South Haven

See

• Take a walk on the South pier out to the lighthouse. When waves are washing over the pier, stay off, people have lost their lives this way. When it is calm, look for fish on the south side of the South Pier. Ice may form in the colder months, watch out for ice.

• Sunset, Viewing the sunset is a ritual for visitors. Any beach will do, many people like to walk out to the lighthouse to watch the sunset over the water.
• Monroe Boulevard Bluff, Spectacular view of the lighthouse, pier, catwalk and Lake Michigan horizon.
• , A drawbridge connecting the north and south sides of the city with lots of boat traffic in the summer. The bridge opens on the hour and half hour, don't get caught in the traffic jam!

• Storm Watching, Many of the storms that come in over the Lake are quite dramatic. If you notice a front coming through, stop at one of the beaches or Monroe Boulevard Bluff and watch nature's power. When it is windy, the Lake furiously pounds the pier and Lighthouse with waves. Winter snowstorms are especially dramatic.
• Iceberg Watching, After it has been cold for some time, mountains of ice build up on the pier and along shore. The ice looks like a craggy mountain range. Sometimes, storm waves will move the ice around and spray bursts up into the air as storm waves hit the icebergs. Do not walk on the ice, it is very dangerous, the ice shifts and moves, and the waves undercut the ice from the lake side.

Parks

Do

Go to the beach. South Haven has two main beaches:

Both are directly adjacent to the piers. The South Beach is known as a more family beach, while the North Beach is the favorite of students, especially from Western Michigan University. There are other beaches too, drive along North Shore Drive and there are a number of street ends and small trails leading to public beach accesses.

Fishing - in early spring, around late March and April, salmon and lake trout are running and can be caught from the piers. Some people like to use flashing spoons and some like deep diving Rapalas. Spawn bags also work well. Other times of the year, people still fish, there are perch, bass and other fish taken from the piers and various fishing sites upstream as well.

Harborwalk - there is a sidewalk route that will take you from the South Pier at the South Beach, along Riverfront Park and the harbor, through the downtown, across the Bascule Bridge, past the Maritime Museum and the marinas, and out to North Beach and the North Pier.

Pick Blueberries - there are a number of blueberry farms in the area where you can pick your own blueberries (and eat lots while you pick). You can also get a quart or two at the farmers market, or a number of roadside stands.

Ride:

The Kal-Haven Trail is a rails to trails bike path linking Kalamazoo and South Haven. If you don't want to ride the full 40 some miles, ride just a ways out of town to the covered bridge and the overlook of the north and south branches of the Black River. A trail pass is required.

Buy

Eat

Sleep

South Haven is extremely popular as a resort town, and lodging is not cheap. Renting a house by the week is probably the most popular type of lodging, but there are bed and breakfast inns, and hotel/motels too.

• Kal-Haven Outpost, a campground out east of town along the Kal-Haven Trail at 0500 Co Rd 687.
• South Haven Jellystone Park, 03403 64th St

There is a small public campground (bicycle access only) along the Kal-Haven Bicycle Trail on the bluff just east of the covered bridge.