Tucker Lake is just two miles from Glen Arbor, and attached to the Glen Lake and Crystal River water system.  It is a bounty of indigenous wildlife.  There is a loon nest as well as a large beaver lodge on the lake.  Frequently bald eagles overhead and less frequently sand hill cranes.  The fishing is o.k., nothing like Shell Lake, (tomorrow night), but there are small mouth bass as well as an occasional northern pike.  The experience can be very cool not fishing also.  Find a quiet spot on the lake and take in Mother Nature.  We leave the kayak and canoe livery at 5959 S. Oak Street in Glen Arbor at 7 p.m. with kayaks on board the new Dune Mobile and get back just before dark.  Steve Ware will be the guide.  Cost is 35 dollars for kids and 50 for adults. Call us at the livery for questions or reservations.  We will be running an inland lake trip nightly through the summer.  There are 39 inland lakes in Leelanau County. Good stuff.

Annie Lang is leading petoskey stone polishing classes today at 10 a.m.  Jon Tris is leading historical walking tours through Glen Arbor with his global positioning system.  He has 11 sites in Glen Arbor to find and teaches people to use the gps along the way. A historical and technology lesson all in a one hour tour.  He is also guiding walking tours on Sleeping Bear Point.  Check out his bio on the eco tour page on the website.

As always, on demand kayak, canoe and tube tube trips on the Crystal River today.  Glen Lake and Lake Michigan should be navigable today if the wind stays down.  Come into the livery and check out our custom maps and we will design a trip for you.

The putt putt/mini golf course should be playing pretty fast.  Had a 10 year old break 40 yesterday.  (three hole in ones!)   Amazing.  No big chess matches.  I still rule the ping pong ladder.  Fisher’s backhand too weak.  Getting a couple cord of wood today to keep the outdoor fireplace blazing.  Our Thompson Lapstrake runabout sand boat is well stocked with sand toys, trucks and shovels for the toddlers to play in.

Water levels are fantastic for kayaking, canoeing and tubing.  The weather is perfect.  We have posted coupons on our website for money off kayaking or putt putt/mini golf.  So get down to The River Glen Arbor today and make some memories.

Perfect weather….finally, looks like the whole week should be ideal for kayaking, tubing, canoeing, golfing.  So whats up this week? Tucker Lake eco tour tonight.  7 p.m. till 9 p.m.  Kayaks or canoes.  Fishing or no fishing.  Should be gorgeous weather.  Petoskey stone polishing class in the new rock shop/craft center at 10 a.m.  Wed and Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. are youth putt putt tournaments.  Prizes for all participants.  The chess ladder begins today.  Youth and adult competitions.  Shaping up to be a great week.   Don’t forget about the new sand boat for toddlers.  Well stocked with dump trucks and shovels.

The Crystal River water levels remain very high and are perfect for canoeing, kayaking and tubing.  Our traditional 7 mile trip from the top of the river above the dam and below the fisher lakes takes about 2 hours.  We are taking reservations online.  This is as beginner level paddle.  Kids over the age of 7 are encouraged to be in their own kayak!  Parents can always tie the stern of their boat to the bow of their kids if need be….otherwise, most kids love the independence of being in charge of their own boat.  My wife Becky calls the Crystal River the River of Empowerment.  The river depths now with high water are still only about 2 feet.   Don’t worry, the Crystal River is so safe.

Mention this blog today and receive 5 dollars off a kayak or canoe trip and 2 dollars off putt putt/mini golf. Come on down to the River at 5959 S. Oak Street in gorgeous Glen Arbor and make some memories!

More rain last night.  Beginning to get a little spooked that we cannot get the water levels back to normal.  The Crystal river is running over 90 cfs and the glen lakes are above 597 feet above sea level.  (Check this out at the glenlakeassociation.com website).  I have been operating the dam for over 15 years and have no memory of the levels being so high for so long as this June.  Usually we are worried about not enough water.  Not this year.

Our eco tours will begin tomorrow, (monday), kayaking, canoeing, tubing and fishing on one of 39 inland lakes in Leelanau County every night of the week.  Mark Ringlever, Steve Ware and Mike Sutherland will all be available for these trips.  Hiking eco tours will begin this week as well with Jon Tris.  Check out the bios on these guides on our eco tour page on the website theriverglenarbor.com.

Annie Lang and Becky Sutherland begin up north activities in our new rock shop/craft center.  Petoskey Stone Polishing,birdhouse construction, beading, leather stamping, driftwood crafting/artwork and scavenger hunt adventures through Glen Arbor.  ”Learning made fun.”

Noah Creamer will be doing photography classes inside the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  Check him out on our guide page as well.

Come on down to the River today and jump in a canoe, kayak, tube or longboard for an adventure on the Crystal River.  We are taking reservations, or just show up at 5959 South Oak Street just a half a block off M-22 in Glen Arbor and we will get you and your family out in the Park to make some memories.

Oh yea, almost forgot:  We need rocks!  Bring us in 10 lbs of rocks or 5 peices of driftwood and we will give you a free round of putt putt.  The rocks need to be interesting, not just a shovel full from the gravel pit.  If you have an interesting rock, bring it in and we will help you identify it.  We love rocks at the River…..especially Petoskey Stones.

Water levels on the Crystal River remain high.  Canoes and kayaks won’t be touching bottom unless you do something really weird.  The Brammer culverts are tough to navigate as the sharp left turn when you get out is nearly impossible to make.  Portaging is a good option for those that don’t want to risk flipping.

Come on over to the River in Glen Arbor at 5959 S. Oak Street and check out our new sand boat.  We filled up a 19 foot wooden Thompson lapstrake runabout with screened beach sand.  It is ready for toddlers!

