll be right there between 8am and 8pm. For those night fishermen, you can come up and use the wheel barrel to get your fish and bring them up, better than dragging them. We also feature our now famous Saturday night fish fry's available to our guests only, you may come up and put on a feed bag for some of the best salmon you've ever had. Jack does his southern style deep fried and I do a pan fried, when you put it together with french fries homemade, and a desert MMMM what a great night for eating out. We also add some BBQ smoked fish, smoked fish with our secret brine, and you never know what we'll have going on, maybe a night of singing or just having great company and talking it's worth it.
Spring Fishing
Come and join our contest during the spring from March 1 - April 30th. First place is a two night stay on us, Second place is a 4 hr charter boat ride on Jim's boat in Lake MI from Arcadia docks, third place a set of waders from BackCast Fly Shop our local fishing headquarters offering a large variety of items to use during fishing seasons, hunting, or items for your pet, and we may come up with some other prizes as well.
Charter Fishing
There is a charter available here for your enjoyment. Go on a 4 or 6 hour charter from Arcadia MI only a few minutes away. Our son Jim is happy to take you for a great time either fishing or just viewing the beauty of the Lake Michigan coastline. You do get a discount for booking a charter and if you don't catch any fish you get a rain check for another try. Weather permitting of course.
Kid Fun
We have a very nice play area we are working on for the kids to have a place to play here too. Here are a couple of our guests that are enjoying the swings and hanging device also the slide we have. We love kids to have a good time too, so come often and enjoy the stay in the summer sun! We're not done with it yet, we are going to build a small cabin to hide in and include a sand box as well. Come watch us grow (the kids are not the only ones)
Canoes and Kayaks
We have canoes and kayaks to enjoy, this family is having a great time going up the river, they went for a short trip, but told us they had a great time. It's simple to canoe and kayak, we'll take you up the river or you can start from here and paddle up and float down again, we can start you at the dam and let you go downstream for 2 hrs to a DNR spot we know of, it's a landing. Whatever your choice is you're sure to have some fun here. We love to see others having so much fun on their vacations too! We charge $10.00 to take you upriver and drop you off or pick you up down river, either one is a fun filled day of going down one of the most beautiful rivers in MI and there's an added benefit of having only a few others who use the river, it's not like other rivers around here that are crowded and packed with tons of canoes, kayaks and people to run into, we offer quiet peaceful beauty, lots of sandbars and very few hazards. Plus the river is shallow so even if you do fall in you can land in water up to your knees in most places.
Snowmobiling
We have the best in snowmobiling, we make a snow ramp to unload your ride, and from here it's a very short mile to the main trails to enjoy going all over for hundreds of miles. We even provide maps for you to download or get from the office. There's also a place to rent your snowmobile from only a few short minutes away. We are working on getting a discount from them for our customers just call for details.
Skiing
Crystal Mountain downhill and cross country skiing is only a short 10 minutes from here. We may even have a ski lift % off ticket for you too. Most people have the year long ski pass, but if you don't they are available online as well. Just look their site up.
Hiking & Biking
The trails are the same as the snowmobile trails, they do not allow motorized vehicles on them after April 1, so anyone can enjoy the scenic beauty of biking on quiet trails that go all over, even around Crystal Lake. Hikers can also go to the conservancy area just a few short minutes from here to hike along Lake Michigan and through the woods.
Cherry Festival
Traverse City is just a short drive about 45 minutes away and there's all kinds of activities there, but you won't pay the prices for lodging by staying here. The cherry festival is the most popular in the area during first and second week of July, there's fireworks, pie eating contests, winery tours, the Regatta Boat Race, even a carnival to enjoy. It's "Pure Michigan" all the way.
Snowshoeing
There's plenty of state land on the conservancy to snowshoe or even cross country ski on for free, lots of trails and fun to be had exploring the snowy wonder of the Lake MI trails or going on an adventure for a day. Come back and relax in one of our newly remodeled cabins while sipping on some local wine.
July 4th at the Resort a display of gorgeous fireworks enjoyed by a full house
had the best time singing and communing with one another at one of the
Saturday fish fry's we had.
Here's Jack ready to go on another winter adventure and some snowy shots of the resort
