Lower Harbor    A marina to behold
Township Hall - 1    River St. east-A    River St. east-B    Bridge Street    Upper Harbor    East Side    Dexter Street/Kids Pond    Lower Harbor    Island House    Memorial Park    River Street west    South Sashay	At the end of the boardwalk, cross Harbor Drive, go around the building, then out on the pier to the gazebo [16]. The Lower Harbor is the shining star of Elk Rapids. Conceived in the 1950’s primarily for fishing, the harbor has evolved into one of the finest pleasure-boat refuges in Michigan. Note the Starry Starry Fish [15] at the entrance. This harbor is one of the largest harbors on Grand Traverse Bay with 220 slips. It is located below the Power Dam and filled with water from the branch of the river that flows through the dam. Minimum boat size is 25 ft. The gazebo provides outstanding views of the Lower Harbor as well as a convenient rest stop.
	Walk back towards shore, then turn right and walk next to the boat slips, heading towards the Blesma Pavilion. The Fishing Park [17] is across the harbor, and you can see the remnants of the Old Pier [18] off to the northeast. Blesma Pavilion [19] was built recently, entirely from money collected here at the harbor, and is used for recreation and meetings.         Walk around Blesma Pavilion, and then walk down the line of benches on the grass. Spectacular sunsets can be seen from here. Across the way is Old Mission Peninsula that divides Grand Traverse Bay into two parts. On this side is East Bay where early settlers came from the mission across the bay to settle in what is now Elk Rapids. One mouth of Elk River is on your right, but the original river route used to run across the large beach in the past. Note the beach areas on both sides of the river. The river water is typically colder than the sun-warmed, shallow bay water, so you have your choice of temperatures to swim in.