Fun facts about Benzie County, Michigan
as of 6-09-2023

Cultural

  • Benzie County is the closest county to being in the center of the state (ignoring the island of Isle Royale National Park). The center is around 16 miles west of Green Point Dunes (just south of Frankfort/Elberta) in Lake Michigan. So when we say we are "in the heart of Michigan" we mean it!
  • Benzie is smallest county in Michigan – 345 square miles (18 miles "tall" by 22 miles "wide" at its widest point)
  • Over 36% of the county is publicly-owned land
  • Population (as of 4/2018)
    • Year-round: 17,500
    • During summer tourist season: 43,000

  • 1 animal shelter (Beulah)
  • 1 art center (Frankfort)
  • 1 beekeeper / honey farm (east Beulah)
  • 1 bookstore (Frankfort)
  • 1 city (Frankfort. Nessen City is a village. Crystal City become Beulah.)
  • 1 coast guard station (Frankfort)
  • 1 copy shop (Frankfort)
  • 1 covered bridge (Loon Song Covered Bridge at Joshua's Crossing, Lake Ann)
  • 1 credit union (Frankfort)
  • 1 dog park (Benzonia)
  • 1 downhill ski hill (Crystal Mountain: Thompsonville)
  • 1 drive-in movie theater (Cherry Bowl: Honor)
  • 1 drive-in restaurant (A&W: Frankfort)
  • 1 drive-through restaurant (McDonalds: Benzonia)
  • 1 dry cleaner (Benzonia)
  • 1 emu farm (Thompsonville)
  • 1 fitness center (Frankfort)
  • 1 hang glider / paraglider launch site (Frankfort)
  • 1 hospital (Frankfort)
  • 1 indoor movie theater (Frankfort)
  • 1 landing strip (C.R. 669 NE of Honor)
  • 1 lumber yard (Honor)
  • 1 marine engineering company (Frankfort)
  • 1 mini-golf (Benzonia)
  • 1 motorcycle shop (Frankfort)
  • 1 national chain hotel/motel (Baymont: Beulah)
  • 1 national chain restaurant (not fast food) (A&W: Frankfort)
  • 1 national lakeshore (Sleeping Bear Dunes, partial)
  • 1 new car dealer (Benzonia)
  • 1 pet store (Benzie Pets: Benzonia)
  • 1 Shakespeare theater company (Lakeside: Frankfort)
  • 1 state game refuge (Betsie River)
  • 1 symphony orchestra (Benzie County Symphony Orchestra)
  • 1 winery (east Beulah)

  • 2 airports (Frankfort, Thompsonville)
  • 2 alpaca farms (Frankfort, Honor)
  • 2 chambers of commerce (Benzonia, Frankfort)
  • 2 funeral homes (Benzonia, Beulah)
  • 2 laundromats (Beulah. Frankfort)
  • 2 lighthouses (Frankfort, Point Betsie)
  • 2 high schools (Frankfort, Benzie Central)
  • 2 middle schools (Frankfort, Benzie Central)
  • 2 national chain fast-food restaurants (McDonalds: Benzonia, Subway: Benzonia)
  • 2 police depaartments (Benzie County, Frankfort)
  • 2 sawmills (Benzonia, Lake Ann)

  • 3 bait and tackle shops (Benzonia, Frankfort, Thompsonville)
  • 3 banks (Honor, State Savings, West Shore)
  • 3 cannibis provisioning facilities (Benzonia, Benzonia Township, and Honor)
  • 3 elementary schools (Crystal Lake, Frankfort, Lake Ann)
  • 3 museums (Benzonia, Lake Ann, Point Betsie)
  • 3 pharmacies (Benzonia, Frankfort, Honor)
  • 3 used car dealers (Benzonia, Honor, Lake Ann)

  • 4 auto parts stores (Benzonia, Beulah. Honor, "Interlochen")
  • 4 bakeries (Crescent: Frankfort, Market Basket: Beulah, Shop-N-Save: Benzonia, Wesco: Benzonia)
  • 4 breweries (Beulah, east Beulah, Frankfort, Lake Ann)
  • 4 car washes (Benzonia (1), Frankfort (2), Honor (1))
  • 4 veterinarians (Benzonia (2), Honor (1), "Interlochen" (1))

