Wilderness State Park has three cabins on the north shore, one in the interior (Nebo Trail), and one on Sturgeon Bay. All are very secluded, and usually are booked up well in advance. Check availability now if your considering these options. If the weekend is booked, check days during the week, quite often you can get a day or two there.To drive out from the cabins to Bill's would probably take a good hour or more.
If you follow the road west through the park to it's terminus, there is a small parking area. This is the eastern end of Waugachance Point. It extends a couple of miles out into Lake Michigan. The north shore is sandy, but usually access is closed to protect the nesting area of the piping plover. For those able to backpack their equipment and are of the hardy sort, the southern shore is very rocky with many large boulders protruding (depending on current water levels of the lake). Bear in mind that walking this route can be very difficult, but the photo ops can be worth the effort. Best bet is to walk down the center of the point and then walk south to the shore line. I fished this area for more than 20 years on foot so am somewhat familiar with it.
As to O'Neil Lake, it's small enough to row or paddle around. I would suggest this method as it helps to maintain the serenity of the area and is non polluting as well. The lake is actually the floodwater of a small creek, as such, a motor runs the risk of a nasty encounter with a hidden stump.
Last year I stayed at the Levering Motel (
www.leveringmotel.com.) in Levering. Nothing fancy but very clean and functional. I like to stay at the Mom and Pop places, they work hard and aim to please. A restaurant right across the street. It worked well for me because it is 10 miles to the bridge which is where I headed to shoot the north shore of the sraights area. It's 12 miles to Cross Village and about 15 minutes to Bill's.
Dennis (Ernie51)
