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Ready to cast off for summer? Where to boat across Michigan in 2025

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Ready to cast off for summer? Where to boat across Michigan in 2025


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  • Boating is a popular summertime activity in Michigan.
  • The state’s expansive waterways include inland lakes and rivers and four of the Great Lakes.

Summer boating season in Michigan is getting underway, and boaters are already hitting the water.

A day out on clear, sparkling waters with loved ones offers a perfect summer getaway for Michigan boaters. The state is a boat lover’s paradise, boasting four of the Great Lakes and 11,000 inland lakes, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

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“In Michigan, you are never more than 6 miles away from a lake, river or stream, so you never have to travel far to find a boaters paradise,” Pure Michigan says.

Here’s what to know.

5 places to tie off your boat and enjoy the day

When the day on the lake is done, consider docking in these areas and checking out nearby cities.

  • Charlevoix: This northwest Michigan city borders Lake Charlevoix, Round Lake, the Round Lake Channel and Lake Michigan. The Charlevoix City Marina is open for the season and features a boaters’ lounge, floating docks, laundry facilities, a splash pad and restrooms. Nearby, the city features restaurants, hotels, a dog park and gardens.
  • Detroit: The Motor City runs along an international border at the Detroit River. Among several docking options is the Riverside Marina, with the clubhouse featuring a jacuzzi, heated swimming pool, showers, locker room and laundry facilities. Downtown Detroit and nearby Midtown are packed with restaurants, museums, hotels, parks, theaters, shopping and sports venues.
  • Holland: Holland borders Lake Macatawa and the Macatawa River, flowing toward Lake Michigan. Docking includes the Yacht Basin Marina, with a conference center and vacation rental units. The tourist town with Dutch heritage features tulip gardens, restaurants, a lighthouse, Dutch Village, museums, hotels and state parks.
  • Higgins Lake State Park: North and South Higgins Lake State Park near Roscommon in northern Michigan are on Higgins Lake. The state parks provide boat launches, cabins, campgrounds, sandy beaches, a picnic area and hiking trails.
  • Saginaw Bay: Along the bay on Lake Huron, cities in the thumb and central Michigan offer docking, including Bay City, Caseville, Au Gres and Linwood, among others. The region offers fishing, restaurants, parks, shopping and summer festivals, with Saginaw on the Saginaw River, and Frankenmuth short a drive farther inland.

6 places to boat this summer in Michigan

Here are six places to boat on in Michigan, according to Pure Michigan:

  • Great Lakes: Enjoy boating on the vast waters of four Great Lakes bordering Michigan, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.
  • Lake Leelanau in Leland: This lake is split into two sections, North and South Lake Leelanau, featuring clear waters and a natural habitat of nearly 9,000 acres. Boaters can enjoy wildlife spotting and recreation, with nearby restaurants and vineyards for dining.
  • Lake St. Clair in southeast Michigan: This popular metro Detroit lake connects Lake Erie, the Detroit River and Lake Huron. Lake St. Clair sees 3,000 freighters go through its shipping canal, and 150,000 boats registered in the area for recreation.
  • Grand Lake in Alpena: In northeast Michigan, this over 8,900-acre lake features several small islands. The nearby Besser Museum for northeast Michigan highlights the region’s wooden sailing and motorized boats.
  • Gull Lake in Battle Creek: This lake in southwest Michigan offers regular sailboat racing with a yacht club, scuba diving, homes and cottages along the shores and a fishery.
  • Torch Lake resembles the Caribbean in its deep, multi-tone color. At 18 miles in length, Torch is Michigan’s longest inland lake. Its sand bars are so legendary that musician Kid Rock wrote a song about them. Torch also is the state’s deepest lake. The village of Alden, on the lake’s southeast curve, boasts one of the few public beaches.

Glide along the ‘Inland Waterway’

Michigan’s “Inland Waterway” cuts across the tip of the mitten, starting north of Petoskey and ending at Cheboygan.

