Motel Bear Lake

09/05/2026

Peak Summer Pillow Talk

Just finished our 4th peak summer season. And it truly was the best one yet! (It’s still Local’s Summer)

💪 Team - We seriously have the most amazing team of ladies powering this motel, caring for our guests, caring for each other. It’s the best part of this whole Motel dream.

💞 Guests - The second-best part of the motel: our guests, so many wonderful stories, wonderful people! Goosebumps and tears on the regular.

⭐ Reviews - Over 1000 reviews, and they are REALLY sweet. Like so many “awwwws” from the team.

🏓 Expanded Amenities - The biggest hit is definitely the ping pong table! Our guests love it! We also added a water bottle filling station, adorable pool cart and lots of little goodies to our guest amenity room.

🔨 Projects - Kendall built a beautiful little fire pit on our patio. We trimmed our MASSIVE trees, finished more pink exterior paint projects, installed solar lights on our mural wall and lots of little maintenance tasks.

📈 Metrics - Revenue is up 12% y-o-y - amazing!

💯 Passed our pool and boiler inspections! Lovely.

🎸 Events - Hosted the biggest Bear Lake Days car show and pool party ever! We also sponsored Seth Bernard at Northern Natural Cider House . It truly was a revival.

🎨 6th Mural - With Manistee Area Racial Justice and Diversity Initiative,  Dania Grevengoed and Z&N Farm🍅🥬🌽🥒 This mural celebrate our community’s rich history of agriculture by our migrant community and generational farmers.

September. Let’s go!

***rtravel

08/30/2026

Our guests make us art.

Seriously. We have the most amazing humans stay with us.

So tender. and playful. and intentional.

It fills our ladies’ hearts.

It’s one of the best parts of this motel dream.

***rart

08/22/2026

Gurl! Our trees are looking so good!

HUGE thank you to our friend, Jared, and his tree trimming team at Dunscombe & Sons Tree Service for taking care of us!

Major limbs were falling. The pool gets covered in leaves. The scraggle-y branches were a hot mess.

Eeek! Looks so good!

08/14/2026

This Saturday, August 15th at 7pm we're the presenting sponsor for Seth Bernard at Northern Natural Cider House & Winery.

Seth is a legend of the Great Lakes music scene, this pop-folk artist and producer continues to win over audiences with his contagious spirit and master musicianship.

He’s also the consummate defender of the Great Lakes.

We’re crushing, obvi.

So, hang with us Saturday evening.

Northern Naturals > 5 mins from the motel
7220 Chief Rd
Kaleva, MI

Support local music.
Bring chairs and blankets.
Eat yummy food.
Hang with your community.
Shutdown Pipeline 5, also, obvi.

07/27/2026

Follow-up: because we care, and we’re learning

Direct take from my earth-water-and-all-things-magical friend, EDDIE!

🔥We have 80% fewer fires today than in pre-contact North America, making the idea that we have “more fires now” a co

🔥 Historical Cause: In the mid-1900s, the US Forest Service began suppressing natural fires across the country to protect and hoard timber for industry profit.

🔥 The “Super Fire” Trajectory: Today’s fires burn only 20% of their historic acreage, creating a severe fire deficit that lets decades of fuel build up into fewer, but far more destructive, “super fires”.

🔥 Systemic Mismanagement & Erasure: Modern megafires are driven more by deliberate land mismanagement and the profit-driven erasure of Indigenous fire stewardship than by climate change alone.

🔥 The Solution: Because super fires stem from intentional policy choices, the only real solution is the strategic reintroduction of fire and the restoration of Indigenous leadership in land management.

🔥Local Action: You can actively support prescribed burning and local fire-adapted ecosystems by getting involved with your local land conservancies.

07/16/2026

‼️Hazardous Air Quality is not the Vibe😷

The Air Quality Index in Bear Lake is over 500. The healthy range is 0-50.

When the AQI hits 500, it means the air quality has literally MAXED out the scale. It is the highest, most dangerous level of air pollution measured. The worst in Michigan history.

😷‼️Locally, If you or someone you care for is extra vulnerable, we have a dozen extra N95 masks at the motel.😘‼️

The irony is that just yesterday Gretchen Whitmer , Michigan’s governor approved a permit for Enbridge, a Canadian company, moving Canadian oil, through the Great Lakes and Michigan BACK to Canada.

Per Enbridge, shutting down pipeline would raise Michigan gas prices by .005 - a half a penny. And our Governor, who ran on a PLATFORM of shutting down pipeline 5 just approved a permit to invest in another 100 years of fossil fuels.

Michigan has committed to 100% clean energy by 2040—yet new fossil fuel infrastructure directly contradicts these commitments.

We’re not experts at all, but we care deeply about taking care of humans.

Climate change makes that exponentially more difficult.

Thank you Great Lakes Business Network and Oil & Water Don't Mix for educating and advocating.

💪🏽People vs 🖕🏼politicians and big business

07/16/2026

‼️Bear Lake Locals 😷
Air quality is beyond hazardous levels. If you or someone you care for is extra vulnerable, we have a dozen extra N95 masks at the motel.

Please come down and grab one - no cost.

Stay safe. Stay indoors with windows shut.

07/10/2026

🌽 🧑🏽‍🌾🍅 New Mural - just in time for Bear Lake Days! 🥒🍅🥬

We just finished our 6th mural beautifully brought to life by Grand Rapids-based artist, Dania Grevengoed, and inspired by decades of photography and narrative provided by Nicole of Z&N Farm.

Also in collaboration with Manistee Area Racial Justice and Diversity Initiative, we sought to celebrate our community’s rich history of agriculture and the many hands that do the invisible labor - both by our migrant community and generational farmers.

As part of our research, I interviewed my parents and learned the history of farming on my family paternal side as well as the overlap with the Baldaccini family who built the motel and owned Sawyer Fruits.

07/01/2026

At last, we are thrilled to announce a vacation and training retreat for guardians of dogs with separation anxiety/separation related behaviors.

Join our owner and head trainer, Jenn Gavin, and social worker, Al Mills, at the beautiful motelbearlake for our Pleasantly Independent Retreat!

Details and registration here: https://www.apleasantdog.com/pleasantretreat

World renowned training & behavior support and grooming right here in Grand Rapids, Michigan USA.

06/04/2026

Looking for a q***r-friendly Michigan getaway? Manistee County Michigan is a hidden gem perfect for crafty qu**rs seeking community! 🎨🏳️‍🌈🙏🏳️‍⚧️🌈

I signed up for Motel Bear Lake’s Q***r Art Retreat because I knew I needed a creative reset. While I’m not usually a motel girlie, this is definitely not a regular motel, it’s a cool motel 💕Schitt’s Creek meets Palm Springs (but with wlw centered spaces) 😜🌴

At the q***r art retreat, taught us how to cut glass and make our own mosaics. .we.want.crafts guided us in making our own linocut stamps and prints and also taught botanical embroidery.

I knew I would get my fill of q***r art during my weekend in Manistee but I wasn’t expecting the entire county to be so welcoming! Manistee Tourism really showed that they don’t just say they’re LGBTQ+ friendly, it’s ingrained into the fabric of the community!

I love the colorful vibes at The Outsider, what a joy to eat their epic smash burgers outside on their patio 🍔 I was also blown away by the Chef Jared and Company mug club and how it brings locals from all walks of life together ☕️ I saw that same thoughtfulness put into the careered menu for our lunch at the Q***r Art Retreat where we had different dietary restrictions but no one’s options felt less than.

So are you making the trek to Northern Michigan to experience a Q***r Art Retreat in Manistee?

***rJoy