Boyne Falls: Winter Sports, Trails, and Golf

Boyne Falls in Michigan is home to Boyne Mountain. The destination offers winter sports, well-marked trails, a distinctive river course, and two golf courses. If you’re looking for a hotel in Boyne Falls, planning is easier when you distinguish activities by your interests and the time of year you’re traveling.

Winter Sports at Boyne Mountain

Boyne Mountain is a year-round resort in Boyne Falls. Winter activities include skiing and snowboarding. Check seasonal operating hours for both before your trip. The lift system is another notable feature of the resort: Boyne Mountain has the first eight-person chairlift in the U.S. Midwest. This gives winter sports enthusiasts a specific point of reference, while seasonal operations remain important when planning your travel dates.

SkyBridge Michigan and the Trails

SkyBridge Michigan is located at the summit of Boyne Mountain. It is a 1,200-foot-long suspension bridge with wooden towers, accessible from the mountain’s base by chairlift. Since lift operations may vary by season, check conditions for your planned travel dates before visiting. This makes it easier to consider the structure and how to reach it as two practical aspects of the same outing.

Boyne Mountain also has well-marked trails suitable for all ability levels. Conditions on individual trails may vary. Another geographical feature of the area is the North Arm of the Boyne River: It extends 5.9 miles from the river fork in Boyne Falls to its source just west of Thumb Lake. The river course adds a specific point of reference in the landscape alongside the trails and resort.

Boyne Valley Trailway: Connection and History

The Boyne Valley Trailway is 6.3 miles long, paved, non-motorized, and designed for multiple uses. It connects Boyne Falls and Boyne City. The route links amenities in Boyne Falls and at the year-round Boyne Mountain Resort with Boyne City, and continues to Charlevoix; it is open year-round. The Trailway is distinct from the well-marked trails at Boyne Mountain: its length, surface, and connections between towns are important features for finding your way.

The route’s former use is also part of the trail’s history. For most of its length, the Trailway follows the former Boyne City, Gaylord & Alpena Railroad route, which once ran between Boyne Falls and Boyne City. The present-day multi-use route therefore follows much of a former railroad corridor, while the connection between the two towns remains a defining feature.

Two Golf Courses, Distinctive Features

The Alpine and The Monument offer different points of reference for planning a golf outing. The Alpine’s 18 holes start at the summit of Boyne Mountain and wind down to Deer Lake. The Monument offers a different combination of features: The golf course is 7,086 yards long, and its summit is reached by a scenic golf cart ride of about one mile.

When comparing the courses, you can focus on their specifically described features: The Alpine’s route from the summit to Deer Lake, and The Monument’s overall length and roughly one-mile golf cart ride to the summit. This lets you plan your trip around the type of course that interests you, rather than treating both golf offerings as if they were described in the same way.

Travel Season and Hotel Choice

The resort operates year-round, while skiing and lift access to the bridge may vary by season; check conditions before your trip. The Boyne Valley Trailway, by contrast, is open year-round.

Discover more destinations: Beaver Island, Charlevoix.

See the broader travel overview: Charlevoix County.