Old Mission's Late Fall Belongs to Its Public Places, Starting With a New Boardwalk Through the Hemlocks

This fall, the newest place to spend an afternoon on Old Mission Peninsula is owned by the township and paid for by hundreds of neighbors. The "Hope for Hemlocks" boardwalk on the Dr. John Spencer Trail at Pelizzari Natural Area opened with a ribbon-cutting on August 10, 2026. In early October, the Old Mission Gazette reported that the historic Neahtawanta Inn has been sold and that the new owners don't plan to keep it running as an inn.

Put those two stories side by side and they describe the season ahead. From mid-October into December, the peninsula's best outings are mostly on public ground: a protected forest, a lighthouse park that never closes for winter, and farmland whose development rights the township just bought. The rest of this post follows that thread from the hemlocks out.

The Hemlock Wing, Rebuilt for Heavy Use

Before this year, most people knew the hemlock wing as a beautiful stretch of trail that was slowly being worn down. Pelizzari sits on the east side of Center Road. The old-growth hemlocks grow in the park's southeast corner, and the Hemlock Wing covers nearly seven acres. Hemlocks have shallow roots in soft, moist soil, and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, the township's partner in managing the park, warned that the trees and the plants beneath them needed an elevated walkway. In its April construction story, the Old Mission Gazette described the trees as literally being "loved to death," with so much foot traffic that sensitive roots were being damaged.

Construction started the week of April 20, and 9&10 News reported that the township expected to finish by early June. The ribbon-cutting came about two months after that target. October is the first fall the boardwalk has been open, and it's the first time the forest has seen fall foot traffic without people walking directly on the roots.

Township project documents name Jeff Saxton of AJ's Excavating as project manager, Wickcraft Boardwalks as a major subcontractor and supplier, and Gosling Czubak as the landscape architect. The plans called for pressure-treated Southern Pine decking, Southern Yellow Pine runner rails and sections of eight-strand safety railing.

To get there, park in the main Pelizzari lot on Center Road and walk down to the hemlock wing. The township's July minutes say anyone who needs special access accommodations can contact the township clerk. In August, the township said the boardwalk was meant to let visitors of all ages and abilities enjoy the forest without harming it.

A Community-Funded Project

The funding is the main reason this boardwalk sets the tone for the season. The fundraising campaign started nearly three years before construction. The money came from three sources:

• Peninsula Township, which put in part of its ARPA funds
• Seven grantmakers: the Huckle Family Foundation, the Thomas Family Foundation, the Tim and Libby Ash Foundation, the Oleson Foundation, the Biederman Family Foundation, the Schmuckal Family Foundation and the Traverse City Track Club
• Hundreds of individual donors, who covered the rest

A local running club appears on the grant list, so the project's backers include people who use the trail as much as people who give to conservation. This summer the township also bought development rights on land beyond the park. Supervisor Maura Sanders wrote in her August 15 note that the township had closed on the purchase of development rights for the 100-acre Kelly Farm property on August 12.

Where the Doors Are Closing

Some private places on the peninsula are moving in the opposite direction. The Neahtawanta Inn is leaving the guest business. Mission Table says it is hosting private events only and is not open for regular dining. Jolly Pumpkin, next door, stays open to the public. Its posted hours are Monday through Friday 3 to 9 p.m., Saturday noon to 9 p.m. and Sunday noon to 8 p.m.

Not every change is a closing. The Gazette reported that Stephanie Krupka and Brian Daley bought Old Mission Tavern on January 7 and reopened it on March 18. The tavern now posts dinner hours of 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 4 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, which makes it a reliable option for a November weeknight. Seasonal hours on the peninsula change often, so check before you drive up. The same goes for the tasting rooms. The hours on the Old Mission Peninsula Wine Trail's Winter Wine Pass page date from February 2026, and the page says offerings can change without notice.

What the Farms Were Up To in Early October

The Gazette's photo roundup from the first week of October shows what fall looks like here right now.

• Apple season at Johnson Farms
• Eddie Ligon's "Autumn" panel, now up at the farm on the corner of Peninsula Drive and Old Mission Road
• Sunflowers at Lon Johnson's farm on Swaney Road
• A record chestnut harvest at the Dougherty House/Ostlund property, which had reached about 1,050 nuts, well past the previous record of 807
• The Schooner Manitou in Bowers Harbor
• A controlled burn by the Michigan Prescribed Fire Council on the Jamieson farm on Bluff Road to help control invasive plants
• Drainage roadwork on Brinkman Road and Swaney Road

That roundup also covered the Peninsula Township Fire Department's September 29 open house at Station #1. The department's new t-shirts are $20 if you stop by the station. We didn't find 2026 closing dates for any farm stand, so treat the photos as a picture of early October rather than a schedule.

The Peninsula's Calendar, October Through December

Most of the dated events left in the year are hosted by the library, the township, the fire department and the Wine Trail.

Tickets for the Mac & Cheese Bake-off went on sale through Eventbrite on October 1. Chateau Chantal's events page lists its dinners under 2026 headings, but the page carries a December 15, 2025 publication date, so confirm with the winery before you plan around a date.

The Lighthouse, the Flag and a Sign on Center Road

Mission Point Lighthouse is the other public place that stays busy after the season. According to its visitor page, the lighthouse is open May through October and on some November weekends, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., weather permitting. The park, trails and beach stay open every day until 10 p.m., all year. The tower itself isn't handicap accessible, so the grounds and the trails are what everyone can use. No specific November 2026 weekends have been posted, so check the site before heading north.

The township is also asking residents to help design its public identity. Peninsula Township has invited residents and property owners to submit designs for a township flag by 5 p.m. on December 31, 2026. Township residents will pick the winner, and the design may shape a future welcome sign on Center Road. The Old Mission Gazette has more on the contest.

Looking further ahead, the township posted a public hearing on the Traverse City Track Club's large-event application for the Bayshore Marathon on May 29, 2027. That's an application hearing, not an approval. The same club is listed among the funders of the hemlock boardwalk.

The details of a place like the Pelizzari hemlocks, from who paid for the boardwalk to which forest wing it protects, are the kind of local knowledge Lydia Wiley brings to every conversation about the peninsula. Whether you're settling into Old Mission or wondering how protected land and public trails shape the area around your home, schedule a private consultation and we'll talk through it.