Michigan’s longest chain of rivers and lakes covers nearly 40 miles, including Pickerel Lake and Crooked Lake, the Crooked River, Burt Lake, the Indian River, Mullett Lake, the Cheboygan River, and finally into Lake Huron.

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The water trails connect seven state parks; numerous campgrounds, day-use parks, and resorts; 20 Little Traverse Conservancy Nature Preserves, and six communities.

How can you register your boat in Michigan?

Boats must be registered and you can do so through the Michigan Department of State. Some boats also require a title if they’re 20 feet long or longer, or have a permanently affixed engine.

Registration is good for three years, expiring on March 31 of the third year, according to the state. Boat owners can renew online, via mail, at a self-service station or in-person at your local Secretary of State office.

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What should you know before you go?

Check with your local boating access site for hours and rules. Most state-sponsored sites are closed from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., says the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Life jackets must be on board and the type and number depend on the type of boat you have and how many people are on board, the Michigan DNR says.

If you plan to take a pet, check whether pets are allowed and how to handle them. In Michigan, pets must be kept on a 6-foot leash and under the owner’s immediate control and you must clean up after them and prevent them from interacting with wildlife.

If you plan to fish or water ski, be sure to check local regulations, some inland lakes prohibit certain activities.

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Can you take alcohol onboard your boat?

It’s illegal to operate a boat in Michigan while under the influence of alcohol, according to state law. Boaters with a 0.08% blood alcohol content or higher could face civil penalties like fines and imprisonment.

Some boating access sites in Michigan ban drinking alcohol, the Michigan DNR said.

Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.



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Menominee, Michigan man arrested on sexual assault charges involving a minor

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Menominee, Michigan man arrested on sexual assault charges involving a minor


MENOMINEE, Mich. (WLUK) — 24-year-old Ethan Raymond Masters of Menominee was arrested on sexual assault charges June 30th, according to the Menominee County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office, deputies learned of an incident involving a 24-year-old man and a 12-year-old girl which happened in Menominee June 22nd. Following a sexual assault investigation, police charged Masters.

Masters was arraigned July 2nd on 2 counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct First Degree. He remains in the Menominee County Jail on a $250,000 cash bond.

Menominee City Police and the Michigan State Police Crime Laboratory of Marquette assisted with the investigation.

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Michigan immigration advocates react after Supreme Court ruling on Temporary Protected Status

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Michigan immigration advocates react after Supreme Court ruling on Temporary Protected Status


Twenty-four thousand immigrants in Michigan have Temporary Protected Status (TPS), but a recent Supreme Court decision could put their protection in jeopardy.  

TPS is a humanitarian protection granted to U.S. immigrants fleeing dangerous situations in their home countries, often from natural disasters or political instability. The status allows immigrants from the designated countries to live and work in the U.S.  

The Supreme Court overturned those for 356,000 Haitians and Syrians in a recent decision. While the court’s decision directly impacted Haitian and Syrian immigrants, it also established that the Secretary of Homeland Security has the authority to determine TPS status without judicial review or input from the courts.

That means that the Secretary of Homeland Security can eliminate TPS for any immigrant group that is currently in the U.S. under protection. That puts 1.3 million immigrants in the U.S. at risk of deportation. In Florida, 113,000 healthcare workers with TPS are at risk of deportation. The Haitian population in Philadelphia is also expressing concerns about what comes next for them.  

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“The Supreme Court turned its back on our moral and legal commitments to people seeking safety,” said Christine Sauvé, manager of Policy and Communication at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. “The decision eliminates legal protections for people fleeing danger and allows the Trump Administration to really advance its mass deportation agenda.”

Left without the ability to live or work in the U.S., these Haitian and Syrian immigrants with TPS now face deportation. But going back home could still be incredibly dangerous.

