MLive says: “Turnip Rock is a unique rock formation that's also a favorite destination of those kayaking in Lake Huron, as it's only accessible by water. The land near Turnip Rock is privately owned but you can still get to the tiny rock island if you navigate your way through the water. Another option is to wait for Lake Huron to freeze and walk your way out to the secluded landmark. This has become one of the iconic images associated with our state. Pure Michigan recently used it in a billboard campaign with the caption "classic rock."
June 26-28, 2020
We tried so hard to get to Turnip Rock. We really did. We packed the folding expedition kayak and PFDs and emergency gear for paddling Lake Huron. Luck would not have us paddle though: the kayak skin busted a zipper while we were assembling it and we couldn’t find anywhere in the vicinity to rent us boats because “the wind was too bad.” I was so extremely bummed - another county location so within reach, yet so inaccessible (this wouldn’t be the last one on this trip, either). Bill and I made the best of our time in Port Austin/Huron County anyway, and agreed we would return and make it to Turnip Rock next time.
The one thing that really impressed me about Huron County was how many parks there were! This was not a place struggling with public access to the water. County and State Parks dot the coast of Port Huron frequently, so we made it a mission to visit quite a few in lieu of our cancelled kayaking expedition.
We arrived in Port Austin, a little lakeside town, on the evening of June 26. We checked into the Lake Vista Motel (would highly recommend, a really wonderful spot with a lakeside pool, a kayak launch, a swimming access point, a large yard with outdoor dining options and gazebos, and lots of outdoor seating scattered about; not to mention right next to a county park with a beach). One of the first things we did was hop into our bathing suits and get in the lake. Swimming in Lake Huron is therapeutic as heck. People thought we were crazy, said it was “too cold” to swim….obviously they haven’t swam in Lake Michigan in November (or any month that isn’t August) or Lake Superior, ever. It was a glorious swim.
We walked around the town for a bit that evening, just to see what was around - we stopped for beer and then found an outdoor market with frozen sangria, so you know I took advantage of that. We made some food in our motel room and ate outside in one of the gazebos, then walked down the road to play some Kooky Golf to round out our relaxing night.
After learning that kayaking was out of the question the next morning, we started our day with a swim behind the motel to clear our heads, and then started our exploration of local parks by heading over to Lighthouse County Park. This park had a really terrible looking campground, but was the location of the Point Aux Barques Lighthouse (yes, another lighthouse) and an old United States Life Saving Service (what would eventually become the Coast Guard) boathouse. The park had some nice lakefront walkways as well, so we hung out there for just a bit to appreciate the lake.
After getting our fill of lighthouse views, we headed back toward Port Austin, but kept driving past until we hit Sleeper State Park. This particular state park has hiking trails, a campground, and a beach - we just focused on the last part of that. We found a sandy spot tucked into one of the dunes (tiny dunes, not like a Lake Michigan dune) and made ourselves comfy for a few hours. We split a beer, ate some snacks, and then made our way into the lake.
While on our long swim, we admired the beach and talked about pertinent things like racial justice and American history - just regular Bill and Hannah topics. Considering it was a Saturday afternoon, the beach wasn’t that busy and we felt at ease in the lake. Once again, I’d like to give Huron County a shoutout for all of the public parks giving people ample choices to spread out and recreate. We made our way back to the shore after a LONG while in the water, and air-dried our bodies on the beach. Two swims in Lake Huron in one day had me feeling pretty grateful. I found some wild peas growing and played with my camera a bit as we decided where our day would take us next.
As is typical, our stomachs made the next call, and we drove a bit farther into Caseville to pick up a takeout pizza. We made our way back to the motel, grabbed a few beers, and settled in for another gazebo dinner. We smashed the entire pizza for dinner, like champs.
We made our way to the breakwall after dinner to watch the sunset, and found ourselves posted up on the concrete with a pair of binoculars, a camera, and a beer to share. The lake and the wind and the sun made for perfect conditions, and we watched boats roll in from days on the water and waterfowl float on the waves.
We turned in early, shortly after sunset, and slept hard. The next morning, we packed up and checked out of the motel, and headed back toward Caseville to visit Port Crescent State Park. Port Crescent has a dark sky preserve in it, as well as some stellar bird watching and awesome dune trails. We got there quite early (9 am maybe?) and had the place all to ourselves. The hiking trails were dreamy as can be, and the plant and insect life was diverse and fascinating!
I could have hung out at Port Crescent all day and explored all of the plants and animals that come out on the dunes throughout the course of a day, but we had other stops to make. We wrapped up our time in Huron County at this gorgeous state park, and knew we’d be back.
