[mostie]

We are renting on Otsego Lake this winter- we're almost 3 hours from GR, but the lake is dotted with cabins all over the place- the lake is 1 mile wide, and 7 miles long, there must be snowmobile trails around, because there certainly are tons of snowmobiles! There is both fishing, and waterskiing on the lake, and we see ice fishing out there as well, along with snowmobiles- we came here in early fall, and it really is breathtaking- the man we rent from owns 3 cabins here, we rent one, my daughter rents the other one, and he is looking to sell the third one-

[mochachick]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

A couple lakes that our realtor suggested were Horsehead lake and Canadian Lakes - does anyone have any experiences with these that they'd like to share?

We've heard that the Canadian Lakes can get very crowded in the summer.

[Jean Prueter]

Have you found a cottage yet close to Grand Rapids? We have one that may be for sale on Kimball Lake, Newaygo Mi. Waterfront, nice lake.

[sunshine girl2]

My family has a cottage on Torch Lake. It has all of the qualities you requested and is one of the most beautiful lakes in the country (I've read that National Geographic once called it the 3rd most beautiful lake in the world!!).

Torch lake is 20 miles long and somewhere between 300-400 feet deep. There are many cottages for sale along the western coast of the lake. W. Torch Lake Drive is the road that follows the lake on the western side. It's beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Not cheap, but gorgeous!!

We waterski and fish on Torch, and we are close to Elk Rapids and the Lake Michigan shoreline too. The township has great 4th of July fireworks; we take our boat out on Torch every year an watch them. The road outside our cottage is secluded enough to safely take the baby stroller out for walks, day or evening. We are within easy driving distance to Schuss/Shanty creek and Boyne. Snowmobile trails are close by, as well as the Vasa trail in Traverse City for cross country skiing. Many other cross country trails are in the area as well, such as the Sand Lakes Quiet Area (no snowmobiles allowed on that one, but gorgeous for skiing). Traverse City is also close enough to drive in for dinner or a movie or a festival.

Side note: You'd need to be sure that you select a cottage that is not on the very southern tip of the lake ... this area has the "sandbar" which is awesome to take your boat to and hang out on hot summer days, but I'd hate to have a cottage right in front of that big party!!

Good Luck!!

[danielj72]

Higgins lake is very nice, but it is crowded in the summer and there are alot of cottages on it. there are thousands of small lakes throughout Michigan, and real estate cost may be much cheaper on one of them. Check Clare county, it is full of small lakes. Cadilac area has lots of nice lakes too. Sounds like a good excuse to take a weekend roadtrip and check out lots of areas in northern Michigan. You dont want to make a big investment like that without knowing all the options. Go to wallmart and buy one of those michigan county atlas books, they show all the lakes in each county. No matter where you decide on, prices will never be better than now.

[MTUCache]

I practically grew up on Higgins Lake, at least during the summers... but I don't think I'd recommend anybody trying to get into there now.

I guess with so many of the lakefront owners dealing with financial problems downstate you may be able to pick up some lakefront property "cheap", but cheap on Higgins Lake is not like cheap anywhere else. You'll be looking upwards of $10k/ft of lakefront in most spots, with the cottages being 50+ years old.

Up until this last year it's been getting much, much busier (at least on the North end). This past year it's been down quite a bit, more like how it was 20 years ago, but I can't picture that lasting too long.

I agree it's the nicest lake in the state in terms of boating/swimming, nothing else I've been to is even close, but the price definitely reflects that. If you can afford it, and you can get up there enough to make that investment worth it, then by all means do it. But if you're just a typical downstater who'd like a place to put his boat in the water for a couple weekends a year, it'll be very expensive.

I'd mention the other minor irritations, like the lakefront owners vs. the backlotters, and the swimmer's itch developing in the shallower areas over the past five years, but honestly they're not a big deal at all. All in all, Higgins is definitely deserving of a serious look for anyone who's looking at getting a place on a lake. There are many other options out there though.

Any lake where you have a perfectly sandy bottom you can see through 20 feet of crystal clear water is a good lake by me.
(Truthfully, growing up on this lake has spoiled me to all other lakes I've been to... they may be perfectly nice, but compared to Higgins they feel... "gross." )