Woods & Waters

Woods & Waters Adventure well. Adventure often. Adventure with Woods & Waters. Call, message, or email to set-up either a drop off or possible pick-up.

It's now the off-season (October–May) and tours are done and the retail shop is closed — BUT bike repairs ARE AVAILABLE by appointment (our bike mechanic is local and available most days after 3:00PM)! The retail shop will be open on Shop Hop Saturday (December 14) and for Snow's Fest (Saturday, February 8). The fastest way to reach us by calling, but we do monitor Facebook messages.

I extrapolate migrating birds and insects might also employ similar meteorological conditions too… but so cool that bats...
01/13/2025

I extrapolate migrating birds and insects might also employ similar meteorological conditions too… but so cool that bats harness the weather like this!

A new study study sheds light on a little-known phenomenon: the long-distance migration treks of nocturnal bats.

SnowsFest is around the corner!! On Saturday we will be participating in the Hot Cocoa Crawl (10–2), offering Fat Tire B...
01/13/2025

SnowsFest is around the corner!! On Saturday we will be participating in the Hot Cocoa Crawl (10–2), offering Fat Tire Bike Demos (10–4), and lighting up the Debry Preserve with solar lanterns from 6:30–8:30 too!

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01/10/2025

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Fall stocking efforts added more than 590,000 fish to waterways across Michigan, bringing the 2024 total to over 9.7 million fish stocked. It's been a busy year!

Seven species were the focus of stocking this fall, including: Atlantic salmon, brook trout, brown trout, lake trout, rainbow trout, walleye and muskellunge. We have multiple state fish hatcheries which specialize in different species. Here's a breakdown of their fall activities:

🐟 Marquette State Fish Hatchery (near Marquette) stocked 28,403 fall fingerling and 606 adult brook trout that weighed a combined 1,835 pounds. These fish were stocked at a total of 30 locations in the Upper Peninsula. Marquette also stocked 425 adult lake trout that weighed 1,169 pounds at two locations in the Upper Peninsula.

🐟 Platte River State Fish Hatchery (near Traverse City) stocked one location in Lake Huron with 30,000 Atlantic salmon weighing 991 pounds.

🐟 Oden State Fish Hatchery (near Petoskey) stocked 82,000 fall fingerling brown trout that weighed 4,494 pounds and 82,919 rainbow trout that weighed 2,681 pounds. These fish were stocked at four locations in the Upper and Lower peninsulas.

🐟 Thompson State Fish Hatchery (near Manistique) stocked 47,014 Great Lakes strain muskellunge that weighed 5,410 pounds at 20 locations in the Upper and Lower peninsulas.

🐟 Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery (west of Kalamazoo) stocked 1,578 Great Lakes strain muskellunge fall fingerlings that weighed 198 pounds at five locations. Wolf Lake also stocked 300,891 fall fingerling steelhead weighing 3,379 pounds in three locations.

For more information on fall fish stocking activities or to visit a fish hatchery and see the work firsthand, check out the following resources (as someone who has visited each hatchery, I can say they are all worth visiting!):

Fall stocking overview: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDNR/bulletins/3c9eb8a

State fish hatcheries: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/fisheries/hatcheries

Especially in hard water season!
01/09/2025

Especially in hard water season!

Enjoy this short piece on CBS Sunday Morning about Marquette resident Bugsy Sailer. What a great photography project! Su...
01/06/2025

Enjoy this short piece on CBS Sunday Morning about Marquette resident Bugsy Sailer. What a great photography project! Sunrises are one of my favorite ways to start the day too — and sunrise kayak tours are even better. Contact us to book this summer or fall.

Six years ago, Bugsy Sailor began photographing the sun every day rising upon Michigan's Upper Peninsula, capturing kaleidoscope colors, shoreline and sky, t...

A vast majority never knew the bald eagle wasn’t officially our National bird — but now the only eagle indigenous to Nor...
12/27/2024

A vast majority never knew the bald eagle wasn’t officially our National bird — but now the only eagle indigenous to North America is thanks to a bill signed by President Biden on Christmas Eve

The Les Cheneaux and the EUP is home to a currently stable population, but these magnificent raptors are under threat from avian flu (article further back on our feed) and even from vehicles (also an article earlier in December) as they are willing scavengers of road kill and dead or dying waterfowl infected with the fatal avian flu (yes, the same one causing decimation of commercial chicken flocks, higher egg prices, and infecting dairy herds).

The bird of brown and white feathers has long represented the United States as a majestic and soaring symbol, but only this week did a law make it official.

Finally some great news about goose p**p!!!!
12/22/2024

Finally some great news about goose p**p!!!!

“My mom, auntie and grandma have all had cancer, so it makes me happy that something I found could help,” said Camarria Williams.

12/21/2024

Celebrate the solstice with great storytelling! You can listen, or go old school and read!

This is one of my all time favorite YA series and read it again a few years ago. However, the first book in the series is technically Over Sea, Under Stone.

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12/20/2024

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Fishery commission says reduced control in 2020, 2021 caused population spike.

Wow!!!!! Includes where Mt. Arvon is too!!!! Huge DNR Trust Fund Grant!
12/18/2024

Wow!!!!! Includes where Mt. Arvon is too!!!! Huge DNR Trust Fund Grant!

Major conservation project in the Upper Peninsula gets largest grant in latest trust fund recommendations.

Give them time and space to get airborne! And with the additional scourge of avian flu, these magnificent raptors don’t ...
12/18/2024

Give them time and space to get airborne! And with the additional scourge of avian flu, these magnificent raptors don’t need the added threat of being picked off by vehicles.

One has a slim chance of recovery while the other died.

