Summer temps in Lake Michigan and area

[american_mama]

My family is considering an August trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes on Lake Michigan, based on recs here. Hiw warm is the lake for swimming and how warm is the daytime air? Can you spend hours swimming or do you get too cold? Friends went to Maine and Nova Scotia and rented half wetsuits... surely we don't need that? We are used to hot and humid summers in the upper southeastern states and summer swimming in the Atlantic in Va Beach and points south.

[MontrealMum]

Depends on the year and the particular day, but no, you don't need wetsuits, lol! End of July/early Aug. is generally the warmest time for the lake, though there are certainly years that are colder, and definitely if you get a wind out of the north you're looking at a colder lake day. https://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/statistic/ It depends on you whether you can spend all day in the lake. I certainly have, many times The big lake is significantly warmer in the summer than Nova Scotia/Maine but IDK how it compares to the ocean further south.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Where are you staying?

It's almost always lovely! We've probably been 20 times and there was only one year where it was really hot (90-100) and 1-2 years when it was chilly (60s). Most every day is beautiful and sunny. Humidity is always manageable. I do recommend taking advantage of beach days at the beginning of your trip if the weather is good so you don't have the problem we did 2 years ago- the weather did take a chilly turn Wednesday- Saturday so glad we hadn't waited.

When we have gone in June, Lake Michigan has been cold but not wetsuit cold. My family was chilly but still had fun. By August, the water temp should be nice.

[KrisM]

I have a few friends who were at Lake Michigan this weekend and said it was really cold! We've had a pretty chilly spring in general, although where I am was over 90 yesterday and today. But, from Facebook posts this weekend, I think the lake is colder than it usually is for Memorial Day weekend. Based on that, I'd not want to go too soon!

[american_mama]

Where are you staying?

We don't know yet at all. Any recommendations of where to stay or what to do?

I never heard of this area until it was mentioned here on BBB to rave reviews and a winning vacation spot list from the Today show or something like that. Last summer, I met 2 or 3 families at Girl Scout camp who all were going to Michigan later in the year to see family and all were ga-ga for it, although I don't think they were going to this area. It got me interested.

If we go, we would probably drive, stopping at Cedar Point on the way there to break up the drive and going through West Virginia on the way home to stop at some desired places. Google maps say the two routes are about the same. That would leave us with about 4-5 days in Michigan, with some parts of the vacation being our stops on the way there and back.

[SnuggleBuggles]

We always go for a week this we are able to rent a house via VRBO or similar. In the summer, houses almost always rent solely by the week so that won’t be an option for you unless you revise your itinerary. Renting a house vs staying in a hotel there is our preference as there are more rental homes than hotels. However, at this time of year, odds are that the houses still available will still be available for a reason unless you luck into a brand new rental or cancellation.

Your best bet is a hotel in Traverse City. Traverse City is a great base for exploring this beautiful area. Sleeping Bear Dunes is an easy 45 minute drive as is Glen Arbor, Good Harbor Beach (our favorite), Leland, Sutton’s Bay. Petoskey is 2 hours away but a lovely day trip. Plenty to do right in Traverse City as well. There are some waterfront condos but they tend to be in the East Bay. For a number of reasons, I’d try to find something on the West Bay though.

You could see if the Homestead has any availability. It’s pricey but well situated for coastal activities.

We wound up renting in Interlochen one year as it was a last minute decision to add a MI visit to our calendar. Definitely not my first choice but we made the most of it. There is a famous music camp there and they held concerts nightly. And, on my morning runs, I’d run through campus and listen to rehearsal. That was neat. It was too far from our normal favorite stuff though and on a small lake vs Lake MI.

Cedar Point is our annual splurge as we love staying at Hotel Breakers. Chill at the beach, visit the parks. Onsite perks. There are cheaper onsite hotels with the same perks though so check them out. FYI- if you stay onsite, but your park tickets from the hotel. Cheapest option around.

Before you settle on a place, run them by here. I know the area well.


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[TwinFoxes]

So, we vacationed in that area last year with my DH's family. I liked it quite a bit, but I don't want you to have too high of expectations. It wasn't the most amazing vacation ever, and from where I live it is a looooong drive, even broken into two days, and I think I'm about 3 hours closer than you are. And when you get there, you're not in Maui, you know? You're at Lake Michigan. And again, I really enjoyed my vacation, and it's lovely, but it didn't rock my world. It is very affordable, which was a big plus, and it didn't have an overcrowded feel like a lot of the East Coast beach towns have. We were there over Fourth of July, and it was still possible to get parking and find a spot to watch fireworks etc. The whole area is very family-oriented, not a party atmosphere, which I liked. There are a lot of outdoor activities.

I personally like oceanside beaches better. Michiganders like to say their beaches are better, but I really prefer beaches on the Atlantic and Pacific. The towns are very nice with cute shops, which I enjoyed. The restaurants were quite good, less touristy, better food, and cheaper than a lot of beach areas. We were there in July and the water was pretty cold the first few days, but not wetsuit cold. (We were on Traverse Bay). It never warmed up to Atlantic Ocean temps...it was closer to Pacific Ocean temps, which tend to be colder. There were some days where we definitely needed jackets.

As for where to say, the further you get from Traverse City, the smaller the towns. There are a lot of VRBOs and Airbnbs. We stayed in a small town north of Sutton's Bay, right on the bay.

[SnuggleBuggles]

TF- not overcrowded and affordable are our favorite things. We do really enjoy a great ocean vacation too and have really liked Sandbridge, VA. The downside of a MI vacation is I feel like it’s a lot of day trips vs just rolling out of bed and chilling. We always take some go-no where days but it is a busier vacation than going to the beach. I do like Lake MI with little kids as there are no waves to worry about (I didn’t grow up going to the ocean so my personal ocean comfort isn’t high- but my kids love it and do just fine).

It’s definitely not Maui. But it’s a nice trip.


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[american_mama]

So, we vacationed in that area last year with my DH's family. I liked it quite a bit, but I don't want you to have too high of expectations. It wasn't the most amazing vacation ever, and from where I live it is a looooong drive, even broken into two days, and I think I'm about 3 hours closer than you are. And when you get there, you're not in Maui, you know? You're at Lake Michigan.

That's a worthwhile reminder. I might see myself coming to the same conclusion, but one thing about travel that I embrace - you never know your own reaction until you do it. I don't usually regret travel even when I'm a little disappointed, because I know I couldn't know that in advance.

My kids give every indication of loving the ocean, but moody teenager claimed a few months ago that she doesn't like the ocean and why didn't we go somewhere cooler. So that was the other reason I thought of Michigan.

I have been all over the place with our vacation plan this year. No one is coalescing on anything. DH has recently started saying he wants to go to Labrador and Newfoundland to see Viking settlements. I told him I saw a documentary, and that was enough for me. When I asked him what he wanted to do in driving distance, he said "Pennsylvania" with no further detail. So I think I have a lot of leeway in steering this family ship towards a better vacation than what DH is coming up with.

[candaceb]

If you want something a little warmer and a little closer, you could head for the southern end of Lake Michigan - Saugutuck, Holland, Grand Haven, South Haven. I grew up in Michigan but have only been "up north" a handful of times. My family rented a cottage in Holland every summer on Lake Mackatawa, which connects to Lake Michigan. One of my favorite things in that area is the dune rides in Saugutuck.