Second Sand Beach Park
The Pequaming Peninsula isn’t home to much today but has ties to Michigan’s rich lumbering history and the Ford Motor Company. Originally a mill that employed hundreds of men, Ford purchased it and the rest of the town in the 1920s. Some operations continued until 1942 when the mill closed. After that, the peninsula and former townsite were mainly used for recreation and summer homes, similar to how Henry Ford once did.
The Pequaming Peninsula has an odd shape—it’s almost like an island that someone decided should be connected to the mainland. Though often called a ghost town, you don’t get that vibe when driving onto or away from the town.
On either side of the landbridge to Pequaming, there’s a beach. On the side closer to L’Anse, there’s a smaller one with little to no parking and less sand called First Sand Beach. On the other side sits Second Sand Beach, a L’Anse Township Park, similar to L’Anse Township Park and Campground, which is closer to L’Anse.
This beach has loads of sand, picnic tables, grills, and a wheelchair-accessible area with handicapped van parking and a ramp out towards the beach. The park is quite large, with room for a ton of people to enjoy everything that the Sand Bay side of Pequaming has to offer. There are private homes on either side of the park; however, the trees hide them well, and there’s more than enough beach for everyone to share.
On my visit to Second Sand Beach Park, it was springtime, so few people were there. My dog Scrappy and I explored the park on foot and dipped our feet into the cold water, but we found the park enjoyable, even in May. The roads through the park are dirt but maintained, but there had been rain lately, so there was some standing water.
When you go to Second Sand Beach Park, I recommend coming in from Pequaming Road (which runs along Pequaming Bay) and driving past First Sand Beach into the town of Pequaming. You can see Pequaming Point, the former harbor, and the Ford Water Tower there. From there, turn around and continue past Pequaming Road, where you came onto the peninsula. 2nd Sand Beach Road will curve right, and you’ll be at the entrance to the park. When leaving, you can continue down this road until you hit Aura Road, which will eventually land you back on Pequaming Road. There, now you can say you’ve seen the Pequaming Peninsula!
