Peaceful Cottage Retreat + Lake & Woods

We offer a beautiful and relaxing setting. Our cute studio Cottage overlooks our private 3 acre woods and Nature Trail. On a peaceful Hi-land Lake bay and part of the Halfmoon Lake chain of 8 lakes. The perfect location to explore the surrounding Pinckney Recreation Area and Potawatomi Trails, a beautiful area to mountain bike, hike, swim, SUP, kayak, & fish, XC ski, snowshoe.... Includes use of our pedal boat. Kayaks also available for rent. No pets, to respect those with allergies. COVID-19 update: We take extra care to disinfect our AirBnB space after guests leave as per AirBnB’s COVID-19 guidelines, based on CDC recommendations. Before every reservation, we block out 2 additional nights to allow for safely cleaning and disinfecting so that we can protect our guests. Due to these additional safety measures, we have a 5 night minimum stay. Both Victor and Joyce are fully COVID vaccinated. Your private main entrance to this unattached Cottage is up 3 steps with a railing. There is also a second entrance on the other side of the Cottage without steps through a 32” wide door that will accommodate a smaller wheelchair. Walk out onto your private deck and you’re surrounded by woods. We have seen our fox family and deer from the deck. One of our guests counted 53 spies of birds over a 5 week period. The wild Phlox are are gorgeous from the deck in May/June. In Autumn (late September through October) our Maple Sugarbush woods on our property can be a colorful pallet of yellow, orange, and red Maple leaves. Inside, you'll see the place is beautiful! There is a beautiful Pine ceiling and wall accents, Hickory kitchen cabinets, and dark hardwood floors completing the cottage feel. Through the entry vestibule, your cottage has an open floor plan, so the kitchen, dining, living, and sleeping space is all one. The open living space has a lovely kitchen with 5 burner stove and oven, microwave, refrigerator with freezer, and dishwasher. The kitchen is stocked with cooking pots and pans, utensils, silverware, plates, glasses, and basic spices. There is a drop-leaf dining table with an extra leaf if needed and Amish bent wood hickory chairs. The living room area’s sliding glass doors lead to your private deck overlooking our private 3 acre woods with Nature Trail. The living room area has a comfortable futon couch that folds down into a high quality queen size 9” thick futon bed. I have an identical futon in my guest bedroom and everyone loves sleeping on it. There are also 2 Amish bent wood hickory rocking chairs, and 2 outside chairs for the deck, and a 43" flat screen television. Enjoy the view of the woods from the living room area through the sliding glass door or open the sliding door with screen to enjoy the relaxing sounds, smells, and beauty of our tranquil property. We have WiFi throughout the Cottage and for much of the outside property that provides fast internet access for Zoom meetings and streaming your favorite video entertainment. Measured WiFi speed in the Cottage is fast! Download speed is 199Mbps. To the right from the living room area is the bathroom with sink vanity, a spacious shower with sliding glass doors, shampoo, conditioner, hair dryer, towels, and of course a toilet. The entire cottage is decorated with beautiful photography from the area and around the world by photographer Victor Banta. Out the main entrance, you can walk down the hill to the lake with a dock. One of the best swimming spots on the lake, is out front off the end of our dock in the peaceful bay. There is WiFi in all areas inside and out, and even works a ways into our 3 acre woods. Our Cottage is perfect for 2 people. There is a diversity of wildlife on our wooded 3 acre property. We have seen: Fox family, deer, racoon, possum, groundhog, Hawk, Great Blue Heron, Mute Swan, Canadian Geese, mallard duck, 54 bird species and more. Perfect for nature lovers, birders, outside activity lovers, and travelers. Is the Spring (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) , we opened up the view into the woods, it is such a beautiful property! As of June (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) , we created a private wood chip hiking trail in our woods for our guests to enjoy. Two trips around our nature trail loop is 1/3 of a mile. The wild Phlox in our woods are beautiful and bloom in May/June. In September-October the Maple Sugarbush on our property turns to yellow, orange, and red. Sit on your private Cottage deck and look out into the woods or hike our little nature trail. Our property is on a wonderful lake chain for boating. Great for watersports including kayak, SUP, swimming, rowing, water skiing, wakeboarding... The nearby Potawatomi Trail system (one of the Top 10 mountain bike trails in the U.S.) is great for Biking and Hiking. In the snowy season (December to March) the area becomes a Winter Wonderland, and is great for hiking, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. This is a quiet relaxing location, NOT a party destination. Please respect the folks in the main house, as they will you. No smoking of anything inside. Please smoke or vape on the outside deck. Our guests have use of the entire cottage and private deck, and share our 2 outdoor patios, one with a propane BBQ. You share the yard and it’s amenities. There is the lake shore with 2 chairs, boat dock with swimming steps, and your stay includes the shared use of our aluminum pedal boat (see photo) and life preservers. Swimming in the bay out front of our house, has been our family's favorite swimming spot for over 50 years! (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) update: We have added a fire pit down by the lake with 2 chairs. We do not supply firewood, but there may be some left by others. There is firewood available for sale in Hell, 3 blocks from our AirBnB. You may also arrange for the rental of 1 to 5 kayaks for a modest additional fee (see photo). Spend a couple hours to all day exploring the beautiful chain of 8 lakes. There is lots of waterfowl and wooded state land along the lake chain. We can interact as much or as little as you like. I am a long time local and I'm happy to share information about Hi-Land Lake, Hell, and the Halfmoon Chain of Lakes. