Courtney Kent Photography’s
Northern Michigan Location Guide
Empire Bluff Trail
This is a one mile hike through the woods with a few large hills. The trail comes out to a wooden boardwalk at the top of Empire Bluff. This is an iconic viewpoint with gorgeous views of Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes.
Accessibility:
Moderate hiking ability is required for this location. The trail consists of packed dirt, a wooden boardwalk, and areas with sand. Please be mindful of anyone in your group with mobility issues. May not be suitable for all children due to safety concerns at the top of the bluff.
Empire Beach
Accessibility:
The parking lot here goes right up to the beach, so it’s a much more accessible location for anyone with limited mobility.
This beach is a popular access point to Lake Michigan within walking distance of the Village of Empire. You have paved sidewalks along the parking area, beautiful sandy beach within steps of your parking space, play structures for toddlers and older kids, as well as a small dock going out into South Bar Lake, making this a great location for many families. Although if your kids are anything like my son, you might want to avoid this location unless you want the entire session to be spent on the playground! Just kidding… well not really. You can decide how distracting this will be for your family!
Esch Beach + Otter Creek Trailhead
This location, just South of Empire, is a wildly popular choice with my clients and for good reason. Beautiful pines line the drive in (take caution, the dirt road is super bumpy!), the forest comes right up to an expansive beach with areas covered in beach grass, lots of sand, beautiful clear water and views of the dunes. During the week, especially in the morning, it almost always feels like you have the beach to yourself. This location can certainly get busy at peak times, but is so large that there is always plenty of privacy. If you’d like to explore a bit more, this is also the beginning of the Otter Creek Trailhead.
Accessibility:
Lake Michigan is probably 100 yards from the parking area, but you have to walk through loose sand.
