Last updated: March 25, 2024
Place
Esch Beach
NPS Photo/ Duane Newman
Quick Facts
Location:
Esch Rd, Honor, MI 49640
Significance:
Location of the town of Aral
Amenities
9 listed
Beach/Water Access, Entrance Passes for Sale, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board, Parking - Auto, Toilet - Vault/Composting, Trailhead, Trash/Litter Receptacles
This dazzling beach, located at the mouth of Otter Creek, is an ideal place for the whole family. The creek gently empties into Lake Michigan. Kids enjoy wading upriver into the belly of the forest and letting the current drift them toward the lake. The creek banks are lined with wildflowers, and the area is considered to be a birding hot spot.
Leashed pets are allowed to the right of Esch Road when facing the water.
NO Pets are allowed to the left of Esch Road.
Otter Creek is a popular spot on Platte Bay Beach, particularly with bathers when the lake water is considerably colder than the sun-warmed shallows of the creek. The creek outlet to the lake can move north or south depending on the wave action on the lake. It looks different each time you visit. Watch the interplay between the beach, creek mouth, and waves. The floor of the creek is covered with various patterns of current ripple marks, in contrast to the larger, consistent wave ripple marks on the sandy bottom of the lake.
Enjoy the beach safely
Swim safe
The Lakeshore's pristine beaches are ideal for swimming, but forceful waves and rip currents can turn a fun visit into a frightening one. Use caution when swimming alone and take special precautions with children: keep a close watch on all children, stay within arm's reach, and be sure they are wearing a life jacket.
Be alert for rip currents
Although they are not common in the Lakeshore, rip currents are dangerous and can occur at any beach with breaking waves.
Lake Michigan conditions can change quickly. Know what to expect before you go in the water. Monitor the weather and check out the swim risk level for the beach you plan to visit. Read more in Safety.
Poison Ivy: leaves of three, leave it be!
Poison ivy grows plentifully in many areas of the Lakeshore as a vine or low shrub. The leaves are red in early spring, shiny green in summer, and an attractive red or orange in the fall. Each leaf consists of three leaflets. Most people are sensitive in varying degrees to the sap of this plant, which makes the skin itch, blister, and swell.
Avoid contact with all parts of the plant. Avoid plants with three leaflets.
If exposed, wash the affected skin with soap and water as soon as possible.
Beach fires
Roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over glowing coals while watching the sun go down over the lake is a perfect ending to a fun day at the beach. Beach fire are allowed on our mainland Lake Michigan beaches between the water's edge and where the dunes begin, and away from any vegetation. Make sure you use firewood from park approved vendors to help us protect our forests from pest and disease. And be sure to extinguish all beach fires with water. DO NOT bury fires-hidden embers could burn unsuspecting bare feet!
Take care around plover nesting areas
Keep a watchful eye out for a tiny animal friend, the piping plover, a threatened species that breeds here in the spring. Piping plovers find the cobbled beaches of Sleeping Bear Dunes an ideal place to find mates, nest, and raise their young. To protect the plovers and their nests, some parts of the beach may be temporarily closed to visitors and pets. Please help us protect these special birds by keeping dogs on a leash and obeying all beach closure signs.
Step around the Pitcher's thistle
Pitcher's thistle (Cirsium pitcher) blooms only once when the plant is seven years old. This native thistle grows only on the shorelines or sand dunes of the Great Lakes and is common in the Lakeshore. It is a threatened species: it is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future.
Walking through foredunes on your way to the beach may trample and kill these plants before they can reproduce. So please watch out for the Pitcher's thistle: stay on the wooden walkways and established trails.
Paddle safe
Before going out for a paddle, check the weather. Have a boating plan and make sure others know it. Always wear safety gear, including personal flotation devices. Buddy up, don't go out alone. Check your boat and make sure it is safe for conditions. And always keep the shoreline in sight.
Look! A Petoskey stone!
Watchful beachcombers can find a rainbow of pebbles dotting the shore, but uncovering a Petoskey stone is finding beach treasure. Petoskeys have an interesting shape and the intricate hexagonal patterns of the fossil colonial coral. Tossed by the waves, a Petoskey is rounded and smooth. Their attractive gray to brown color make Petoskeys stand apart from all other local rocks, and they are a favorite of rock hounds. Admire these natural beauties all you like, but please don't take them from the beach: it is illegal under federal law to remove stones from the National Lakeshore. Leave what you see for others to discover!
Uncover More
Find out about the town of Aral, that used to exist where you parked your car.