'Windy Ridge' is a unique year-round country place, tucked away deep in the dunes where even Google hasn't found it, located in a forest big enough to get lost in, amid hundreds of acres of Lake Michigan dune land. You can't see another house in any direction, even from the roof deck. Down a private footpath about 200 yards through the woods (about a 3 minute walk) is a big beautiful and empty sandy beach, on which you can walk for miles. That's where we spend most of our time (or you can often find us on the screen porch with panoramic forest views and a glimpse of the lake through the trees). We are on a "low" dune, with a total of 96 steps down at several places between the house and the beach, which is less elevation than many of the properties in the area. The walk is not too strenuous and I have no problem with it in my mid-70s. But we do not recommend Windy Ridge for people with mobility challenges.

It's a great place to get far far away, but it's only 2 hours drive from Chicago and 2 1/2 hours from Detroit, midway between South Haven and St. Joseph. The house has all modern amenities but with the cooling breezes usually off the lake, you rarely need to turn on the air-conditioning.

While we owners use it most of the time, a few periods will be available in the spring, summer and fall, including prime periods in September/October. Due to the likelihood of getting snowed in (or out) we're no longer renting from December through March. We cannot accept summer/fall reservations for 2024 until our family calendars are set about May 1, so the calendar is blocked at this time. Let us know if you want to be notified of available weeks when next year's schedule is set.

Everybody who spends time here falls in love with Windy Ridge as we did 38 years ago. Thanks for looking at our listing and please feel free to ask questions.

Marty