Lake Michigan kiting ( Michigan shoreline)

[magicninja]

I grew up 1/2 hour from Ludington, MI and havent been back in a long time. There are miles and miles of beachfronts where you can launch your kites and walk to the water. Easy launch and landings. Plenty of sandbars and shallows in these areas as well. Too bad I didn't kite back then. I was thinking of getting over there sometime in August and checking it out. Anyone else interested in a roadtrip? anyone with first hand knowledge of kiting lake michigan? George.

[Bill S.]

I spend the summer on northern Lake Michigan on the Leelanau peninsula. We ride 3-4 sessions per week from June through August on 10-20 knot southerlies and and an occasional stronger cold front from the northwest. Later in July and August, when frontal winds aren't present, parts of the coast get an afternoon sea breeze, created when cool low pressure over the lake rushes in to fill the gap left by hot high pressure rising over the dunes. Sea breezes of 12-18 knots typically begin in mid afternoon and blow side shore for a couple of hours till the micro gradient stabilizes. This makes for awesome kiting at the hottest part of the day!

I don't know about southern Lake Michigan but there are many great beaches. In the Traverse City area check out http://www.kiteboarderzone.com/magazine ... higan.html. In Grand Traverse Bay there is an epic flat water spot, with shallow sandy flats, that is right there with Thailand and the Caribbean for beauty. Fresh water, too!

[magicninja]

Nice. I was actually thinking of coming through the UP and down through Leelanau over to Traverse then down shoreline to Muskegon take ferry to Wisconsin then head home to St. Paul, MN. Thanks for the link, I've heard of some pretty epic wave sessions that would rival any coastal towns there. Looking forward to it. G.

[scottman]

I will be in the benton Harbor , Holland and South Haven area this next week for the 4th, bringing the kite gear with me, hope I can get out!

[TV]

Professor Bill, air moves from high to low, but we get the point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LAKE_BREEZE.gif

[hondamon]

Hi George,
I live in Korea, but I'm back for about 4 weeks starting July 20 to August 15. I should be keen on a road trip. Keep me (us) posted!

[jyetley]

I did a trip similar to this last summer. I drove from Chicago up to Mackinac Island. It was a great trip. I found many great beaches. I would like to do it again.

Things I learned along the way:
Kiting in Chicago is almost nearly impossible, due to city's regulations.
Kiting is Indiana is surprisingly very nice.
Southern Michigan beaches are outstanding!
South Haven is nicer than the best beach in Florida.
Grand Haven is beautiful, but very busy with vacationers.
Grand Haven area.....www.mackiteboarding.com
Muskegon can be awesome for waves, but not all that often.
Winds can be just as light during the summer. Carry a big stick.
Silver Lake State Park is redneck central. Don't go unless you are one.
Ludington can be very busy and tricky to find the a suitable launch site.
Point Betsie is interesting and may be the best place to find wind during a hot summer day.
Sleeping Bear Dunes should be visited, however I did not go last year.
Upper Leelanau Peninsula and Grand Traverse Bay are mostly rocky, but a few beaches can be found.
Traverse City area.... http://www.broneah.com
Charlevoix is beautiful, but kiteboarding from the granite shores was challenging.
Much of Northern Lake Michigan is very rocky and the beaches are rather limited...but doable!

Driving either way takes about 7 hours to get to your first launch. I could make a case for going either way, or all the way around. The U.P. can be beautiful, but can be a very long drive. Southern Michigan can be very surprising, but is obviously more populated.

http://www.lake-express.com (Manitowoc to Ludington) http://www.lake-express.com/rates-fares ... fares.html
http://www.ssbadger.com (Milwaukee to Maskegon) http://www.ssbadger.com/schedule-fares/

No matter how you chose to do it, it's a great trip!
Different from Lake Superior and/or Western Lake Michigan....

PS If you really want waves, consider:
Sheboygan, WI
Manitomoc, WI to Lunington, MI Lake Express Ferry
Up to Orchard Beach, Sleeping Bear Dunes and Taverse City.
A 2.5 hour drive East to Tawas Point Lake Huron.
Down to Bay City SRA.
A 3 hour drive West to Grand Haven and Muskegon.

[Cory M]

I've kited a few beaches in the Yooper land and they are top notch. Way better than some of the Caribbean beaches in my opinion. Check out this site: someyooperbeach.com I'm a bit partial as I used to live there though.

My favorites are misery bay, great sand bay, and grand traverse bay (keewenaw). You could spend a month on the south shore and not hit the same beach twice. You'll probably be the only kiters there too.

[bscheig]

I can speak to the nearer shore of Lake Michigan, Door County, just north of Green Bay. As a kid, I spent my summers at a cottage on the lake just north of Sturgeon Bay. The hot spots in Door County for kiting (and pole bending) are Baileys Harbor for south winds and Ephraim for north winds. Summer winds (and the entire year, so far) are unreliable on the lake but keep an eye on the forecast and you may catch some good winds. I have met several people from Milwaukee and Chicago who will drive to Baileys Harbor for a good south wind.

I have not been there, but I have heard that Tawas Bay on the far side (Lake Huron) of MI is a great spot to ride.

[magicninja]

A lot of good info here thanks peeps. Hondamon, I'll keep updating post as dates are solidified and probably change driving approach. Might skip upper peninsula and concentrate on Traverse bay to Holland/Mona shores areas ( still doing research) Scottman let me know what you find out on your trip. Good luck . George

[Bill S.]

Hey, TV, right on! Re-reading my post I see I inadvertently mixed up my cool/highs and hot/lows! A good a sea breeze is may come up later in the day is when the dunes are almost too hot to walk barefoot on at noon. Hot air starts rising, creating a vacuum, cool air starts moving . . . time to rig!

Glad I'm not a Prof. of meteorology....

Bill

[hondamon]

Good posts! Thanks George. How are the south shores of Lake Superior in Wisconsin?

[magicninja]

In my research of spots to kiteboard in Michigan I've come across an area called Petobego Pond which also incorporates a access to the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay. Has anyone been to this area? I'm hearing conflicting reports of private property shoreline but it is mentioned as a epic flat water spot in several websites which leads me to believe its open to the public.