Mount Pleasant, MI Outdoor Activities

The course at Brookside Golf and Grill guides golf balls past babbling brooks and over rolling terrain as players traverse the 6,100-yard course. A stream treacherously intercepts the golfer's path on three holes, and a large pond lies in wait to the right of the green on the 13th hole, waiting furtively for wayward bounces and impulsive swan dives. After a round, players can head inside at the newly redesigned clubhouse, where a full grill restores lost calories with burgers and burritos and assuages lost chances at birdies with beer and wine.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par-72 course
• Total length of 6,100 yards from the back tees

In 1996, a group of golfers formed a membership program that offers deeply discounted greens fees at a network of affiliated golf courses in West Michigan. The program is PGAC, and the result provides two-for-one greens fees at more than 28 courses and special discount rates at more than 11 courses. After reserving tee times any day of the week, golfers can load up their clubs and spare mannequin legs to test their skills on the challenging designs of renowned regional courses such as The Highlands, Lynx, Macatawa Legends, and Diamond Springs. Along with saving golfers up to $7,500 and helping local courses increase their waterways' diet of golf balls, PGAC hosts fundraisers for local schools and organizations.

For 45 years, Baldwin Canoe Rental has outfitted paddlers with the equipment needed to push off into the tranquility of nature and float through the heart of the Huron-Manistee National Forests. Their current fleet includes more than 400 watercrafts, from tubes to tandem kayaks. The wide variety of vessels enables clients to customize their Pere Marquette River journeys, whether they want to gather a full group of friends together for a leisurely glide in inflatable rafts or embark on soul-searching trips in single kayaks with just enough storage space for power crystals.

Nestled along Northern Michigan's snow belt, Caberfae Peaks Ski & Golf Resort sends visitors careening down 34 different ski runs, offering a total of 485 feet of vertical drop. Its location near Lake Michigan helps the resort average more than 150 inches of annual snowfall per year. Beyond skiing and snowboarding, the frosty harvest enables the resort to offer other wintery activities.

Away from the slopes, visitors relax inside Blackmer Lodge, a cozy facility outfitted with cathedral ceilings, a two-story stone fireplace, and rustic exposed timber. Extended stays, meanwhile, unfold at Mackenzie Lodge, located right at the base of the slopes, where an outdoor heated pool and hot tub await to help guests relax or cook lobsters they brought with them in their suitcases. And, during months when a heated pool isn't necessary, Caberfae challenges golfers with a scenic nine-hole course peppered with wetlands, ravines, and fairways lined with 75-foot trees.

Founded in 1989 as a roadside produce stand, the family-owned Schwallier’s Country Basket has since expanded into a full-grown farm market filled with autumnal attractions. Clues based around an annual theme are hidden within the corn maze, which guests of all ages navigate under the watchful eye of safety enforcers. Upon emerging from the labyrinth, visitors can pedal down the tricycle path, tour the grounds on a guided wagon ride, or greet a baby goat at the animal barn. A gated kids area also entices youngsters with attractions such as duck races and a straw mountain swarmed with prospectors trying to spin it into gold.

Elsewhere, raspberries, pumpkins, and more than 15 varieties of apples await picking in the farm's fields and patches. An onsite store also stocks various fall goodies, such as apple cider, indian corn, and homemade pies alongside crafts, toys, and fall-themed decorations.

For more than three decades, AAA Canoe has rented canoes, kayaks, and tube floats to explorers bound for the scenic, tranquil Rogue River. The rental center accommodates both individuals and group outings, outfitting each trip with paddles and life jackets or flotation cushions before chauffeuring boaters and their vessels to their trip’s starting point. Each trip ends at the Rockford Dam in downtown Rockford, where passengers can explore the city sights and regain their land legs from unscrupulous alleyway leg merchants.