Esch Beach

Esch Beach is a Lake Michigan shore at the mouth of Otter Creek, about four miles south of Empire. The creek's sun-warmed shallows can be a welcome change from colder lake water, so this is a good place to wade in the creek, then walk out to the open beach. Wave action shifts the outlet north or south; stay a while and the meeting of creek and lake may look different than when you arrived.

A small creekside beach starts near the paved lot at the end of Esch Road. The Lake Michigan shore is about 300 feet down a steep slope of deep, soft sand, with a strenuous climb back. If loose sand or a steep return is hard for you, keep that in mind before heading to the water. The lot has a vault toilet and information kiosk, and the Otter Lake Loop trailhead is just east of it. No drinking water or food service is listed at the beach.

The creek mouth is the detail that makes this beach different from a straight stretch of lake shore. The channel shifts with wave action, and small current ripples in its sandy bed contrast with the broader, steadier wave marks in Lake Michigan. For a photo, frame the creek as it meets the lake, with a little of the beach in view; a west-facing sunset gives you another reason to linger at the water's edge.

This access is also the site of Aral, a former lumber town. Its steam-powered sawmill was operating by 1882, and a 90-foot dock sent lumber by ship toward Great Lakes cities and prairie markets. Once the surrounding forest was cut, the settlement was abandoned; only traces remain as woods grew back. The town's story took a violent turn in 1889, when mill manager Charles T. Wright killed deputy sheriff Neil Marshall and physician Frank Thurber during a tax dispute. Wright served 17 years in prison.

Otter Creek's banks are lined with wildflowers, and the area is a good place for birding. Threatened piping plovers nest on the shore in spring, so some beach sections may close temporarily; Pitcher's thistle grows in the foredunes, so stick to established paths. Look for rounded Petoskey stones, fossil coral with a distinctive hexagonal pattern, but leave them in the park: removing stones is illegal.

Leashed dogs are allowed only on the north/right side of Esch Road when you're facing the water; pets aren't allowed on the left side. Beach fires are allowed between the water's edge and the first dune, away from vegetation, using approved firewood; put them out with water and don't bury them. There are no lifeguards, and Lake Michigan waves and rip currents can be dangerous; conditions can change quickly.