“It’s not really an option to go back to their home country,” said Melanie Goldberg, immigration attorney with the Institute of Metro Detroit. “In the case of Haiti, they don’t even have an airport in Port-au-Prince that’s operational. Yet they say it’s safe for these citizens to go back.”

In Michigan, immigrants with TPS have contributed $349 million to the state’s economy, a sign that they are deeply embedded in the community, according to Sauvé.  

“Many TPS holders have been in our communities for a very long time,” Sauvé said. “They’ve really spent decades building their lives here in Michigan. We welcomed them here, only to see that completely ripped away with the stroke of a pen.”

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The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center encourages Haitian and Syrian immigrants with TPS, as well as any immigrants in the U.S. with a TPS designation, to seek out a qualified legal service provider and review the “Know Your Rights” Materials on the MIRC’s website



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Sherrone Moore’s former assistant sues University of Michigan over alleged FOIA violations

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Sherrone Moore’s former assistant sues University of Michigan over alleged FOIA violations


A former University of Michigan assistant whose relationship with ex-coach Sherrone Moore was under investigation is accusing university officials of refusing to provide records related to the probe.

Paige Shiver filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in Washtenaw Circuit Court, claiming that U of M “arbitrarily and capriciously” violated the Michigan Freedom of Information Act by repeatedly denying her requests. Shiver and her legal team are seeking a court order requiring the university to disclose the records.

The lawsuit also alleges that throughout Shiver’s four-year employment with U of M, she was “discriminated against and subjected to a hostile work environment on the basis of her sex, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Michigan law including Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act.”

“The lawsuit filed today demands transparency and accountability from the University of Michigan, President Grasso and the Board of Regents,” said Shiver’s attorney, Andrew M. Stroth. 

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On Wednesday, CBS News Detroit reached out to U of M, which says it has no comment.

The investigation led to Moore’s firing in December 2025. At the time, it was determined that he was in an inappropriate relationship with a staffer, who was later identified as Shiver. 

Moore was arrested hours later after authorities said he went to Shiver’s home and threatened to harm himself. He was charged with third-degree felony home invasion, as well as misdemeanor counts of stalking and of breaking and entering. Moore was sentenced to 18 months’ probation after pleading no contest to the two misdemeanor charges.

According to the lawsuit, Shiver filed a FOIA request in February 2026 for audio, video and transcripts of interviews of herself, her father, Jeff Shiver, and Moore. The lawsuit alleges that the university denied her request, citing the ongoing investigation.

The lawsuit alleges that Shiver submitted a similar request months later, in June, but was told by the university that it was “overly broad and vague” and “does not describe a ‘public record sufficiently to enable the public body to find the public record.’”

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The lawsuit claims that requests were submitted in March and May, respectively, for all emails sent to the law firm Jenner & Block (UMconcerns@jenner.com) and for recordings of Shiver’s meetings by the university through Jenner & Block. However, those requests were denied because the university cited that it had no responsive records, according to the lawsuit.

The law firm was hired by U of M to investigate Moore and Shiver’s relationship. The university later expanded the investigation to include the athletic department.

The lawsuit also claims that Shiver requested copies of emails between Moore and athletic director Warde Manuel that contained the words “affair,” “discipline,” “pregnancy,” “baby” and “abortion.” The university denied the request, citing the communication between U of M employees as “exempt information,” according to the lawsuit.

However, Shiver’s legal team argued that the university has not shown evidence that the emails are exempt.

“This public university paid Jenner & Block $12 million to investigate the Sherrone Moore scandal and the abuse, Title IX and Title VII violations within the athletic department and Schembechler Hall, yet now refuses to release the investigation’s findings. It was important for our client to file this initial FOIA lawsuit to ensure the truth and facts come out,” Stroth said.

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Shiver appeared on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” in April to discuss her relationship with Moore. In the interview, she said she became pregnant by Moore and sought an abortion after medical complications were discovered about the pregnancy.


Note: The video above previously aired on April 14, 2026.



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