Michigan Kiteboarding on the Great Lakes

    People are often surprised to hear that Michigan offers excellent conditions for Kiteboarding.  “You can’t kiteboard in Michigan can you?”  I often reply “Have you ever looked at a map"?  Surrounded by the Great Lakes Erie, St. Clair, Huron, Superior, and of course Michigan, this peninsula state has a nearly infinite number of Kiteboarding spots.  Here are a few gems all located within a few hours drive of metro Detroit:

    Lets start with the nearest, Lake Saint Clair.  What LSC lacks in big sandy beaches it makes up for with its shallow, flat water.  With a little precaution while launching and landing the conditions on LSC can be very forgiving for learning kiteboarders.  Advanced kiters love the marshy slicks that line the north eastern coast.  Check the Local Spots page for more details.

    Hop on Interstate 94 or 96 west and across the state you will find some of the most beautiful beaches in the world on the Lake Michigan coast.  Huge, open beaches in South Haven, Muskegon, and Little Sable Point are gorgeous kiteboarding setups.  Tuck behind a pier for some glass then bust outside for shoulder high faces. Summer thermal breezes are predictable and consistent due to the huge sand dunes that run the coast for over a hundred miles.

    Lake Huron is every bit the fresh water ocean as well.  Kitesurfing downwinders from Lexington or Lakeport to Port Huron are easy to setup with Hwy 25 running right on the water.  Further north around the Saginaw bay lies Tawas Point, a kiteboarders dream.  A long sand spit of a beach separates the outside rollers and sand bars of Lake Huron from the buttery flat inside of Tawas bay.

    Lake Erie can be ridden from Michigan soil but it can also be sessioned in Ohio and Ontario, CA.  Sterling is a popular spot on easterly breeze.  Cedar Beach in Ontario also rocks on east winds.  Sandusky Ohio is known for its monster amusement park roller coasters but also has an incredible sandbar that allows for safe offshore wind with butter flat water.

    These are just a few highlights of what Michigan and Great Lakes Kiteboarding has to offer.  Contact us at DKB for more information about these spots or one of the many others.