12/14/2024

Today is Shop Hop Saturday! Come and get your passports stamped, make purchases to earn bonus entries, and enter our own in-house mystery drawings.

We're open 10:00 to 5:30 today. We have so many great stocking stuffer ideas from Tony's Chocoloney chocolate, Swiss Army knives, stickers, pottery mugs, thermoses, solar lanterns, bike chain l**e, hammocks, Nalgene water bottles, bike lights, bike helmets, artwork, and more!

The annual winter Christmas counts starts today!!! You too can be a citizen scientist!
12/14/2024

The annual winter Christmas counts starts today!!! You too can be a citizen scientist!

It’s the world’s longest-running bird census.

Great news for next year’s tourists looking to visit Mackinac Island!
12/13/2024

Great news for next year’s tourists looking to visit Mackinac Island!

Ticket prices for Shepler's Ferry and the newly rebranded Arnold Transit Co. will stay the same as the 2024 season.

Beautiful morning crossing the Mighty Mac. Back to being a Yooper for the weekend!
12/13/2024

Beautiful morning crossing the Mighty Mac. Back to being a Yooper for the weekend!

Gift certificates are available that can be purchased toward trips AND we also have $50 and $100 denominations available...
12/13/2024

Gift certificates are available that can be purchased toward trips AND we also have $50 and $100 denominations available too that can be used toward adventures, rentals, OR GIFTS AND GEAR! Gift certificates are electronic so easy to give.

Give someone the gift of adventure with a gift certificate from Woods & Waters — you can also purchase gift certificates that can be used toward merchandise too.

12/12/2024

We will be open Saturday 10–5:30 for the last day of the Les CheGNOME Holiday Shopping Days which is also SHOP HOP Saturday!

We'll have a few surprise mystery drawings you can enter and you can also earn bonus gift basket entries at all Les CheGNOME Day locations with purchases. Don't forget to finish and turn in your passports too in order to be entered for the main prize baskets!

We look forward to seeing some smiling faces!

Address

20 S Pickford Avenue
Hessel, MI
49745

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 12pm - 6pm

Telephone

+18885028373

Website

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Shop Hop Saturday
Shop Hop Saturday

Today is Shop Hop Saturday! Come and get your passports stamped, make purchases to earn bonus entries, and enter our own in-house mystery drawings. We're open 10:00 to 5:30 today. We have so many great stocking stuffer ideas from Tony's Chocoloney chocolate, Swiss Army knives, stickers, pottery mugs, thermoses, solar lanterns, bike chain lube, hammocks, Nalgene water bottles, bike lights, bike helmets, artwork, and more!

Les CheGNOME Days Shop Hop Saturday
Les CheGNOME Days Shop Hop Saturday

We will be open Saturday 10–5:30 for the last day of the Les CheGNOME Holiday Shopping Days which is also SHOP HOP Saturday! We'll have a few surprise mystery drawings you can enter and you can also earn bonus gift basket entries at all Les CheGNOME Day locations with purchases. Don't forget to finish and turn in your passports too in order to be entered for the main prize baskets! We look forward to seeing some smiling faces!

we are open today 10:00–4:00. From chocolate, Peek-A-Boo Trails hats, pottery, and other great gifts, we are hoping to see you!

Unsure about the heat wave of 47°…but the sun was out! Water was 51°. I lasted about 30 seconds once I went under. But a great way to end 4+ hours of work on the @peek.a.boo.trails today.

Take some nice deep relaxing breaths whilst enjoying a little video of last night’s sunset. 😍😍😍

The Greening of Detroit

The Greening of Detroit
The Greening of Detroit

What a beautiful day to take out a bunch of youth for their first time kayaking in Lake Huron. These high schoolers, all from Detroit, are members of @thegreeningofdetroit Green Corps who have the opportunity during their 6–8 week summer program to come to the UP for a wilderness week doing work with the @nationalforests and the @usforestservicemi . We had the absolute pleasure of giving them some play time today. Tomorrow they get to explore @lssu_cfre at Lake Superior State University. These youths are the possible future of working in ecological fields and we were delighted we got their toes wet in discovering the Les Cheneaux Islands. Check out their work by following them on social media or their website. They are doing important work in Detroit and Michigan as a whole.

Wonderful end to yesterday! And what you can’t see is an almost full moon 🌕 behind shining on the bay.

Print isn't dead! We had the pleasure on the longest day of the year to welcome this awesome couple who were inspired to visit the Les Cheneaux Islands based on an article in the Travel Michigan insert in their Sunday edition of the Chicago Tribune (link in the first commentI). Thanks for making the trek — we hope you had as much as we did on the water. And by the way, we do allow people to bring their own sea kayaks on guided trip if they are suitable to our waters and conditions (and given a small discount too).

We are still working to get the word out about this awesome opportunity that we are offering with the support of Islands Wildlife. We are able to continue adding more dates as the word gets out. Kids of summer residents can also participate, but are not eligible for the special rate. If your student, or friends, attend another EUP district, please reach out to us direct to chat. 888-502-8373

Koalas
Koalas

The 🐨 are here!

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Our Story

Woods & Waters is here to take you on a nature-filled adventure. Our fun and informative guided tours in the Les Cheneaux Islands, the Eastern UP, and Isle Royale National Park will immerse your senses with the rustic and still wild northern Great Lakes. Whether you just want a half day to explore our cedar shores and catch a sunset, or full days of quality time off the grid on Isle Royale, our team of trained guides will be with you for every dip of the paddle or step along the trail. Our outdoor activities include kayaking, hiking, biking, and even caving — something for everyone! We believe that everyone has the most fun when they’re in the middle of nature, so come have an adventure with us.