Huron County
Tip of the Thumb

Huron County beaches touch the clear waters of Lake Huron for more than 90 miles at the tip of Michigan's famous "Thumb Area".  Follow M-25 from White Rock to Sebewaing.  Attractions, resorts, motels, marinas, restaurants, and museums dot the shoreline.  Lighthouses are located at Harbor Beach, Point Aux Barques (Lighthouse County Park) near Port Hope, and off shore at Port Austin.


Harbor beach, Port Hope, Grindstone City, Port Austin, Caseville, Bay Port and Sebewaing, plus the shoreline areas in-between offer motels, bed & breakfasts, housekeeping cottage resorts, and fine and unique dining. Inland, Bad Axe the county seat, offers great shopping, motels, fast food and family style dining facilities.

With glistening white sand beaches for swimming and sunning, the shoreline on lake Huron - Saginaw Bay is the state's finest.  The shoreline drive is one of Michigan's most scenic, with many places to stop an enjoy the water, including scenic turnouts and public parks.  Huron County has more shoreline parks than any other Michigan county.

For a vacation treat in Harbor Beach, visit the lighthouse, the city marina, and the world's largest man made harbor.  The Governor Frank Murphy Museum honors a man who was also mayor of Detroit and a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.  Be sure to visit the Grice Museum, a home from the 1800's.  All sites are close to the city's North Park Campground.

The "Little Town With A Big Welcome", Port Hope has a good beach and excellent camping and swimming in both Stafford County Park and nearby Lighthouse County Park.

You can experience the elements of rural American life between 1850 and 1900 at Huron City, a museum town featuring 10 buildings, including a Victorian mansion, furnished log cabin, lifesaving station, general store and carriage shed. The museum town is staffed from July 1 to Labor Day.

Grindstone City has a fine harbor, marina facilities, lodging and camping accommodation and is the gateway to good bass, perch, steelhead, salmon and brown trout fishing.  At one time, Grindstone City produced most of the world's grindstones.  Many of the town's namesakes, in various forms and sizes, may be seen along the beach and through the community.

Port Austin is at the very tip of Michigan's Thumb Area.  Enjoy the beach, have a picnic and view the Port Austin Reef Lighthouse or watch sunrise and sunset over the water from the same vantage point in Bird Creek County Park near the D.N.R. marina and boat launch facility.  A shoreline of uniquely formed rocks provides a picturesque view for boaters east of Port Austin. West of town, enjoy a day at the beach at Jenk's or Oak Beach County Parks.

Huron County boasts two fine state parks on M-25 between Port Austin and Caseville.  Port Crescent State Park near Port Austin includes a separate day use area for picnic, beach, and hiking activities including a 10 station fitness trail.  Or try fishing, pontoon boating or canoeing in the Pinnebog River which floes through the park.  Sleeper State Park, named after native Albert E. Sleeper who served as Governor of Michigan in the early 20th century, boasts a fine beach and ample camping area.

Caseville is a vacationer's paradise.  Boating, fishing and beach and water sports are popular here.  Caseville is known as the perch capital of Michigan. The village has a floating state dock.  A number of marina facilities in Caseville and on nearby Sand Point provide ample boating facilities.


Next along the scenic M-25 is picturesque Bay Port.  Unsurpassed for boating, fishing and hunting and famous for its highly publicized Bay Port Fish Sandwich Day, the first weekend in August.

A favorite spot for duck hunters and fishermen is Sebewaing, home of the Luckhard Museum.  

More and more divers are becoming aware of the numerous shipwrecks off the Eastern shoreline from Port Austin to Harbor Beach in the Thumb Area Great Lakes State Bottom land Preserve.

Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay offer outstanding fishing opportunities from shore or boat.  There are plenty of access points, marinas and harbors of refuge and charter services.  Choose your favorite.  Perch and walleye, bass, crappie, channel catfish, northern pike, Chinook and Coho salmon, brown and lake trout, steelhead and splake, they're all to be found off the Huron County shoreline.

Boat launch facilities are located at Sebewaing, Bay Port, Caseville, Port Austin, Grindstone City, Port Hope, Harbor Beach and various points in between.

Winter activities are abundant in Huron County.  Ice fishing is especially popular at Bay Port, Caseville and Port Austin.  Several organizations and communities stage winter carnivals which include such activities as broom ball and snow mobile races.  Groomed trails at Sleeper State Park and Wagener County Park attract cross-country skiers.