MLive says, “One visitor aptly described Stone Lake as "serene and pristine." We agree. It is also conveniently located in the village of Cassopolis. If you are looking for a small-town getaway this summer, you can rent a room or a house on Stone Lake and enjoy the village amenities. Right on the lake, you will find the adorable and historic Pioneer Log Cabin Museum (it's free!) and a local ice cream shop.”
June 8, 2019
Cass County is full of little towns with lakefront vibes that aren’t actually on the lakefront; it’s cute. When I first arrived in Cassopolis though, it was not what I was expecting for an inland lake town. I drove around trying to find a lakefront park on Stone Lake for a while, but there wasn’t anything obvious, so I just parked on the street and started walking. There was an art fair going on, with a total of maybe 10-12 vendors (this is a small town, in the most literal and common way you can interpret that). There was a single cafe that served typical diner food, a florist, a tavern, and a handful of other shops.
I walked down some residential streets and found some interesting homes, a library, and not much else.
The lake itself wasn’t what I was expecting either. Despite overcast skies not leading to any picturesque views, there were large stands of Japanese Knotweed around the shore and litter in the shallow waters.
I visited the Log Cabin Museum, and even though it was 12:30 pm on a Saturday, the cabin was closed (their hours are 12-4 pm). There were a lot of local people fishing off the shore around the cabin, and I took some time to enjoy their unique gazebo and sit by the lake. Not feeling too intrigued, though, I searched for a better destination.
Not more than a few miles down the road is Diamond Lake, which is much more of a holiday weekend Michigan lake: big modern lakefront homes, pontoon boots, speedboats, fancy landscaping, etc. Really, the two sides of town are day and night: entirely different personalities depending on which Cassopolis-based lake you’re on.
I rented a kayak at Park Shore Marina ($10/hour, cash or check only) and made my way onto the lake. It was a windy day, and the water was choppy for a kayak. Waves were breaking over the front of the boat and I was having a hard time feeling out the rhythm of the water. The clouds parted and the sun came out, making the wind a bit more bearable. I paddled the shoreline, and when I was feeling more brave, made my way out to paddle around the island in the center of the lake.
The north side of the island made for easy paddling; coming around to the south side was not very pleasant. The wind was so strong I could hardly keep my kayak pointed forward; at one point, I decided to just paddle backward because it was easier! After two hours, I brought the kayak in with stiff shoulders and pectorals, and looking for a place to go swimming. By now, we had full sun and I was warm. Unfortunately, on Diamond Lake there aren’t any public access locations. The whole lakefront is private property or divvied up between neighborhood and harbor associations. The lake is gorgeous, but you can’t just go swimming in it unless you live there. There’s a public boat launch, but no public swimming areas.
So, after admitting defeat in trying to find a place to swim, I said my goodbyes to Cassopolis and headed north.