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Saturday, May 24, 2025 at 11:09 AM

Life in Leelaneu

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Docents help interpret the flora, fauna and geological features of Leelanau Conservancy. Courtesy photo
Docents educate outdoor lovers
The Leelanau Conservancy’s role of protecting the natural land and water features of Leelanau County couldn’t be done without the role of docents, volunteers who traverse the terrain and lead groups to educate them. 07/17/2024 05:06 PM
15 Northport Youth Sailing School counselors are pictured together in 2023. This year, the program has three full time sailing instructors, 17 youth counselors, and numerous volunteers and family members that help to make classes a success for all to enjoy. Photo courtesy of Glenn VanOtter...
Sailing School celebrates 16th season
The Northport Sailing School is on track to having another record year in terms of student numbers, with approximately 176 kids filling 207 class spots this summer. The school has been operating for the last 16 years in the village of Northport and functions with the help of the board of directors and several different committees. 07/17/2024 05:06 PM
GAP setting the table in ‘The Dining Room’
GAP setting the table in ‘The Dining Room’
Audience members will inevitably see themselves reflected in the mosaic of family scenes in the Glen Arbor Players’ production of A.R. Gurney’s Pulitzer Prize nominated play “The Dining Room” set for Thursday through Saturday, July 25, 26, and 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Glen Lake Church. 07/17/2024 05:06 PM
Tim Hurley (right) poses for a holiday photo with his wife, Anne, and four grandchildren. Recently, Tim and Anne welcomed their fifth grandchild into the world. Courtesy photo
Faith and peace of mind for Hurley
Tim Hurley of Midland has had a windy road to land on his personal Cherry Blossom Lane in Suttons Bay in 2021. “When my wife Ann and I were dating (1970-80s) we would come up here for vacation and visit for a weekend,” Hurley said. 07/17/2024 05:06 PM
Some of the staff with the Northport Youth Sailing School are pictured last season with students from the program practicing their sailing skills on Northport Bay. Photo courtesy of Glenn VanOtteren
Some of the staff with the Northport Youth Sailing School
Some of the staff with the Northport Youth Sailing School are pictured last season with students from the program practicing their sailing skills on Northport Bay. 07/17/2024 05:06 PM
A fast and healthier alternative to typical snacks that people tend to go for can be trail mix. Enterprise photo by Meakalia Previch-Liu
Trail mix on the go: Snacks for the next hike, walk
A fast and healthier alternative to typical snacks that people tend to go for can be trail mix. The popular snack usually features different variations of dried fruits, nuts, granola, seeds, and peanuts, with the ingredients all offering a number of benefits when in need of a source of energy. 07/10/2024 03:48 PM
A group of hikers walk through a grassy field in the Clay Cliffs Natural Area near Leland. Clay Cliffs is one of the Leelanau Conservancy’s “must-see” trails, according to conservancy Communications Specialist Brighid Driscoll. Courtesy photo.
Conservancy’s most popular trails
When it comes to parks and trail systems, Leelanau County offers an embarrassment of riches. Many of the best areas are maintained and protected by the Leelanau Conservancy. But since this organization is steward to over 16,000 acres of land across 28 locations, it can be difficult to know where to start. And so, the newspaper reached out to the Conservancy to ask them which areas were the best of the best. 07/10/2024 03:48 PM
Palmer Woods Forest Reserve, a Leelanau Conservancy property, is perhaps the best location in the upper half of the Lower Peninsula for mountain biking. Courtesy photo
Biking your way through the county
Leelanau County has many trail systems, for all kinds of biking and hiking, even some for those that want a mountain biking experience. Leelanau County offers a wide-variety of trails for every kind of nature enthusiast, even some for the thrill-seekers. Hiking and biking thrive through the land and many take to two wheels to explore the county. When describing the state of biking in the county, Nick Wierzba the owner of local bike shop, Suttons Bay Bikes, said it has, “Never been better.” 07/10/2024 03:48 PM
DeYoung Natural Area is managed by the Leelanau Conservancy and includes lakeshore, cedar forest, naturalized fields, and active farmland. Pictured here are parts of the edible forest stationed along the trail at the natural area that people will see. Enterprise photos by Meakalia Previch-...
Trail finds in Leelanau County
The trails and natural areas of Leelanau County are filled with eye-catching scenery all yearlong, but perhaps one of the most interesting parts about the land are the plants, flowers, insects, and animals that inhabit it. 07/10/2024 03:48 PM
Members of this family can explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as one group thanks to the Friends of Sleeping Bear. Courtesy photo
Volunteers improve park access
Laurie Pope, co-chair of the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes accessibility committee, said that the organization is in the process of acquiring a wheelchair bike that will park users will be able to reserve online, like their track chairs. She said they hope to make this service available to the national lakeshore’s visitors in the coming months. 07/10/2024 03:48 PM
Trailblazers on the Heritage Trail
Trailblazers on the Heritage Trail
Being a trailblazer in Leelanau County means embracing the area’s natural beauty by hiking and biking on its local trails. Traverse City native Jim Hirtreiter and Bob Resh spent their Sunday cruising down the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail from Bohemian Road to Glen Arbor and back. 07/10/2024 03:48 PM
Jim DuFresne, author of “The Trails of M-22: 48 of the Most Beautiful Paths Along Michigan’s Most Beautiful Highway,” stands at Isle Royale National Park. DuFresne recently retired after 45 years of writing guidebooks and settled down at the family cottage in Elk Rapids. DuFresne’s bibliog...
Book focused on 48 trails off M-22
After writing guidebooks for nearly 45 years, Jim DuFresne decided to hang up his hat and retire across Grand Traverse Bay in Elk Rapids. He sat down with the Leelanau Enterprise to talk about his career, writing process, and one of the bestselling guidebooks for Leelanau County. 07/10/2024 03:48 PM
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