Mountain Run at Boyne Mountain

Mountain Run at Boyne is part of a larger community development that emphasizes winter sports with at least a dozen ski chair lifts. We have exchanged or stayed at nearly a dozen different timeshare resorts. Each is unique and usually offering far more privacy and spaciousness than a hotel or motel room and generally each is located close to a desirable public attraction.

I, my wife and our college age son, arrived, August 21st, 2009. The resort check-in office is a little hard to find, so try to arrive early. We found the staff is very friendly and helpful. Because the resort is somewhat isolated, large, and spread out, you will need a vehicle. Parking is limited to one vehicle and there was only one spot left for us which was a distance from the entrance to our unit. It took 17 steps up to our second story entrance and required navigating thru two locked doors with automatic closers. This resort is designed for athletic guests.

Our unit was clean, spacious and nicely furnished and decorated. The master bedroom was a little small for a king sized bed, but there were plenty of pillows. However, I would have liked a handy reading light overhead. There was a hi-fi radio & cd player. The master bathroom was large with a small corner glass enclosed shower and a nice separate whirlpool tub. There were plenty of towels, but unfortunately, there was only one towel bar and no hand towel rack. Our unit had access to a high speed internet cable. Each room had a TV with 99 channels and our AT&T cell phones worked fine.

For summer activities the resort runs a ski chairlift free. There are many tennis courts, a heated pool with hot tub, and many hiking trails and boating. In addition, for discounted fees there are two on site excellent golf courses, a large water park and bike rentals.

While there we visited Traverse City, Harbor Springs and other nearby resort areas and spent a day at Mackinac Island. Although there appears to be plenty to do at this resort, we did not participate in their daily posted activity schedule. The weather was nice with 75 degree temperatures. Northern Michigan offers fresh air and many summer outdoor activities including horseback riding and good fishing, etc. We enjoyed our vacation at Mountain Run. We rented a week and live in Columbus, Ohio.

We spent a week here in June, using two 2BR units. A 2BR unit and a 1BR unit have a joint entry and share the washer/dryer. If you are using both, the inner doors can be left open. It was a bit more difficult for us. Even though our two 2BR units shared a wall, there were always 4 locked doors between us! Happily, the front desk was willing to issue keys for both units to all of us.

The pool is outside the rear of the registration building and the hot tub inside. There are additional pools and restaurants on the Boyne Mountain grounds next door which Mountain Run guests can use. We also get discounted rates at the large Boyne Mt. water park, but it is still expensive.

If you ski, this is a good ski in/ski out location, though not exactly the Rockies. There are MANY ski lifts. One even runs on Friday and Saturday evenings in the summer to access the mountain top restaurant--and the view. There is no charge for that lift.

Boyne Falls itself is quite small. Boyne City has the grocery. There are several charming towns in the immediate area and much to see in the Mackinaw/Mackinac area, especially if you enjoy old forts. The one at Mackinaw City is even better than the one on the (carless) island. One warning: The carriage tour around the island takes forever. If you do not have all day, climb to the fort or take a more direct buggy ride.

Awesome slopes and unparallel beautiful area