Putt putt/mini golf course is going to play slow today.  I installed blue stone slate bumpers on holes 3 and 11 for a better angle towards the hole.  Giant chess peices are out as are the ping pong paddles and balls.  Lunastyx are waiting to be juggled.

We completed the rock shop/craft center yesterday and are starting to stock rocks, wood, beads and other craft stuff.  Annie will start teaching classes monday!  Can’t wait.

We are taking reservations online now for kayak, tube and canoe rentals.  Reservations are recommended as we only have 60 boats.  They go fast. Weather should be great today, so come on down to the River and make some memories.

NOAA was calling for light variable winds yesterday, not.  15 to 20 knots all morning with higher gusts.  So, the Glen lakes and Lake Michigan are really out for kayaks or canoes today.  But the Crystal River is nice and high with water and canoes and kayaks as well as tubes will get you down the Crystal for a great trip.  We also have stand up paddleboards, just sent a father/son down for our one hour loop.  (15 bucks).

I just checked weather for the weekend.  Should be no major t storms, so don’t hesitate to  make a reservation as we will probably be busy.  (you can always cancel and we will not  charge you).

The putt putt/mini golf course is playing real fast with these winds.  Low round of the day is a 43.  If you beat that, I will get you a free kayak pass down the river.

Of course we have free ping pong and giant chess, lunastyx and juggling balls for your use.

And the trading post / gift shop just got a shipment in of toys and gifts.

The rock shop/craft center is done and we are currently stocking with materials for rock polishing, bird house making, beading and leather stamping.

Come on over to The River in beautiful Glen Arbor inside the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and make some memories!!!

The prevailing weather patterns over the last couple weeks have been very interesting.  Intense storms traveling east from Wisconsin across lake Michigan, pounding Glen Arbor and the Glen Lake watershed with multiple inches of rain.  We need rain, but not in such big doses!

Another storm will be here shortly, I can see it across the lake.  How does that affect paddling the Crystal River?  It’s a fantastic day to challenge the Crystal.  The River is running about three times higher than normal, so canoes will have no issues with hitting bottom.  Same with double kayaks.  Bring rain gear and challenge Mother Nature.

The putt putt course is in great shape.  I added some blue stone slate on holes 4 and 11 to help out for deflecting around the doglegs.  We just got in a case of ping pong balls…..should be good for the summer.  But the big news is the construction of our rock shop and craft center.  We now have a very organized space for Petoskey Stone polishing classes, bird house construction, leather stamping, beading etc.  Come check it out.

Also, I chopped the top off of my construction suburban and will be using that for another vehicle for the kayak, tube and canoe livery in Glen Arbor.  The suburban now resembles the old dune mobiles that they used back in the 50′s and sixties!  Fun stuff.  Safe and legal. (I checked with the State Police and my insurance agent).

Come on down to the River on the Crystal inside the gorgeous Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes and make some memories.

Holy cow, what a morning on the crystal river.  No wind, not a cloud in the sky.  The mighty Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes will no doubt be busy with people today.  The Crystal river in Glen Arbor is running high again today.  There wil be no issue with kayaks or canoes scraping bottom.  Make a reservation on our website theriverglenarbor.com and get out on the Crystal River.  Water temperature should reach the mid seventies making swimming a great option.  Choose a route either on Lake Michigan or Glen Lake and the Fisher Lakes.  With no wind, these trips should be fantastic.  Bring your snorkeling gear and check out the Phelps shipwreck in eight feet of water out in Sleeping Bear Bay.  We can show you on our maps exactly where it is.  Brand new Old Town Vapor 10 and 12 foot single cockpit kayaks, Old Town Tandem Otter 14 footers, 16 foot Old Town Canoes, 2010 Ocean Kayaks, 11′s and double 14′s sit on top kayaks, tubes with floors in them to keep your feet off the precious riverbed, and a new fleet of stand up Paddlebuoys made local here in Elk Rapids all await you at the River in downtown Glen Arbor just off M-22 at 5959 Oak Street.  Come on down for a great day.  We also offer a world class putt putt course (greens are pretty quick with no rain) and free giant chess, ping pong, outdoor fireplace for smores, trading post with petoskey stone display and t-shirts, an 18 foot tipi, etc. etc.  Get down here today!  Bring your kids and make some memories.

Weather this weekend is fantastic in Glen Arbor and the Sleeping Bear Dunes and perfect for kayaking, canoeing or tubing.  The Crystal River water levels are now high after those two monster rains that we had last week.  The Glen Lakes and Fisher Lakes are gorgeous for paddling, but all swollen with too much water.  The gates at the dam are down at the top of the Crystal, but the culverts are passable at Brammers culvert.  Tricky making the turn out of the culvert, you may end up in the cedar trees.  Lake Michigan is calm this morning as is the put in at lake street and Glen Lake.  Come on over to the River at Crystal Bend in downtown glen arbor and do some kayaking, canoeing or tubing. The putt putt course is playing very fast, the greens are swept and ready to go.  The giant chess peices are in place and the ping pong balls are fresh.  Game room is full of pinball machines.  The outdoor fireplace will be raging from five p.m. into the night, come on over after dinner and roast some smores at the River at 5959 S. Oak Street Glen Arbor on the banks of the Crystal River inside the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore!

Becky was interviewed in a great article on MyNorth.com, check it out here!  The article talks about how The River strives to be a fun family destination and also about the wonder of the Crystal River as it wanders through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  Now is a perfect time to come on down, rent a kayak or canoe and see what Becky is talking about!