Amenities & Services
Explore What Lake Arrowhead Has to Offer
Campground
Reserve a Site, Check the Waitlist, Browse Photos, & More!
Lakes
Find Lake Info, Rules, Documents, Guidelines, & More!
Parks
Reserve the Pavilion or Meeting Room, Pool Info, & More!
LAPOA Services
Roads, Guest Parking, School Bus Stops, Mailboxes, & More!
Our Campground is Open for Daily/Weekly Camping from May 15th – December 1st
The Lake Arrowhead Campground is for the exclusive use of Lake Arrowhead Property Owners who are in good standing, their families, and their guests. The Campground features a shower house, pavilion, play structure, fire rings, electric hook-ups, a waste dump station, and outside camper storage. Water is turned off to the sites on October 15th. Water is turned off to the Shower House on December 1st. Campground mail can be sent to the LAPOA office.
Campground Rules & Reservations
Property owners must have their regular and special assessments paid in full before a campground lease/reservation will be approved. We do not accept credit/debit cards at the campground. Checks and cash are accepted. Guest campers will not be allowed to camp without a Campground Reservation Form that has been signed by a Lake Arrowhead property owner who is in good standing. Please download the forms here and contact Cindy Smith, our Campground Manager at 989-763-8933 or Campground@lapoa.com to make a reservation. Both parts of the Campground Reservation Form must be completed.
aaandaYearly Camping Waiting List
We maintain a waiting list for Yearly Camping spots. Sites will be assigned in order as vacancies arise to members in good standing and whose assessments are paid. For information about yearly sites and to request to be placed on the waiting list, please contact the Campground Manager. The next available yearly sites will be assigned in the following order to: Beth & Rob Rauchman, Don Beers, Eric Tomkow, Ron & Inga Mello, Kyle Steiner and Paul and Judy Cutting.
Lakes
Lake Arrowhead has several beautiful lakes and ponds which include Little Bear Lake, Little Fawn Lake, Macatawa Lake, Nisula Lake, Swan Lake, and Buhl Lake. Buhl Lake, the center of our community, is our largest lake. It is about 120 acres and ranges in depth from 15 – 30 feet. Average temperature in the summer months is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Fishermen and water sports enthusiasts share the lake, with no wake allowed between 8:30 PM and 10:00 A.M. Although the lake has no public access, all Michigan laws are observed.
Water levels are currently very high. Please avoid making waves anywhere near shore where they can damage homes and our shoreline. It is absolutely “No Wake” within 100′ of shore and in marked areas of the lake.
Lake Rules & Other Documents
Wave/Wake Boats
Although Buhl Lake is an “all sports lake,” it is relatively small and the large waves produced by wave boats have the potential of causing immense damage to shorelines, homes, and other watercraft. If wave boats are used on our lake they must reduce speed within 300’ of a shoreline; have no ballast; avoid turning in tight circles; and avoid disturbing the shorelines.
Boat Launch
The boat launch and dock are located a short walk North of Anita’s Park, the Association’s largest park. The Boat Launch Dock is normally scheduled to be installed as soon as the ice has melted (no later than May 1st) and is to be removed after Oct 15th. Other docks are scheduled to be installed by May 15th and removed after Sept 15th. Cars and boat trailers may be left off the side of the road on the common property near the boat launch or at the main park while members are out enjoying the lake. Parking at the boat launch must not interfere with the Fire Lane or the boat launch. Police will be called and violators’ vehicles will be ticketed and towed at the owners’ expense. Even in winter this area must remain clear so that fire fighters can refill their trucks with water. Members’ boats used for their own personal enjoyment may be moored at the community parks for no more than 72 hours in any seven day period. Large boats must be secured bow and stern (anchored) to prevent the boat from swinging into other watercraft. Boats owners’ contact information must be easily visible. Boats may not interfere with the boat launch or prevent other members from enjoying the parks. Boats may not be left at the boat launch dock.
Healthy Lakes
The following publication has much helpful information about maintaining healthy lakes: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/wrd-waters-edge_555440_7.pdf
Riparian Buffer Cost Share Program
Invasive Phragmites
Parks
Each of the six subdivisions around Buhl Lake has a neighborhood park, most with picnic tables and play equipment. Anita’s Park, our main park also features a Basketball/Pickleball court, a fishing dock, a designated lake swim area with raft, as well as Lancaster Hall which contains our Office, a Pavilion and our Pool. The wooded island near the center of Buhl Lake is commonly known as Elk Island. This natural setting is one of our most beautiful parks and is normally accessible by an easement. To access it now you will have to go by boat or get your feet wet!
