Relax and play in the blue waters of Crystal Lake

This non-smoking, two story, 2000 ft2 "cottage" has 200 feet of lakefront on the north shore of Crystal Lake. A history of pet-free and non-smoker use! A large non-smoking deck, shaded by two walnut trees, connect the outside to inside living space with abundant comfortable furniture for multiple relaxation poses. Ideal for a couple with two children and Grandparents, the house has magnificent lake views from the air-conditioned King and Queen bedrooms. A pair of twin beds in the cedar paneled twin beds room gives the younger folks their space. A reading nook is for anyone who needs away time from the family. Give yourself a time-out Mom! The water and beach are a few feet from the deck accessed down four stone steps from a very large lawn area. Swing away on our grownup/child swing set, or watch the water or supervise swimmers from the commanding set of super-nice Adirondack chairs. The garage fits a small car and has a level 2 electric car charger which you can use no-charge! The driveway allows one other car to be parked off street.

This is a non-smoker, non-smoking, no-pets allowed property because our family members have life threatening allergies to those irritants. There is no smoking allowed anywhere in the house or on the premises. We really mean this! We respect your right to vape or smoke but you can't do it at our cottage or on our property.

We are very close friends with the neighbors and so this is a "no parties allowed" house. Quiet time is from 9 PM to 10 AM and is strictly enforced.

The ideal rental period for us due to our cleaning crew constraints is for you to check in on a Sunday, and check out Saturday. Ask us about our two week deal for 20% off!

We just installed a whole house generator to make the house more secure during the occasional times that power is interrupted in Benzie County. Additionally, we have conditioned the crawlspace beneath the house and installed a dehumidifier - so no mold smell!, a common issue with lake cottages.

The spring, summer, and fall seasons are perfect times to make our Crystal Lake home your base camp for birding, botanizing and wildlife watching. White-tail deer, fox and occasional otters roam the lakeside and Crystal Highlands during these quieter months. Frogs and turtles can be found in the streams and rills that feed into the lake.

The forests and hills surrounding Crystal Lake and the nearby Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore are considered a birding hotspot by Bird Watchers Digest. Pileated and other woodpeckers, nuthatches, Blue Jays and Northern Cardinals occupy the area year-round. Bald Eagles regularly soar and hunt over the lake and perch in forest snags behind the house.

Spring migration starts ramping up in April, with loons often stopping over on Crystal Lake. Many sparrows, kinglets, gnatcatchers, and warblers typically arrive mid-month. In the latter part of the month, spring raptor migration reaches its peak. See e-Bird.org and Bird Watchers Digest for Spring and Fall migration highlights for Michigan. E-Bird has logged more than 200 species at each of these birding hotspots, all located 20 minutes or less from the house: Otter Creek/Esch Rd, Elberta Marsh and Platte Point.

Although in spring, woodland areas are still not leafed out, the forest floor blooms with spring ephemeral wildflowers including bloodroot, spring beauty, hepaticas, Dutchman’s breeches, common toothwort, spring cress, red trillium, and large white trillium.