Turnip Rock — Attraction in Bad Axe

Been wanting to come here for years and finally made the trip via kayak. Launched from Bird Creek park and it took about two hours of casual rowing to arrive at the island. We stopped a couple times on the way for a few photos. We saw two Blue Herons gliding across the water looking for dinner, no doubt. We also saw a bald eagle out hunting and then returning to the nest on the highest pine tree along the bank. Queen of the skies! The actual island was impressive but somehow I thought it was bigger and I thought you could actually go on it somehow. That is not the case, it is rather small and there’s no chance of getting up on there unless you bring some rope and, even still, it might be a struggle. I’m ok with that though, we got a lot of pics from the nearby caverns and the few spots where we could beach the kayaks without intruding on someone’s private property. There are a lot of private residences nearby so remember to be respectful of that. So we left Bird Creek at about 7 pm and by the time we went back around the northernmost bend to make the trip back to port Austin, it was dark and the waters turned quite choppy. Needless to say it was a rough ride back and it took us a long time (about 5 hours) and we were exhausted by the time we reached the park. It was about nine hours total round trip but we made the mistake of leaving kind of late on a moonless night which was completely pitch black. So please be advised that the waters around port Austin can turn from calm to choppy in a matter of minutes and if you head out to turnip island late be prepared with flashlights, bug spray, and also wear a life vest or at least bring one to sit on just in case. There are several rocks just under the water that you can get stuck on while kayaking and they are difficult to navigate at night. Also there are sand bars, piers, and swift currents at certain points along the way so use caution and stay safe. I would suggest that people with a moderate amount of physical endurance or more than moderate are the best candidates for making the trip. If you are a novice kayaker or are in poor health this trip may pose a danger for you. I wouldn’t suggest having cocktails at any point before or during your trip as it could impair your ability to navigate the waters safely. I would definitely recommend this trip to any adventurer looking for something to do on a day off. Absolutely beautiful ride and...

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I was accosted by a racist old man while walking the shoreline from the public boat launch on Wallace Rd to Pointe Aux Barques / Turnip rock. He called security, who tried to lie to me about my rights - every Michiganders rights. You are permitted to enjoy the waterfront on all Great Lakes up to the Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM). At PAB the OHWM is at the rocks. Security tried to tell me we were only allowed to sit or stand or set our stuff down where the sand was wet. I also learned that you can actually walk to turnip rock from the PAB beach. The water is 3’ to 3.5’ deep. I brought my wife, who is 5’ tall, and my daughter, who is 10 years old and also 5’ tall. It was way better than Kayaking because we were able to stay for several hours and enjoy the national treasure. I would like to normalize what we did by promoting Michiganders rights and also promoting the vile behavior of the locals. It doesn’t matter how rich you are, PAB houses don’t go up for sale often so you must be born into this community. My advice is record security if they give you a hard time and explain to them the EGLE definition of high water mark and do not take no for an answer. Nobody private person owns turnip rock and nobody owns the entire beach. This is a public beach- up to the...

Kayaking out to Turnip Rock in Port Austin was such a memorable adventure! The paddle takes about 1–2 hours depending on the wind, and on our trip, it was a little windy, which made the journey out more of a workout than the way back—but the views were worth it. Turnip Rock itself was smaller than I expected, but still such a unique and beautiful sight from the water.

We also stopped to admire the nearby caves. Water levels were too high to paddle through them this time, but it was still fun to see them up close. I’d love to return on a calm evening to take my time, enjoy the scenery, and experience the rock in golden-hour light. If you love kayaking and Michigan’s natural beauty, Turnip Rock is absolutely...