  • 5 canoe/kayak liveries
  • 5 "dollar" stores (Benzonia, Frankfort, Honor, Lake Ann area, Thompsonville)
  • 5 grocery stores (Frankfort, Benzonia (2), Honor, Lake Ann)
  • 5 libraries (Beulah, Benzonia, Frankfort, Lake Ann, Thompsonville)

  • 6 fire stations (Almira Township, Benzonia Township, Frankfort, Homestead Township, Inland Township. Thompsonville)
  • 6 golf courses (Champion Hills, Crystal Downs, Crystal Lake, Crystal Mountain, Mistwood, Pinecroft)
  • 6 hardware stores (Frankfort, Benzonia (3), Honor, Lake Ann)

  • 7 post offices (Benzonia, Beulah, Elberta, Frankfort, Honor, Lake Ann, Thompsonville)

  • 8 villages (Bendon, Benzonia, Beulah, Elberta, Honor, Lake Ann, Nessen City, Thompsonville)

  • 9 gas stations (Benzonia (3), Beulah (1), Cherryland (1), Frankfort (2), Honor (1), Thompsonville (1))

  • 12 townships (Almira, Benzonia, Blaine, Colfax, Crystal Lake, Gilmore, Homestead, Inland, Joyfield, Lake, Platte, Weldon)

  • 16 ice cream shops (Benzonia (1), Beulah (4), Elberta (1), Frankfort (5), Honor (3), Lake Ann (2))

  • 17 campgrounds / RV parks — national lakeshore (1: Platte River), state forest (5: Garey Lake, Grass Lake, Lake Ann, Platte River, Veteran's Memorial), municpal (2: Beulah, Thonpsonville), private (9: Betsie River Camp Site, Betsie River Canoes & Campground, M-22 Campground and RV Park (Elberta), Frankfort Crystal Lake RV Resort and Campground, Interlochen Eagles, Sunny Woods, Timberline, Turtke Lake, Vacation Trailer Park)

  • 24 churches (at least)

  • 30 hiking trails (all can be found at this page)

  • 50 restaurants (as of 4/2018: Benzonia (5), Beulah (8), Elberta (5), Frankfort (17), Honor (7), Lake Ann (4), Thompsonville (4))

Roads

  • 1 traffic signal (and it's only part-time: Benzonia)
  • 1 US highway: US-31 (23.6 miles of it is in the county)
  • 1 place only where one can see the South Manitou Lighthouse from US-31 (at Worden Road)
  • 1 place only where there's a bridge over another road: US-31 and Commercial Avenue / Case Road)

  • 2 state highways: M-22 and M-115 (and at one time M-168 in Elberta)
    • 29.9 miles of M-22 is in the county
    • 16.9 miles of M-115 is in the county (but 2.3 miles of that overlaps wih US-31)

  • 68.1 miles (23.6 + 29.9 + 16.9 - 2.3) of state and US trunkline. (Most of our trunkline roads are two lane, but there are occassional three-lane sections – center-turn lanes or passing lanes, perhaps 8 miles worth, and a handful of very short four-lane sections – perhaps 2 miles worth.)

  • 180 miles of primary roads

  • 446 miles of local roads (including seasonal roads)

  • Untold miles of two-tracks (mostly unmaintained dirt roads)

