North Bar Lake Overlook and Picnic Area - Stop #11

North Bar Lake meets Lake Michigan with Empire Bluff in the background.

NPS credit

Quick Facts

Amenities

7 listed

Audio Description, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Picnic Table, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Toilet - Vault/Composting, Wheelchair Accessible

Another overlook, another large-sized, gorgeous view: Platte Bay and Point Betsie in the distance, a small, jewel-colored lake below, and trees, trees, trees. This view is at its best when the fall colors are on display because of the expansive view over the top of the maple-beech forest.

The small lake below is North Bar Lake. The lake was formed behind a sand bar at the edge of Lake Michigan. At times the wave action builds up the sand bar and separates North Bar Lake from Lake Michigan. At other times, a small connecting channel exists between the two lakes. North Bar Lake was once a small bay on Lake Michigan. It is one of the few lakes in the region that has an open channel to Lake Michigan.

North Bar Lake is ideal for swimming in the summer. It is warmer than Lake Michigan because it is smaller and the sun can warm it up more quickly, and it is surrounded by pure sandy beaches. Children like to play in the small creek that flows from North Bar Lake to Lake Michigan, and the older kids can enjoy the waves of the big lake.

The shaded picnic area offers cool respite and a place to sit and eat.

As you leave the scenic drive, notice all the pine trees. In many places in the park, rows of pines were planted where the original mixed hardwood forests had been harvested. Red pines were commonly planted for their uniformity, wood properties, and relative freedom from insects and disease. National Park Service biologists gradually thin the plantations to restore a more healthy forest that is diverse in species and ages of trees.