Van's Beach
Leland, MI
Van's Beach is Leland's public beach, a short walk south of the weathered shanties of historic Fishtown. It's the go-to spot for Leland Blues, blue-green chunks of slag glass left from an iron smelter that ran here in the 1870s. Petoskey stones wash up too, so the waterline is usually lined with people staring at their feet.
A one-of-a-kind stone hunt steps from Fishtown, though the beach is small and swimming is secondary.
How we score beachesLeland Blues show up best when wet. Walk the waterline right after a wave pulls back, not the dry sand.
A small lot near the beach, with more parking in town.
A short, flat walk from the lot to the sand.
Stone hunting is best in spring after the ice clears and after fall storms. On summer afternoons, pick up smoked fish in Fishtown and bring it down here.
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