  • Quiz – From which road do you have access to the most lakes in the county (as well as two of its five navigable streams and two of its four rivers)? Any guesses before reading on??? I'm pretty sure its Reynolds Road. Starting from the south (at Wallin Road)....
    • First it crosses the Betsie River (but there is no access).
    • It goes by Grass Lake State Forest Campground. From there one can:
      • access the Betsie River.
      • via the river access Pickerel Creek which provides access to the Twin Lakes (1, 2).
      • via the river access Grass Lake Creek and Grass Lake (3).
    • North of US-31 there is access to Hooker Lake (4) (although its surrounded by private land, but its outlet flows into Bronson Lake and the Upper Platte River flows through Bronson Lake).
    • Then there's access to Sanford Lake (5) and its connected Mud Lake (6).
    • It crosses the Upper Platte River
    • Next is Lake Shavenaugh (7) (access via the Lake Ann Pathway),
    • Then there's Lake Ann (9) and the connected Mud Lake (10) (another one – there are three in the county. Can you name the third Mud Lake?!?). (The Upper Platte River also flows through Mud Lake and Lake Ann. It's navigable from Mud Lake to Lake Ann and for a short distance as it leaves Lake Ann.).
    • Next is Mary's Lake (8) whose inlet comes from Tarnwood Lake.
    • North of Maple Street (C.R. 610) the road goes next to Lake View (11).
    • Then there via the access to Herendeene Lake (12) and its connected Fuller Lake (13).
    • And last is Davis Lake (14).
    • So the road goes by 14 of the county's 58 lakes, Grass Lake Creek and Pickerel Creek, as well as the Betsie and Upper Platte Rivers!
    • Note: runner up is M-22, From it there is not direct access to many lakes, but it goes very near 12 lakes (and crosses over two rivers) — Lower Herring Lake, Upper Herring Lake, Herring Creek, Betsie Lake aand Betsie River (and their connection to Lake Michigan), Crystal Lake, Round Lake, Long Lake, Lower Platte River (and its connection to Big Platte Lake and Lake Michigan), Little Platte (and its connection to Deadstraeam and the Upper Platte River), Bass Lake (and its connection to Deer Lake), Otter Lake, Otter Creek (and its connection to Lake Michigan).

Natural

  • 1 gravity-defying “mystery spot” (just south of Putney Corners at Putney and Joyfield Roads)
  • 1 harbor to Lake Michigan (Frankfort)

  • 4 rivers (Betsie, Little Betsie, North Branch Platte River, Platte (upper and lower). The Betsie and Platte are navigable and both empty into Lake Michigan.)

    • Betise River – ignoring the very upper parts above Green Lake, the Betsie River is 54 miles long starting at Green Lake in Grand Traverse County and ending at Betsie Lake. 52 miles of that is in Benzie County. All 54 miles are navigable.

    • Platte River – its total length (Upper and Lower) including the lakes it passes through is 32 miles. It starts near the southern tip of Long Lake in Grand Traverse County and ends at Lake Michigan. The Upper Platte (above Platte Lake) is 24 miles long but only the last 9 miles is navigable. The Lower Platte (below above Platte Lake) is 4.6 miles long.

  • 5 navigable creeks (Deadstream, Grass Lake, Herring, Otter, and Pickerel. Herring and Otter Creeks empty into Lake Michigan.)

  • 25 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline

  • 58 named lakes from 5 to nearly 10,000 acres. (Note that three lakes straddle the Benzie/Leelanau County border. Not included in the total is the 2 acres of the southwestern tip of the 86-acre Bellows Lake that's in the Benzie County. 84 acres of that lake are in Grand Travserse County.)

    • 33 lakes have public access.

    • Crystal Lake:
      • At 9882 acres, Crystal is the ninth largest inland lake in Michigan.
      • At 165 feet deep (according to lake experts), Crystal is the third deepest inland lake in Michigan: Torch: 285', Elk: 192', and Crystal: 165'.

  • The highest point in Benzie County is 1161 feet / 354 meters above sea level at a point 0.6 miles WSW of the interesection of Stanton and Traverse Roads (east of Nessen City). The GPS coordinates for the point are 44.525935, -85.830033. Here is the location on Google Maps: (It is on private property, not obvious in person, nor is there any kind of a view from the point.) It is over 330 feet above the Betsie River which lies 4 miles to the northwest.

  • Assuming the lowest land in Benzie County is at the shore of Lake Michigan and using the average level for Lake Michigan for 1918-2016 which is 579' above sea level, then the county has an maximum elevation difference of 1161' - 579' = 582'.

  • The lowest point one can get to in the county without digging and assuming there are no tunnels is the bottom of Crystal Lake. The lake's surface is at 600' above sea level and it's 165' deep. So at it's deepest point that's 435' above sea level.


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