The Pine River Channel and the Drawbridge

You are crossing the heart of Charlevoix, a narrow ribbon of water called the Pine River Channel that ties three lakes together. Tucked in the middle sits little Round Lake, a snug natural harbor. On one side lies big Lake Charlevoix, on the other the vast open water of Lake Michigan.

For centuries these were nearly separate worlds, but in eighteen sixty-nine local boosters pooled their money, cut a channel from Lake Charlevoix into Round Lake, and dredged the Pine River so boats could pass all the way out to Lake Michigan. When the digging was done, the water levels actually dropped, and Charlevoix suddenly had a working harbor that turned it into a lumber and shipping town. Today the channel is spanned by a drawbridge carrying the main highway right through downtown.

Every half hour in the summer season the bridge lifts on schedule, the road stops, cars line up, and a parade of sailboats, yachts, and fishing boats glides underneath between Round Lake and the big lake beyond. Stand on the pier at sunset, follow the channel out past the lighthouse, and you will see exactly why the whole town was built around this single slender cut of water.