The Les Cheneaux Islands area is composed of a 36-island archipelago along 12 miles of Lake Huron shoreline, on the southeastern tip of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The area was historically navigated by Native Americans and French explorer and their way to and from the Straits of Mackinac and St. Mary's River.
The Les Cheneaux area, which includes Cedarville and Hessel, has been designated by The Nature Conservancy as one of the Last Great Places in the Western Hemisphere, owing to its pristine water, air and woodlands.
Our extraordinary location in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula offers visitors to Cedarville and Hessel so many resources for nature-based adventures and unique items crafted by our local artisans, with all four seasons providing a natural backdrop for year-round activities in Les Cheneaux.
Biking, hiking, bird watching, touring a local sugar bush to see how maple syrup is made, stopping-by a local marina to catch a glimpse of craftsmen restoring antique boats and watching a local artisan work at his glass blowing craft are just a few "things to do" while visiting the Les Cheneaux area.
During the summer, local marinas are available for your watercraft needs and public launches provide a variety of locations to get your boat into our waterways.
Boating, fishing, kayaking, water skiing or just plain relaxing in the bays and channels throughout our chain of 36 islands will take your breath away as you enjoy the natural splendor from our sparkling waters.
The snow of winter offers visitors the chance to enjoy the magnificence of snowmobiling the expansive network of our well groomed trails throughout Cedarville and Hessel. Winding through the woods and our villages, our trail system connects seamlessly eastward to DeTour and Drummond Island, northward through Pickford and all points north and to the west to enjoy trips to St. Ignace and beyond.
Blankets of snow softly bending the branches of mature pines and cedars like dollops of fresh whipped cream can be enjoyed along snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross-country ski trails. Ice-fishing, sledding, ice-skating, hockey, ice-sailing, dog-sledding, snowball fights, snowman making and warming-up beside a bon-fire are other winter activities enjoyed by our residents and visitors. Enjoy special events like the Vintage Snowmobile Show/Ride, ice-fishing tournaments and Snowsfest!
Check out what we have planned for you!
Download PDFMap not intended for navigational purposes. For navigational maps, please visit: https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov
Check out this great video, shot, edited, produced by Peter Huston with the Great Lakes Islands Alliance!
"This short video explores the 36 island archipelago of the Les Cheneaux. The islands are mostly populated by private residents who use the port towns of Hessel and Cedarville Michigan to provide transportation dockage, supplies, and services for the island people." (video description)
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