Focusing On Travel : Let's Go To Bob-Lo (Bois Blanc Island)

I have lived in Michigan all my life and done a fair amount of traveling around this awesome state. But there are still some places I have never visited – like Bois Blanc Island (located in Lake Huron – near Mackinac Island). So, now that the July 4^th crowds have gone home, my Hubby says, “Let’s go to Bob-Lo”.

Bob-Lo is another name for Bois (pronounced Bwa) Blanc island. It is French for “white woods”. It is believed that the name was given to the island because of the numerous white-bark trees that exist here.

I was surprised to discover what this quiet and laid-back island has to offer.

Bois Blanc Island is about 6 miles north of Cheboygan, Michigan. We arrive in Cheboygan at 4:15 p.m. We know there are two restaurants on the Bois Blanc Island (Hawk’s Landing and Bob-Lo Tavern) but we don’t know what hours/days they are open. So, we grab a couple of cold sandwiches ”to go” from a Subway Restaurant near the car ferry dock. There’s a lesson to be learned here – go to the island prepared with backup plans. We will learn that one of the island's restaurants is temporarily closed because they ran out of food at the end of the Fourth of July weekend.

Transportation to the island can be done by private boat or fly – the airport does have a paved runway. However, the most common way is through Plaunt Transportation (412 Water Street on the Cheboygan River). It is the only ferry service (vehicles and passenger) to the island. I have included a link to their web site (schedule and rates) at the end of this post. If you are taking a vehicle over to the island, reservations are highly recommended. In 2018, ii cost us $100 ($64 for our car and $18 per person) for the round trip ride and they don’t accept credit cards.

The Plaunt Transportation staff expertly drives the vehicles onto the ferry which can carry up to 16 vehicles.

During full-capacity sailings, passengers have the option of staying in their vehicle during the 45 minute crossing or utilizing either of the two passenger cabins (one is a little larger than the other – both have bench seating). Fortunately for us, the ferry is not at full capacity and we are able to move about freely on the deck and getting in/out of our car when we wanted.

One other pertinent piece of information - during our trip, the on-board restroom was not functional. However, the Plaunt Transportation building does have a restroom and so does the island dock/marina.

At 5 p.m., the Kristen D pulls away from the dock and begins its six mile trip across Lake Huron to the island. Immediately, I hear bells clang and watch as the draw bridge on US-23 raises to let the ferry pass through its opening.

We see some cool things like a docked freighter along the Cheboygan River ...

and this large white tank ...

and four lighthouses.

Cheboygan Front Range Light

Cheboygan Crib Light

Fourteen Foot Shoal & Poe Reef Lights

I thought the time passed quickly and soon we are approaching Bois Blanc Island. The Kristen D rounds the stone jetty into the marina area where we dock.

We drive our own vehicles off the ferry and begin our short weekend on the island. In 24 hours, we will be back in Cheboygan. Detailed maps of the island are hard to find. I have two maps to use – a recreational trail map and the Bois Blanc Island Historical Society’s Landmark Map.

For now, we leave the dock and turn right onto Bob-Lo Drive (aka East Huron Drive) and go a little over a mile to the Insel Haus B&B where we will be spending the night. We meet Shelby & Christa (the owners) and learn a little about this 7,800 square foot house. Our second floor guest room faces the back of the house overlooking the woods. While a light rain shower passes over the island, we spend the rest of the evening enjoying our quiet surroundings and watching the deer.

Insel Haus B&B

B&B View of Freighter & Kristen B on Lake Huron

Deer grazing in backyard of B&B'

After a good night’s sleep, we have a tasty and leisurely breakfast while we wait for the morning fog to dissipate. By the time we leave the B&B, the skies are clearing. It's time to begin our tour of the island.

The island is about 34 square miles (approximately 12 miles long and 6 miles wide). There is a General Store and gas station (Hawk’s Landing) located near the marina/dock. We filled the car up with gas before we left Cheboygan so I didn’t notice how competitive the gas prices are on the island versus the mainland.

Also, a word about the island roads – there aren’t any paved roads. There are a few well maintained gravel/dirt roads. However, most are two-track roads that can become narrow with pot holes and/or muddy conditions. Vegetation may grow close to the edge of the road and tree limbs may scratch vehicles. Drivers should use caution and discretion when encountering these sections – help may not be a phone call away. During our visit a portion of the North Lake Shore Road was closed due to flooding.

That being said, there are still peaceful forested roads to travel and places to explore. Looking for historic sites will give us an opportunity to drive some of the island roads. To do this, we will be using the Bois Blanc Island Historical Society’s Landmark Map (shown above). The map lists 24 stops.

Here are the descriptions for each stop (although there isn’t any copyright disclaimer, I still obtained verbal permission of the BBIHS to include it here):

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

We begin our tour by turning left out of the B&B’s drive onto Bob-Lo Drive and going a few miles to Stop 22 (Snake Island/Mud Lake – this natural area is 244 acres). The high lake level creates this “sometimes a peninsula” into an island. We don’t have a means of getting over there, so we continue our tour of discovery.

