Manistee Harbor Tours Sunset Cruise: Stunning Lake Michigan Views Aboard the Princess

One of the best ways to enjoy a summer Lake Michigan sunset is from the water, and in Manistee you will find a great boat cruise option for great views. Manistee Harbor Tours offers seasonal sightseeing and sunset cruises aboard the 65 foot Princess, and you can even book the boat for your own private event. We hopped aboard in July of last year and had a great experience. This is definitely something to put on your list for 2026!

Cruises depart from the Manistee Municipal Marina downtown. The Princess is a double decker boat that can hold around 150 passengers. In its earlier life this boat has ferried passengers to Mackinac Island, past the Pictured Rocks cliffs, through the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and on Lake Michigan cruises out of Ludington. I thought the boat looked familiar when we arrived, and discovered I had been on it before in 2011 at the Apostle Islands. We grabbed seats on the top deck and got ready to enjoy our cruise, hoping for some new views of the Manistee North Pier Lighthouse and more.

As the boat nears Lake Michigan, you are between two beautiful beaches. To your left is Douglas Park and First Street Beach, and to the right is the Coast Guard station and Fifth Avenue Beach.

At the end of the north pier is the Manistee North Pierhead Light. This 38 foot tall white cylindrical tower dates back to 1927 and is one of only four Michigan lighthouses to still have a catwalk. The light was recently added to the collection of lighthouses managed by the Lakeshore Keepers, and it is expected to open for public tours and tower climbs later this year!

Our trip headed north along the shoreline, passing some beautiful houses and then North Beach. After that we saw some stunning houses on the bluff. Next up was Orchard Beach State Park, which has 166 campsites. The bluff here has eroded to the point where the park no longer has a beach, and a 1930s CCC pavilion had to be carefully moved further inland.

We then passed Lake Bluff Farms, which is home to Michigan’s Giant Sequoia trees. We saw a few people parked by the small beach just north of here waiting for the sunset, and as we turned to head back to Manistee the sunset started getting pretty nice for us.

This cruise had great scenery, friendly staff, and was the perfect kickoff to a weekend up north. Find out everything you need to know about a trip of your own at Manisteeharbortours.com.