Rent Pavilion or Meeting Room
Members in good standing may rent our pavilion and/or Meeting Room for events at very affordable prices! Download the reservation form below. Please call the Office during Office Hours to see if your date preference is available: 231-585-7411
Thanks mostly to generous donations and volunteer labor, our Meeting Room in Lancaster Hall now has a kitchenette making the big room the perfect space for those large family gatherings or holiday parties. It has banquet tables, chairs, a sink, fridge, microwave and a 32 cup coffee pot that can be used upon request. We also have an overhead projector and screen that can be used for photos or movies. Lancaster Hall also features a lending shelf filled with family friendly books, games, and puzzles. Looking for something to do on a cold or rainy day? Come during Office Hours to browse and borrow!
Pool
Like all the Lake Arrowhead amenities, use of our pool is restricted to Lake Arrowhead Property Owners Association members who are in good standing and their guests. The pool is normally open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Parents must supervise children. There are NO LIFEGUARDS ON DUTY. Please, no eating in the pool area! Please download the complete set of rules by clicking the button below.
Other LAPOA Services
Roads
The roads in Lake Arrowhead are owned and maintained by the Association. All state traffic laws apply! For the safety of all, please abide by our 25 MPH Speed Limit. In Winter, priority is given to plowing Arapaho, the mailbox area, the bus stop-equipment garage area, and then roads from the inner circle outward. During the warm weather, the dirt roads are graded and dust control is applied. This continuous attention to the roads normally keeps them in great shape. It also means that there can be absolutely NO PARKING ON THE ROADS! ATV and snowmobile riders use our roads too so please watch out for them. They too must obey the 25 MPH road speed limit. We encourage recreational vehicle riders to avoid cars by using our many trails. Heavy vehicles are prohibited from traveling on Arapahoe. To enter Lake Arrowhead, heavy trucks should take Spring Gay Road to Aranac Trail as the alternate route.
Guest Parking
Limited, short term guest parking is available at the large park and in designated areas near the Maintenance Building. Tim needs lots of room to maneuver the tractor and truck so don’t park anywhere near the garage door or sand/stone piles. We ask that you no longer park near the mailboxes as vehicles left there make it difficult to keep the area clear of snow. During the winter, there is also room for a car or two near Lancaster Hall (formerly known as ” The Office Building”). No trailers there please!
School Bus Stop Waiting Room
The Maintenance Building has a heated waiting room with seating for students to stay in while they wait for the bus or for their rides. Free, open Wifi is available here for members to use.
Mailboxes
Permanent residents of Lake Arrowhead who are in good standing may rent a mailbox by calling the LAPOA Office at 231-585-7411 and by submitting the following form: LAPOA Mailbox Lease 12-12-20
Kindly empty your mailbox daily especially during the days leading up to the Holidays. Our parcel boxes fill fast and we need them to be available for other deliveries.
If you no longer use your LAPOA mailbox please return your keys to the LAPOA Office. You can simply place keys in an envelope with your name and phone number, the mailbox number, and your new mailing address. Place it in the LAPOA drop box located near the door of the Mailbox Building. If you are owed a returned key deposit, one will be mailed to you.
When you move out of Lake Arrowhead, please return your keys to the Office. New owners or tenants must lease their own mailboxes.
Limited Free Internet Wifi
Limited free internet Wifi for our members has been set up in the Pavilion-Lancaster Hall area, the Campground, and by the Maintenance Bulding. No password is necessary. When you log on, you will be connected to the internet and to the LAPOA network. The name of the signal is: LakeArrowheadWiFi
This is a public network for all members and their guests to access. No security, no encryption, but devices also cannot “see” each other so users cannot “attack” another user’s device, get data, etc. Access is granted once per day and speed is limited to 1 Mbps so that no one can “hog” the network.
1. Coverage is focused in the pool/Lancaster Hall/pavilion/park and surrounding areas, the Campground, and the Maintenance Building areas.
2. Please carefully review the terms and conditions before clicking “continue” on the splash page. There are several key details included of which all users should be aware.
3. The WiFi network is provided as a best effort “as-is” service. We will do our best to keep the network up and operational. If you are experiencing a problem accessing the network, please let Dwayne Crocker know via Facebook/messenger or Next Door. He is alerted remotely if the network goes down or is experiencing Internet connection problems, but sometimes it may take an affected user to notify him if he is not automatically alerted.
Trash Disposal
Members are asked to recycle to help protect our environment and to keep our disposal costs down.
The community dumpster-compactor is available to members for the disposal of ordinary household garbage.
Furniture, construction refuse, yard waste, and other large items may not be discarded at the dumpster or anywhere else on the common grounds. Security cameras are in place. There is a minimum $100 fine imposed on members who illegally dump. Non-members are referred to law enforcement. There are dumps in Gaylord, Elmira, and Waters for these types of materials for a minimal fee. Normally each June, Hayes Township has a “Clean-Up Day” when large items are accepted at the local dump for a few hours without charge.
For garbage and recycling center locations, please see our Local Resources page.