Gun Lake (Barry County)

Gun Lake has been essentially my "home" lake forever, literally, and now figuratively. I have Gun Lake to thank for my love of boating.

Today we spent the day on the lake with friends. We launched the boat last night after we left Gull Lake. We were able to leave the boat overnight at the family dock.

Today we spent the day palying in the water with the kids and friends. We pulled a few people on a tube and just enjoyed the summer day.

In describing the lake, it is hard for me to decide where to begin. The lake has so much to offer. There is plenty of space to do just about anything. The lake covers nearly 2700 acres. The water depth varies significantly. The lake is split into a west side and an east side by a shallow narrows that stretches from Murphy's Point (State Park) over to England's Point. The majority of the west side of the lake is less than 10' deep. However, Robins Bay at the north west corner of the lake is over 30'. Over on the east side of the lake there are several locations that are 40'+. The deepest spot is around 65-70'. There are many places that you need to be very careful about so as not damage a prop or worse. You need to pay particular attention in the narrow areas between the islands and the points they are closest to.

Gun Lake is fed by the Gun River and the outflow of the river and the lake level is regulated by a small 5' dam that was built a long time ago. This dam brought the lake level up to a usable level and continues to maintain this level. The lake is also connected to Payne Lake and Long Lake, though it is not possible to get to these other lakes with a typical boat.

Gun Lake lies mostly in Barry County. However, there is a small portion of the south west corner that is in Allegan County.

The lake hosts a large State Park that offers a couple of beach areas a very nice boat ramp and a very nice campground. Yankee Springs Recreation Area is a huge park with many different units in the area to the north and east of the lake.



Aside from the State Park there is an Allegan County Park that has a nice boat ramp and enough parking to accomodate plenty of a boat trailers. This park also offers a playground area and a small beach area. The launch requires a $5 fee (annual passes are available for $25) The launch is a 2 lane with a single dock in the middle. The parking and prep areas on actually accross the street. Be sure to follow the signs to guide you from step 1 prep-launch.

There are total of 3 launch ramps available to the public. Two of them are located in the State Park. The main ramp is in the day use area of the park and is a very nice 4 lane ramp with two docks. There is ample parking near the ramp. To access this ramp will require a DNR issued motor vehicle permit. ($6 daily, $24 annual) The other ramp in the State Park is in the campground. If you are camping this is a handy place to launch as it is nice and close...it is not intended to be used by those that are not camping.

There are several prominant islands on the lake. The most well known, Orangeville Island (also know as Party Island), is a privately owned island that had historically been a place to congregrate and "party". At this time the owners have asked that people no longer use the island due to litter and other damage to the property. This island did have a home on it at one point. It burned many years ago. The foundation of the home can still be seen.

Although the island was always a favorite place to go, there are many other locations on the lake that offer a nice place to anchor and spend time in the water. Along the northern shore where the State Park campground beach is located is a nice shallow area that is good for the kids. There are also other beach areas on either side of the State Park point that offer a nice place to be in the water.



The lake is a good destination for out of town visitors. There are several "resorts" that offer rentals and many cottages are available for rent also. The campground is also an obvious destination for visitors. Bay Point Inn offers a hotel, resturant and various other services. It is located in the south eastern portion of the lake. There are also several seasonal "trailer parks" on the lake that have served many families over the years as a place to get away.

Many of the homes on the lake are now year round residences, yet there are still many seasonal cottages also.

The lake is a very nice location and offers something for everyone.

Google Maps: Gun Lake

Gull Lake (Kalamazoo County)

We spent the afternoon on Gull Lake today. This is only our second time on the lake. The lake lies primarily in Kalamazoo County. Only the very Northern tip is in Barry County.

We launched at the only public launch on the lake, Prarieville Township Park. The launch fee is $7. To enter the park you need to pay. There is either an attendant or an automated machine. If the attendants aren't on duty, access to the park is controlled by gates. All this is a small price to pay for a nice park that offers ample parking (even on busy weekends) and a beach area with playground toys. There is also a small restroom building to take care of those needs.

We spent some time at Gull Lake Ministries with family and then toured the lake.

It was a hot day and we cooled off by jumping into the lake and just drifted for a while.

Gull Lake is a very nice lake with a lot of neat and unique homes. Park Island is an neat island with many nice homes on it. Most of the lake has significant depth. There are a few spots that are over 100'. There are few shallow sand bars. On a hot day these sand bars are poplar places to anchor/raft up and spend time in the water. The lake covers a little over 2000 acres.

There are many areas on the lake that offer good fishing. There is plenty of space for watersports also. On busy weekends the lake can be pretty rough.

Google Maps: Gull Lake

Who I am...a little more

I have lived in Michigan pretty much my entire life. I have boated in Michigan pretty much my entire life. I think that anyone that has the honor to live in this great state has a responsibility to at least partake in exploring the waterways at some point in their life.

We had been without an operational boat since July of 2008. I have really missed having the ability to get out on the water with my family. We find spending a day on the water to be just about as relaxing and refreshing as anything can be.

Now we have a new boat and this summer looks like it will be a good one. It is my intention to be on the water as many weekends this summer as humanly possible. To that end I have decided that we need to explore a lot of new lakes, rivers and waterways. I have been trying to research new places via the internet. I find a lot information about fishing and stuff about lakes, but not a lot about how nice the lake is to spend an afternoon or day or weekend on the water for a family with relatively young kids. We aren't into fishing, tubing, skiing or wakeboarding. Watersports are a bit too much for my kids so far. What we like is to explore areas see the sights and then find a sandy spot to beach or toss out an anchor and play in the water.

We have been on plenty of lakes and/or rivers that we can do this, yet, we want to find more. In the process of finding more I would like to share with others what we discover so they too may be able to find a nice place to spend a day on the water.

Dumont Lake (Allegan County)

Today we vistited this nice little lake in the middle of Allegan county. It is relatively small (220 acres) lake but it is nice and deep and allows for pretty much all activities on the water. Tubing, skiing, wakeboarding and fishing were all going on while we were on the water. There is a nice boat ramp at the south west corner of the lake. It is located at the end of 33rd St. There is adequate parking right at the ramp and additional parking just up the road. There are also pit toilets right near the ramp. It is operated by Allegan county and is part of the Dumont Lake County Park. There is a $5 ramp fee, or you can get an annual permit for $25. The ramp is separated from the rest of the park which is on the eastern shore of the lake. The park is a nice place to drop an anchor and wade on the mostly sanding beach area. The kids can play on the beach or on numerous playground toys. There is a small bath house in the park also. The entire southern shore is undeveloped and offers several little coves and areas to fish or watch the wildlife. The water had a brownish tinge to it and you could only see bottom where the water was 1' or less. A depth finder is handy, but not really required as the main portions of the lake seemed to range between 15'-50'. In general it is a nice place to spend an afternoon on the water. It isn't a destination lake, just a good little place to visit if you live in the area.

Google Maps: Dumont Lake

Who am I???

Well, as I learn about who I am I'll let you know. I just started this blog as a place to post my ramblings about boating in Michigan. I plan to post about destinations, lakes and outings as my family and I explore the wonderful lakes and rivers that this wonderful state has. I'm not totally sure what direction this blog is going to take yet. Out boating style is strictly for pleasure and recreation. We don' t fish and our kids are little too young to be into a lot of watersports. Primarily we just like to be out on the water and to explore new areas.