We decided to head up north to Empire, Michigan for one more summer camping trip! A family friend is building a house right of M-22 in Empire and they are nice enough to let us car camp on their land.

We decided to bring our Kayaks with us for the first time on a camping trip and we met up with my friend Elijah and kayaked a 4.7 mile stretch of the Crystal River.

The water was crystal clear and we didn’t see a single person on the entire 4.7-mile stretch. The current was super calm so the river was slow-moving and very easy to paddle and you can definitely just float the entire way if you want, and I’ve hard that’s how this river usually is so it’s a great paddle for beginners or if you just want to relax and not work too hard!

We did the 4.7-mile stretch and it took us  about 3 hours - but keep in mind we stopped a lot for photos and we definitely weren’t paddling the entire time. I’m sure it could be done much quicker but it was nice to take our time and explore a new river!

Star Photography & a bonfire at Esch Beach 

We were planning to do a full moonrise paddle on the Platt river but we opted to have dinner instead and decided to do some astrophotography and have a bonfire on Lake Michigan at one of my favorite beaches - Esch Beach

We sat by the fire and just enjoyed the bluff view that we could actually see since there was a full moon and I’ve been obsessed with shooting star trails so I set my camera up for a time-lapse to capture the star trails and this was the result:

SUNSET AT EMPIRE BEACH

The next day we ended up going to Empire Beach for sunset and saw one of the most insane sunsets I’ve seen a long time right on Lake Michigan

I highly recommend checking out Empire beach for a sunset, it’s a little more crowded than Esch beach but the views are incredible and they have a playground, basketball court, picnic areas and tons more!

HIKING THE EMPIRE BLUFF TRAIL

The next morning as we were getting ready to leave we decided to do the Empire Bluff trail - one of my favorite hikes in Michigan! It’s a 1.7 mile round trip hike that leaves you with incredible views of the Bluffs along Lake Michigan at the top!

The terrain is pretty easy with not to drastic elevation changes so that really anyone can do it, it’s such a short hike for such an amazing view! If you’re in Empire, this hike is a must in my opinion!

Here are all the photos from our trip: