Living in North Muskegon, Michigan

The bike trail starts here. The Fred Meijer Berry Junction Trail runs 11.1 paved miles from North Muskegon up to Whitehall, on an old railroad corridor, and at the Whitehall end it meets the Hart-Montague Trail and carries on another 22.7 miles to Hart. Which means you can set off from North Muskegon and ride to Hart without leaving the pavement.

Bear Lake Tavern is the classic. It has sat on the Bear Lake Channel for more than a hundred years, and in 2023 it added BLTiki out on the sand, with its own menu, where you can tie up the boat and be seated without changing out of your boat shoes.

At the Four Corners downtown, The Shipyard is the newer arrival: a sports bar and restaurant with golf simulators, pool tables and a screen for every game, decorated with the teams and athletes who made their names around Muskegon.

Bernie O's Pizza is the one people drive in for, and the reason is The Twist: crispy chicken, bacon and mozzarella on a tangy yellow sauce, finished with pineapple, tomato, yellow pepper, jalapeño and a coil of homemade ranch. It sounds like too much. Order it anyway.

Muskegon State Park sits just west of town between Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan, with forested dunes and trails running between the two. On the Muskegon Lake side, Snug Harbor has a fishing pier, picnic tables and grills, and it is a regular spot for anglers. We used to run the pontoon out from Muskegon Lake toward Lake Michigan and pull in there for a picnic and a break on the way.

Up on Scenic Drive, on one of the highest points in Muskegon County, stands the Blockhouse. The Civilian Conservation Corps built it in 1934 as a tribute to the area's frontier days, and the one there now is a rebuild after the original burned in 1962. In October it is the best seat in the county for fall color over Lake Michigan. This year the inside is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from October 5 through October 25, then closes for the winter. The grounds and the view stay open in every season. Park along the road below it and you can walk straight down to public access on Lake Michigan. In high school, that beach is where we met our friends after class.

If you want to stay a night before you decide, the park has two campgrounds: Channel Campground, beside the channel where you watch boats pass between the two lakes, and the Lake Michigan Campground on the big lake, which also has two small cabins open all year.

The Muskegon Lakeshore Trail picks up on Center Street and carries on into Muskegon, partly on boardwalk near the mouth of the Muskegon River. It connects with the Berry Junction Trail, so the pavement runs from Hart all the way down to Muskegon.

The division that matters here is which side of the peninsula you are on.

The Bear Lake side. Quieter water, mostly homes, and a channel through to Muskegon Lake rather than open water at your dock. Suits somebody who wants the water to be calm most of the time.

The Muskegon Lake side. The big harbor, the working views, and a genuine route out to Lake Michigan. Suits somebody whose boat is the point. See waterfront homes in North Muskegon.

Up on the ridge. Much of the city sits well above both lakes, which is where a lot of the housing actually is, and where you get the elevation without paying for frontage.

Vacant land. Buildability, septic, well, setbacks and access get decided before you own it. See lakeshore land in North Muskegon. Arriving from out of state? Relocating to North Muskegon covers the first year.