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and history of the area. I enjoy hiking, biking, SUP, kayak, and water sports like skiing and surfing. If schedule and weather allows, I would be happy to take our guests for a pontoon boat ride around the lake. The neighborhood is safe, quiet, and friendly. Our house is close enough to walk to downtown Hell. Travel time from our AirBnB: Hell: Located just 2 minutes from Hell, Michigan with 2 restaurants, an ice cream/gift shop, outdoor attractions, Putt-Putt Golf, and the Dam in Hell. Pinckney: Grocery store, restaurants, and gas stations are 4 miles or 5 minutes away. There are many golf courses in the surrounding area. Timber Trace, Whispering Pines, Rush Lake, and North Lake, to mention a few. Howell, 20 minutes: Restaurants, movie theater, shopping, Breweries, Home Depot Brighton, 25 minutes: Restaurants, movie theater, shopping, Breweries, Mt. Brighton Snow Skiing, Home Depot, Lowe's. Nice downtown. Chelsea: 20 minutes. Restaurants (including the Common Grill), Purple Rose Theater, shopping, Breweries, Distillery, farmers market. Ann Arbor, 30 minutes to downtown: University of Michigan, lots of restaurants, breweries, shopping, movie theater. Lot's of great walking and shopping! 50 minutes: Michigan State University, lots of restaurants, Breweries, shopping, movie theater. Detroit Metro Airport (DTW), 50 minutes. Flint Airport, 1 hour 15 minutes or so. There is no public transportation or taxi in Hell or Pinckney. What's Happening in Hell? Please see (Website hidden by Airbnb) for Event updates. ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR: Here are some of the events and activities in our area, as well what to expect. For the latest information and conditions, please send us a message. (You can find more information about local restaurants and things to do in the area in our "Guest Info Book" in our rental). March: The lake ice is typically melting and opening up for boating. Please check with us on current conditions. May: Spring is officially here! The grass is green, the birds are singing, and the lake water is warming up! Memorial weekend: The lake temperature reaches can warm up to the mid to high 70’s, fantastic for swimming. May/June: Wild Phlox explode in a sea of purple and violet in our woods. June: Summer is here and it is beautiful in Hell! The Water temperature is typically between 75F and 79F. It’s great for swimming! Just watch out for the cold spots due to fresh water springs! July and August: Our favorite time of the year for swimming in Hell’s warm water. Generally, Hi-land Lake's water temperature can be 86F, with days when the lake water can reach 88F. August: Swim to the Moon. Start at Halfmoon Lake Beach and shuttle to North Star and swim back to Halfmoon Lake. September: HEARSE FEST in Hell Michigan between Screams Ice Cream and Hell Hole Bar. There can be more than 30 Hearse and many more outrageously costumed people dead and alive wandering around. There is music, merchandise vendors, excellent food at the Hell Hole Bar, Screams Ice Cream and gift store, and the Hell Saloon. September and October: Come enjoy our beautiful colors of Autumn! Our woods has over 50 maple trees, the fall colors are beautiful around the entire area! Hell is a fun place to be for Halloween too! December, January, February: Ice skating, ice fishing, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, and hiking. PAST NEWS FROM HELL: We hope this gives you an idea of what to expect. For the latest information and conditions, please send us a message. (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) / (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) WINTER SNOW AND LAKE ICE UPDATE: (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) % of the lake is open water. There is some snow in shaded areas. 12/25/17 We have 6 to 8" of fresh powder snow since yesterday afternoon. This is the second 8"+ snowfall this season.The lake ice is 4-6" thick in the main part of the lake. STAY AWAY FROM CANAL TO THE DAM! STAY AWAY FROM OPEN WATER! THERE IS WATER FLOWING THROUGH THE LAKE YEAR ROUND. BEWARE OF THIN ICE IN ALL CANALS. Please be safe. LOCAL FALL COLORS (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) , (this was a extremely late year for Fall colors): 9/13/17: Fall colors are at about 10%, although some higher elevation Maples have some yellow and red. Burning Bush is at about (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) % depending on area. 9/22/17: Fall tree colors are now at about (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) %. Maples and Oaks are showing color. 10/5/17: Fall tree colors are now at about 30%. Maples and Oaks are showing the most color. 11/12/17: Fall tree colors are now at about 50%. In Hell, Screams Ice Cream will take you and their rental kayak or canoe up to Bruin Lake on our lake chain, and then you can paddle back to Hi-land Lake and Hell Michigan. We have 5 kayaks for rent during your stay. Our rental rates are lower than than at screams, and you can start paddling right from our property. Spend a couple hours or all day exploring the beautiful chain of 8 lakes. There’s lots of waterfowl and wooded state land along the lake chain to explore. If you are a strong and fast paddler, you can paddle to Bruin lake and back in about 3 hours. Downtown Hell has a delicious place to eat, the Hell Hole Bar! (Great food, Don’t let the name fool you.) Once you eat there you will want to go back.