I've always admired Crystal Lake from afar (a.k.a Google Earth) but I've only been here once for a very brief visit. We stayed in a motel in Beulah and got breakfast at Ursa Major Coffee Shop on the way to Sleeping Bear Dunes. So I was really excited to come back and spend some time on the water! It was too cold to go paddleboarding but that also meant there was hardly anyone else out. 

Beulah Beach was lovely, and had plenty of free parking there and within the town. I like when people aren't super gatekeepy about public access.