Goose Egg Lake

—and if you're out this way, you're really out here: 323 acres of lake area with Catalpa Park right there, and Spring Lake practically on the doorstep. Two parks within a mile keeps things from feeling too isolated, though the nearest grocery run is nearly five miles, so you learn to plan ahead. A restaurant lands around two miles down the road, close enough that you're not eating exclusively from your pantry, and the Grand Haven beach is a solid half-hour drive when the lake mood strikes but you want sand instead of trees. It's the kind of stretch where water and space define the rhythm, and you're either into that or you're not.