There are several Nature Preserves on the island. These protected lands are undeveloped. Much of the land protected by the Nature Conservancy is open to the public for low-impact recreational activities such as hiking,bird-watching, and photography.

Stop 23 is the former Coast Guard Station Quarters (now a private summer residence).

The Coast Guard Chapel (Stop 24) was one of the landmarks I wanted to see. This former boathouse (originally located on the water at the Coast Guard Station) was moved to this “you can’t miss it” spot along the main road. This rare find has been converted into a chapel with services held on Sundays during the summer months.

Coast Guard Chapel

While we are here, a gentleman riding an off-road vehicle arrives to do some maintenance work. He is very kind and opens the doors to allow us to go inside the building. I think the blue stained-glass windows are a nice touch in creating a chapel appearance.

Stained Glass WIndows

At this point, we deviate from the historic tour to do a little exploring on the east side of the island. We turn on a side road and discover the pier/dock at Mary Lake (one of six lakes on the island). There are two picnic tables on the dock. How fun would it be to have a picnic here on this quiet lake.

Lake Mary picnic area & dock

We return to the main road and travel north. This is when we discover that the North Lake Shore Road is closed due to flooding. We retrace our route back to the B&B.

Bob-Lo Drive (aka East Huron Drive) with view of Lake Huron

A little west of the B&B is Fire Tower Road. There are supposed to be several landmark stops along this road. Once again, we head north. A word of caution – deer are everywhere! Within half a mile we see three deer cross the road ahead of us.

We keep our eyes open for Stop 20 (John Dillinger’s Hideout) and Stop 21 (Fire Tower Foundation). According to the rather sketchy map, they are near Thompson Lake. We don’t find them.

We drive Fire Tower Road until it dead-ends at Lake Huron and North Lake Shore Drive. Here we find Stop 17 (The Boiler). It’s a 4/10’s of a mile walk (one way) down a two-track road to the site. Due to our limited time here on the island, we don’t go there. Maybe next visit we'll have more time.

Also at Stop 17 there is an easy access to Lake Huron’s rocky beach and a view of Lighthouse Point (to the east) and Mackinac Island (straight ahead).

Rocky Beach & Lighthouse Point

View of Mackinac Island

We turn left and drive a little of the North Lake Shore Road but road conditions begin to deteriorate. So, my Hubby puts the car into reverse and expertly backs the car to a rare sight – a driveway - where we can turn around and return to Forest Tower Road.

During our return drive south on Fire Tower Road, we have a second chance to find the elusive decaying cabins at Stop 20 and the remains of the foundation of the 90’ fire tower at Stop 21. We still can’t find them and we don’t have any extra time to do additional exploring. We put this on our next visit’s list of things to do.

Back at the main road, we turn west and stop at the ferry dock/marina to see Stop 1 (Michigan Historic Sign) that describes some of the history of Bois Blanc Island.

Side 1 and Side 2 of Sign

It’s a short drive to the small community of Pointe Aux Pins (population 71 according to the 2000 census). There is history in this little town. It was first platted in 1888 and was a resort town. Today, ten of the landmark stops are in this area.

Our first landmark is Stop 6 - the Hoover Community Building (built in 1967).

Next to the Community building is the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration (Stop 7). This charming church was built in 1905. I love the stone entry arch to the church.

A short distance down the road is the Pines School (Stop 8). According to the Michigan One Room Schoolhouse Association, this school was built in 1936. One of my passions is photographing one-room schools. What makes this a rare find is that it is still being used as an active school.

I’m not sure at what point the road name changes from Bob-Lo to Lime Kiln Point Road but here we are at Stop 9 (Fire Department), Stop 10 (Post Office) and Stop 11 (Woodland Glade Township Cemetery). I wish we had time to go down the grassy drive and walk around the cemetery. So much history can be found reading headstones. Just another reason to come back to the island. When we do, I will update this blog post.

Township Fire Department

U.S. Post Office

Woodland Glade Cemetery

A little farther down the road is the airport (Stop 13). We can see the paved runway from the road.

We stop and talk with some locals that are enjoying a leisurely bike ride down the shady road. They tell us there will be a tunnel of trees at the end of the road and a view of the Mackinac Bridge. There are other landmarks down side roads but time is not our friend today. Which brings me to another important point – the maximum speed limit on the island is 25 mph and we are told it is strictly enforced.

Tunnel of Trees

View of Mackinac Bridge

It is at this point where the North Lake Shore Road begins or ends depending on your route (assuming you can drive/bike around the island without encountering poor road conditions).

If you enjoy nature, fishing, hiking, biking, bird-watching, photography, history, and a peaceful place to relax - then you should consider visiting Bois Blanc Island. We enjoyed our stay but it is time to head back to the marina to catch the 5 p.m. ferry to Cheboygan. As we near the dock, we can see the Kristen D is arriving. I take a picture of it at the dock while we wait for the cars to unload.