What will Charlevoix have on Nov. 15, 2026 that it didn't have on Nov. 15, 2025? If Charlevoix County's schedule holds, the answer is a working boardwalk on the Little Traverse Wheelway. That stretch of trail has been closed in both directions since Nov. 12, 2025. The county expects the rebuilt section to be finished and reopened by Nov. 15.
That date matters because of everything else ending in Charlevoix this month. October takes away the summer schedule one piece at a time. Ferry trips get cut first, then the Thursday market wraps up, then the boat racks empty. Most of what closes is on the water. The one thing set to reopen is on land, and it's being rebuilt with winter use in mind.
The Ferry Cuts Back First
Beaver Island Boat Company's 2026 schedule runs a single daily trip from Oct. 5 through Oct. 25. The Beaver Islander leaves Charlevoix at 8:30 a.m. The published timetable lists no sailings after Oct. 25. That makes the last Sunday of the month the final scheduled crossing on the printed sign. The company notes that rates, schedules and vessels can change without notice, and that every trip depends on the weather. Anyone hosting October guests who want an island day should check the BIBCO website the week of travel rather than going by the sign.
The Charlevoix Historical Society scheduled one more harbor outing on the same weekend the ferry cut back. Its ticketed Harbor Princess history tour of Round Lake and Lake Charlevoix ran Sunday, Oct. 4, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Apple Fest Week Moves the Market
The Charlevoix Farmers Market has spent the season on Bridge Street in East Park, Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Oct. 8 it moves to Bridge Park to make room for Apple Fest. One week later, on Oct. 15, it holds its last Thursday market of 2026. The city's own document gives two closing dates. The overview says Oct. 16, but the line that lists market hours names Thursday, Oct. 15. Since the market meets on Thursdays, Oct. 15 is the date to plan around.
The festival itself comes in between. The Charlevoix Area Chamber of Commerce lists the 47th Annual Apple Fest for Oct. 9 through 11 at East Park and Mason Street. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. A Sept. 22 roundup from 9&10 News confirmed the dates and described apples, food, local vendors and an arts-and-crafts show. Northern Express's event listing adds more detail: Twister Joe, children's activities, a balloon artist, a petting zoo, orchards, food booths and live music.
The Chamber's page still says to check back for the full event schedule. If you live near Mason Street or East Park, keep an eye on that page for weekend details as they're posted.
The order of these dates is worth seeing in one place. East Park is the market's home all summer and the center of Apple Fest. For one week in October it hosts the festival, and after that the market leaves the park until next season.
The Rest of October Moves Indoors and Away From the Water
With the harbor-side schedule winding down, the second half of the month's calendar happens mostly away from the water. Here it is in order:
- Oct. 14: Eerie Excursion at Castle Farms.
- Oct. 15: The farmers market's last Thursday, and Line Dancing Night at Castle Farms from 6 to 9 p.m. with lessons and open dancing.
- Oct. 17: Friske Farm Market's Harvest Festival. Its fall-festival Saturdays run through Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Oct. 25: The last scheduled Beaver Island ferry on the printed timetable, and Castle Farms' free Boozy Book Fair: Chapter 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with books, makers, local vendors, a community book swap and costumes encouraged.
- Oct. 31: The seasonal boat rack period ends at Lake Charlevoix Mariners.
Castle Farms has the most events on that list, and its holiday market rounds out the season after Thanksgiving. Deck the Halls is free and runs Nov. 27 from 5 to 9 p.m. and Nov. 28 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 5052 M-66. The farm's event pages don't show when they were last updated, so check them again before you go.
Nov. 15, Twice
The rack calendar at Lake Charlevoix Mariners sets two dates. The rack period ends Oct. 31, and any boat still there by Nov. 15 loses next season's priority.
Nov. 15 is also the date Interim Charlevoix County Administrator Chuck Vonda gave MLive in late August for finishing and reopening the Wheelway boardwalk. On that day, then, the rack-priority cutoff at Lake Charlevoix Mariners and the county's trail reopening fall on the same date. For a household with a boat and bikes, the switch from one to the other comes down to a single day.
Vonda said the section would be ready for winter hiking, biking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The boardwalk closed in mid-November 2025, so it was out for the whole of last winter. A reopening on time would put it back in use roughly a year after it closed, just as the snow season starts.
What the Boardwalk Rebuild Involves
The county trailhead is at the Charlevoix Township Hall, 12491 Waller Road, with parking and restrooms. The first mile follows a widened, paved shoulder along Waller Road east to US-31. From the Waller Road and US-31 intersection, the trail heads northeast past the Charlevoix Community Pool and the Charlevoix Country Club and reaches the boardwalk shortly after. The boardwalk crosses a wetland and was built to protect it. The county describes it as about half a mile long, while MLive puts it at 0.6 miles.
The old structure was about 30 years old. It closed after inspectors found it was "gradually sinking" because its support structure was failing. Cost estimates came down over the summer. In mid-July, a report to the county board said the first phase of engineering was complete, but unstable ground might call for another phase and could push the cost toward about $1 million. By late August, commissioners had approved a construction bid, and MLive reported the project as $700,000 and county-funded. The new structure is expected to last about 50 years, and construction was expected to start in October, possibly sooner.
The Top of Michigan Trails Council, a nonprofit that helps maintain the Wheelway, described the closure this way:
"Trails don't last forever. Just like everything else, these structures break down and must be maintained. The boardwalk is no different. It's an aging structure that's provided decades of reliable use."
Until the boardwalk reopens, the gap is real. MLive reported in May that there is no official detour, and it warned trail users not to ride the US-31 shoulder around the closed section. The Aug. 24 report gave an expected October start, and Nov. 15 is the county's target, not a completed date.
Downtown's Next Change Is Set for Spring 2027
The other infrastructure project in town is on US-31 itself, and it isn't part of this fall. At a March 4 open house, MDOT presented a proposal for downtown US-31 and Bridge Street. It would shift the Van Pelt Alley crossing, move the bridge's south-side crosswalk to a new signal at Park Avenue, add signals at Antrim, Mason and Park, and make Mason westbound-only and Clinton eastbound-only. MDOT's project page puts the cost at $2 million and lists the schedule as Spring 2027. Apple Fest weekend on Mason Street will run on this year's traffic pattern. The next big change to how downtown drives comes after the Wheelway boardwalk has had its first winter back in use.
If you're a second-home owner deciding which weeks to keep the house open, when to haul the boat and how much of the off-season you'll actually use, the Shawn Schmidt Group tracks these local dates as part of advising Charlevoix owners year-round. Request a Private Consultation and we'll walk through how your property fits Charlevoix's off-season calendar.
