DOES THAT LOOK like a cat’s head? Regardless of varying interpretations of the geologic features of Cathead Bay, no one can deny its beauty. -Photo courtesy of Photoair

At the farthest end of Michigan’s "pinky" finger, on the western edge of the northern-most tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, is Cathead Bay.

Shiela Wick and her family, year-long residents of Suttons Bay, have been going to a family cottage on Cathead Bay for years.

“My parents bought the land from the Porter-Molder family in about 1960. They built a cottage on Cathead, and we’ve been going there ever since.”

Wick’s parents, Mark and Kathryn Kelly, saw an ad in the Detroit Free Press for the property. They went to check it out, and bought as soon as they laid eyes on it.

“My parents paid $2,000 for the 100 foot lot on Cathead. I think they go for around $500,000 now, but we will never sell it, because you can’t replace something like that. It’s priceless,” said Wick.

When her own three children were young, Wick and her husband, Gordie, would spend summers — and winters — on the beautiful bay.

“The road didn’t used to be plowed in the winter, but we’d still go out there with all of our stuff. We’d walk a mile in the snow to get there. I know it sounds crazy, but we had a lot of fun doing that,” said Wick.

In the past few years, the modest family-owned cottages have given way to much larger homes, sometimes being bulldozed so new owners can start over.

“At least half of the homes out on Cathead are now more like retirement homes than cottages. It’s changed a lot, but it’s still beautiful,” said Wick.

She said that Cathead Bay has an association that meets once a year, and that her guess is that around 50 people belong to the association, most of whom are rather new to the area.

“I don’t know many of the people in the association anymore,” said Wick.

She said that Cathead Bay used to be referred to as Cat’s Head Bay, but somewhere along the line, the name was changed to Cathead.

“I really don’t know why it’s called Cathead Bay. I’d like to know though, if someone could give me the answer.

The most logical explanation I can come up with is that people thought the bay looked like a cat’s head, but I really don’t know.”

The only way for the public to get to Cathead is either by hiking a three-quarter mile trail or by boat.

The trail, located within the state-owned Leelanau State Park, leads walkers on a hilly adventure through mature hardwoods surrounded by lush green forest floors. The trailhead is located at the end of Desnmore Road, a few miles south of the Grand Traverse lighthouse. Hikers will be rewarded for their efforts by finding Cathead Bay beach, which, due to limited accessibility, is quiet even in the peak of the summertime months.

While there is no public boat launch directly on Cathead Bay, for a nominal fee boaters can put their watercraft in at either the Northport or Leland Marina.

“We see boaters all the time in the summer time in Cathead Bay,” said Wick. “You just have to dock 100 yards or so out because it gets kind of rocky towards the shore. But the state beach along Cathead is gorgeous,” she said.

Allen Ammons is the one and only full-time park ranger at Leelanau State Park. He’s been working at the park since the early seventies, and so has a unique perspective on the park itself, and of Cathead Bay.

“Cathead Bay and the surrounding state-owned trails offer one of the most diverse landscapes in the state,” said Ammons, who lives with his wife, Margo, in Northport.

The acres and acres of undeveloped land attract interest from all over the world.

Ammons explained that the state of Michigan ranks their 90 state parks according to a natural features inventory, and that Leelanau State Park ranks very high.

“This park is number eight in the state as far as natural diversity goes, and a lot of that diversity can be seen at Cathead Bay,” said Ammons.

The state park also has a campground which has around 50 rustic campsites (no electricity) and two rustic cabins to rent. Visitors can reserve the cabins or campsites in advance by going to www.midrnreservations.com or by calling the state of Michigan’s reservation system at 800-447-2757.

The popularity of the Leelanau State Park and the Cathead Bay area is significant, with 125,000-150,000 visitors annually.

“We had 15,000 campers go through this campground last year. Many of them like to visit the lighthouse, walk the trails, boat, or visit the beach,” said Ammons.

Traditional outdoors nature experiences are not the only reason many come to the area, according to Ammons.

He said that the park makes a significant positive contribution to the local economy.

“A lot of campers and visitors have been looking for information on the area wineries, and we supply them with those maps, and anything other information we can about the area,” said Ammons.