Sun-Kissed Resort puts you right on Lake Huron, but the beach out front is just the start of what there is to do this time of year. Here are five ways to spend a summer day around Oscoda
1. Spend the Day at Oscoda Beach Park
Oscoda Beach Park is about seven minutes from the resort and worth the short drive even though you’ve already got beach access at your cottage — it’s got over 1,000 feet of Lake Huron shoreline, a boardwalk, a splash pad, and a skateboard park, which makes it an easy pick if you’ve got kids who want more to do than just sit on the sand. The park also hosts free concerts and a summer movie series on the beach on Wednesday nights through July and August, so it’s worth timing a visit around if you’re there on the right evening.
Paddle the Au Sable River
The Au Sable River is genuinely considered one of the best canoeing rivers in North America, and Oscoda sits right where it meets Lake Huron. Local outfitters rent canoes and kayaks for anything from a two-hour paddle to a full-day trip, so it scales to whatever your group actually wants to do. If you’re around in late July, the Au Sable River Canoe Marathon runs through the area — a genuinely wild thing to watch even if you’re not paddling yourself.
3. Drive the River Road Scenic Byway
This is the pick if your group wants a slower day. The River Road Scenic Byway is a 22-mile route along the Au Sable River that takes you past Lumberman’s Monument, a historical site honoring the region’s logging era with river overlooks worth stopping for, and Iargo Springs, where a boardwalk leads down to a natural spring in the riverbank. It’s an easy half-day, and it’s the kind of thing that’s easy to skip in favor of the beach but worth actually doing once during your stay.
4. Go Fishing
Between the Au Sable River and Lake Huron itself, the fishing around Oscoda covers a lot of ground — walleye is the big draw, with trout, salmon, and perch also in play depending on the season and where you’re casting. Whether you bring your own gear or book a charter for the day, it’s an easy way to fill a morning, and if you’re staying at the whole resort, it’s a good one to split the group for while others hit the beach.
5. Bike or ORV the Local Trails
The area around Oscoda has a serious amount of trail — tens of thousands of acres between biking routes and ORV trails, depending on what you’re after. It’s a good option for an active afternoon that isn’t just more beach time, and it’s an easy way to actually see more of the area than the shoreline.
Bring It Back to the Beach
However you spend the day, Sun-Kissed Resort’s private Lake Huron beach access, the Lakeside Pavilion, and the Blackstone grill are right there waiting when you get back — pair one of these with an evening cookout and a movie on the lawn, and that’s a pretty complete day on Michigan’s Sunrise Coast.