Betsie Valley Trail - Beulah to Frankfort (MI)

 Some would think it odd to be invited to join in a 21 mile bike ride, but not our friends Charlie and Gisela!  They eagerly accepted our invite to explore the Betsie Valley Trail this last Saturday, June 27, 2015.  It is about a 2 hour drive from Muskegon to Beulah, where we want to park and begin our bike ride to Frankfort, MI.   The Betsie Trail was built on the former Ann Arbor Railroad bed.  Above is the replicated railroad depot and the Beulah Trailhead.

It is 74 degrees around 11:15 am when we leave from the Beulah staging area.  The trail is crushed limestone from Beulah to Mollineaux Rd.  On this section of the trail we see expanses of natural wildlife areas filled with wild flowers, trees and shrubs.

On another section of trail there are lakefront cottages on one side of the trail and the beautiful Crystal Lake on the other side.

Crystal Lake is about 25 miles southwest of Traverse City

Taking a moment to enjoy Crystal Lake

In 1873 an effort was made to try to connect Crystal Lake with Lake Michigan.  Because the water level of Crystal Lake was higher than that of Lake Michigan the project failed.  The result was a drop in the water level of Crystal Lake by about 20 ft.  Because the water level dropped sandy beaches were uncovered.  This lake is probably the bluest and clearest lake I have ever seen.

These bikes make frequent stops!

When we reach Mollineaux Road the trail becomes a very nice 10-foot-wide asphalt trail.  Locals know this.  There are cars parked in a small parking area off of Hwy 115.  Many cars are parked off the side of the road along the highway as well.  Guess they prefer riding the asphalt part of the trail into Frankfort.  It is afternoon on a beautiful Saturday and trail traffic begins to pick up.
For awhile we ride along the 54-mile-long Betsie River.  (Picture on the left)  The Betsie River eventually widens (pictures below) to form Betsie Lake.

 It is 12:30pm when we reach Frankfort, MI.  Below are pictures of Betsie Lake.  Just a couple of miles further the Betsie River flows into Lake Michigan.  The lake is beautiful.  It is framed by lush rolling hills to the south.  Just off of the trail are marinas, boats (luxury and fishing), and town.  Today there are tents/booths along the main road offering all kinds of crafts, homemade foods, and market items.  We found out that the booths are here every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.  What fun!

We parked our bikes in a park next to the bike trail off of Main Street.  Across the street is the Bayview Grill (pic below).  There is a full menu and everything looks yummy.  Three of us chose the fish tacos pictured below.  They did not disappoint.

The best part of this trip was not the scenery- beautiful lakes, rivers, wildlife, flowers, or trees.  Nor was it the clear blue skies and temps in the 70s with a gentle breeze.  The best part was laughter and the gift of sharing the experience with our friends.  

Time with friends - priceless!

After lunch we walked a little, looked at a few of the remaining craft booths, and rode our bikes a little further along the lake shore.  Soon we all agreed it was time to make our journey back to Beulah.

 Once we reached Beulah and the guys had loaded our bikes, we drove over to the Blue Caribou Cafe where we topped off our day of exploration with a scoop of Moomers ice cream!  Here we sat at a table on their outdoor patio within sight of the beautiful Crystal Lake.  It was the perfect conclusion to our 21-mile ride on the Betsie Trail.

Blue Caribou Cafe