The boat launch with the deepest channel. The trail to the gorge. The farm stand that takes Venmo. The icon you've heard of and the one you haven't.
Established in 1921 on the lake's southeast corner — 2,000 feet of sand beach so shallow it stays three feet deep a hundred yards out, which makes it the easier swim than the open lake past the drop-off. The campground spreads across several loops between the beach and the woods; ask for a water-view site if a boat's coming along. A separate dog beach sits on the park's south end. Boat launch on site; Recreation Passport required.
A free Tuscarora Township beach at the mouth of the Indian River, a walk from downtown rather than a drive — Burt Lake without the state park's camping fee or crowds. The Veterans Memorial Fishing Pier reaches out over the shallow cove and is wheelchair accessible end to end. The township runs its Fourth of July fireworks off this beach every summer, with picnic tables and a pavilion for the rest of the season.
A family farm in Alanson, a short drive upstream from Indian River on the Inland Waterway, selling whatever's ready off a folding table — corn, cucumbers, zucchini, and farm-fresh eggs through the summer. Keith and Shirley Ronk have run it for years without much more than a Facebook page announcing what's in that week. Open Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 10 to 6, in season only.
Local produce and crafts set up in the Citizens National Bank parking lot downtown, June through October — the closest thing Indian River has to a town square on a Saturday morning. A second, smaller session runs Wednesday afternoons for anyone who missed the weekend selection. Saturdays 8 to 1, Wednesdays 2 to 6, gone by November until the following spring.
A gas dock and pontoon fleet right on Burt Lake, at the mouth of the Indian River next to DeVoe Beach — the marina to use if the boat needs to launch from the lake itself rather than the connecting channel. Slips, service, sales, and a marine showroom round out the operation. Open 8:30 to 5:30 weekdays, a shorter Saturday, closed Sunday. Call ahead for a slip in July.
Pontoon, ski, and fishing boat rentals on the channel between Burt and Mullett, with week, day, and half-day options for anyone without a boat of their own. A fuel dock and full marina services cover the rest of what a week on either lake needs. Reserve ahead for a July weekend — the rental fleet runs out before the fuel dock does.
A full-service marina on the Indian River near I-75's Exit 310, running since 1938 — ships store, gas dock, a deep-water launch ramp, and showers for anyone who's been on the water since morning. Boat rentals and sales round out the operation, plus winter storage for the off-season. The easiest marina to find coming straight off the highway rather than through downtown.
A marina-and-cottage combination on the channel between the two lakes — pontoon and fishing boat rentals, a fish-cleaning house with lights and running water, and bait and tackle at the on-site store for anyone who forgot to stop in town. The cottages rent by the week for a full lake stay rather than a single afternoon on the water. On-call mechanic if the outboard acts up mid-trip.
A 55-foot crucifix over a woodland shrine two miles east of the state park on M-68 — a Catholic national shrine, but the grounds and gift shop draw visitors well outside any specific faith, dawn to dusk, every day of the year. Mass runs most days; the gift shop keeps separate, shorter hours. Worth the short drive east even as a break from the water for an hour.
A six-hour guided trip on Burt Lake targeting walleye and northern pike with Captain Justin Sattory, one of the few standing charter operations working this lake specifically rather than the whole Inland Waterway. Burt's basin runs to 73 feet, deep enough to hold fish through the heat of August that the shallower bays lose by July. Book through the charter's own site; trips fill fastest on summer weekends.
Burt Lake is the third stop on the Inland Waterway — after Pickerel and Crooked Lakes, through a set of locks and Alanson's swing bridge, before the channel narrows at Indian River and continues to Mullett and the Cheboygan River. No single company runs the full 38 miles — boaters do it themselves, lake to river to lake, over a day or a slow weekend. Rent a pontoon at one of the town's marinas and cover a piece of it.