You’re Invited!
Thank you for being part of the Au Sable community! Your support and encouragement make it possible for us to fulfill our mission to inspire and educate people to serve, protect, and restore God’s earth. This summer, you are invited to experience this mission firsthand by visiting our Great Lakes campus in beautiful Northern Michigan.
We’d love to meet you personally and show you our campus, including some exciting improvements we’ve recently made, creating a more welcoming and sustainable environment for our students and visitors. During your visit, you’ll have the chance to:
Join a professor and students for an afternoon of fieldwork in courses like Aquatic Biology or Field Techniques in Wetlands.
Walk the campus trails through Michigan’s northwoods or take one of our canoes out on Big Twin Lake.
Share a meal and conversation with current students, faculty, and board members.
Visit the breeding habitat of the Kirtland’s Warbler (and hopefully see this rare bird!) on a field excursion led by Dr. Steve Roels, a former Au Sable Institute Graduate Fellow and current Kirtland’s Warbler Program Director for American Bird Conservancy (this field excursion will be offered on the morning of Saturday, June 21).
Visit our native plant garden (Mae’s Garden) and hoophouse, and take a native plant home with you.
And more! Or less! You are free to just come and hang out on a bench by the fire pit.
We’re making special plans for visitors on June 20-21 and August 2, but you’re also welcome to visit any day that fits your schedule. Either way, we’d love for you to join us and see firsthand how God is using Au Sable to prepare leaders in Christian environmental stewardship.
All events are free, but we ask that you register so we can properly plan for your visit. Space is limited on several of the events. Click the button below to register. See you this summer!
Frequently Asked Questions about Visit Days
Can my family / friends join me? What about kids?
Absolutely! Please just share the names (and ages for children) of family members or friends who will be visiting with you. There will be opportunities on campus for kids of all ages; the field trips with college students and the Kirtland’s Warbler field trip are suitable for children 12 and older.
Can I join for the meals if I have dietary restrictions?
There are always gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options in Au Sable’s dining hall. If you have other dietary restrictions, you can indicate this on the registration form.
Can you give me more information about the Kirtland’s Warbler field excursion?
Sure. For more information, click here.
I love Au Sable, but I’ve never actually been to campus. Where is the Great Lake campus?
Au Sable’s address is 7526 Sunset Trail Rd NE, Mancelona, MI 49659. If you feel lost, you are probably very close.
The campus is in Northern Michigan, about 45 minutes east of Traverse City, 2.5 hours north of Grand Rapids, or 3.5 hours northwest of Detroit.
Is there lodging near Au Sable’s campus if I want to stay in the area overnight?
Au Sable’s campus is definitely “off the beaten track” in the heart of Michigan’s northwoods. As such, there aren’t a lot of hotels in the immediate area, but there are plenty of options within 30-60 minutes of campus.
We recommend searching on a site like Booking.com and using Kalkaska, MI as the location. This will show both traditional hotels and vacation homes for rent within about 30 minutes of campus. You can also search on sites like AirBnB or VRBO.
Searching for Traverse City will show lots of lodging options, most of which will be about 45-60 minutes from campus. Gaylord and Grayling also offer multiple hotel options. The Charlevoix and Petoskey areas are 60 minutes north of campus.
For those who prefer lodging that is more connected to God’s created world, there are numerous state campgrounds within 30 miles of our campus.
I’d like to visit Au Sable this summer, but those dates don’t work for me. Can I come on a different day?
Yes. You can visit most days during our Summer Sessions, from June 10 - August 15. We recommend coming mid-day so we can show you around campus and you can join students and faculty for lunch.
Tuesdays through Fridays work best because classes are in session and students are on campus for at least part of each day. Most Mondays, students and faculty are off-campus for field work all day, but some Monday or Saturday visits may be possible.
Please contact us at Jeffrey.Schra@ausable.org and let us know when you’d like to visit.