A Midwestern Gal at Heart

My partner and I love to talk about (more like take an educated guess) Squash’s favorite places. He is a Midwesterner through and through (he will argue that Lake Michigan has bigger waves than the Pacific for hours) so in his mind Squash’s favorite place in the entire world is Michigan, more specifically, Northern Michigan. I reluctantly have to agree even though my loyalties lie elsewhere, like California. Squash was born in Western Michigan, right outside of Grand Rapids and as a puppy we would take her to Michigan once every few months since it was a short trip from Chicago. She has swam in Lake Michigan more time than I can remember and has been all over the state. But the place we always go back to, because it truly is her favorite place in the world, is the Leelanau Peninsula. So in the summer of 2022 we decided to escape the San Francisco June gloom and head east towards the great lakes.

The Most Beautiful Farmhouse in Leelanau County

We’ve been staying at the Modern Farmhouse for years. It’s become a summer tradition for our family, but we are also known to book it on a whim when it becomes available in the winter or fall. Surrounded by orchards and maple trees, down in an old farm field and with distant views of Lake Michigan from the hill, the farmhouse is the perfect place to spend to bring your dog and spend some time outside surrounded by nature. The house is so dog friendly there are pictures of the owner’s dog adorning the walls and it even comes fully equipped with a doggy water and food bowl attached to a wall in the kitchen area.

Squash loves to spend the mornings running around the tall grass fields, the afternoons napping under the maple tree and the evenings begging for food on the oversized outdoor dining table under the string lights. The house is also located about 10 minutes from hiking trails and about 15-20 minutes from Lake Michigan.

Dog Friendly Activities in Leelanau County

Dog Friendly Hikes

Whaleback Natural Area: a stunning and low trafficked hike south of Leland, this 10,000-year-old glacial wonder is an iconic landmark that helps define the Lake Michigan coastline. The bluff, which resembles it’s namesake, rises 300 feet and can be seen from many vantage points in Leelanau. There is a viewing platform perched on the edge of the 40-acre natural area offers fantastic views of Lake Michigan, mature oak trees along the trail and even a beautiful vineyard.

Clay Cliffs Natural Area: this 1.5 mile trail is also a surprisingly low trafficked area, but it offers some of the most majestic views of both Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan. There is a viewing platform above the bluffs, with breathtaking views of Lake Michigan and an open field with unparalleled views of Lake Leelanau. This field is one of Squash’s favorite place to frolic and enjoy the tall grass in the summer.

Houdek Dunes Natural Area: if you are looking for a longer hike, Houdek Dunes has a 3.3 mile loop. The trail system here takes in an easy to challenging 3.3 miles and features mature birch and maple trees, sand dunes and even a creek. It is one of our favorite trails in the fall.

Other hikes we love to take Squash on when we visit include: Pyramid Point, Lookout Point and Lighthouse West Natural Area.