Alcona County: Coast, Landscape, and History

Alcona County brings together coastal landscapes, water, and history. Its communities and activities offer a range of ways to plan your trip.

Coast, Trails, and Waterscapes

Harrisville State Park sits on the sandy shore of Lake Huron. A two-mile paved Heritage Trail runs through the park, connecting it to Harrisville via Third Street. The trail’s length, surface, and connection to town give you concrete details to consider when planning your day.

The park also has a clearly designated water access point: a boat launch for boats carried to the water by hand is located at the south end of the day-use parking lot. The park’s described features range from a sandy shore and paved trail to a launch for hand-carried boats.

Another landscape feature is a 1,100-acre park on the historic floodplains of the Au Sable River, upstream from the Alcona Dam. The park has three miles of river frontage on each side of the river. These figures describe both the park’s size and the extent of its river frontage.

The Mill Pond is stocked with trout, and public fishing is available. There is also a waterwheel and a small waterfall at the dam. The Mill Pond thus combines a fishing opportunity with visible features of the waterscape.

Hubbard Lake covers 8,850 acres. Fish species found there include northern pike, rainbow trout, largemouth bass, yellow perch, and walleye. Visitors can feed fish at Cedarbrook Trout Farm. These details highlight different things: the lake’s size and variety of fish, public fishing at Mill Pond, and feeding fish at the farm.

History and Regional Orientation

Sturgeon Point Lighthouse was built in 1869 to warn boaters about a reef that extends 1.5 miles into the lake from Sturgeon Point. Its tower is 70 feet tall and houses a third-order Fresnel lens made in Paris. The construction date and purpose explain the lighthouse’s historic role; its dimensions and distinctive lens give a concrete impression of its design.

The Lincoln Train Depot was built in 1886 by the Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad. The Alcona County Fairgrounds host the Alcona County Fair and are also known as the Alcona Recreation Area (ARA). The places mentioned thus highlight different things: railroad history in one case, and an event venue with a familiar alternative name in the other.

The US 23 Heritage Route runs along the Lake Huron coast of Alcona County. It places the coastline in a broader context if you are also interested in the regional route while planning your trip.

Plan Around Seasonal Events

The Sunrise Side Wine and Food Festival takes place every year in July. If you would like to plan your trip around the festival, check the event dates in advance. In summer, various activities and the Harrisville Summer Concert Series may take place at the Harbor Pavilion. Here, too, it’s worth checking the dates if you want a concert or activity to determine when you travel.

Before searching for a hotel, you can use these topics to compare your planned travel dates with the activities you have in mind.

Explore more destinations: Hubbard Lake, Washtenaw, Oceana County, Barry County, Luce County, Roscommon County, Gratiot County, Roberts County

Go to the main travel overview: Michigan.