The roads leading to MMH are well-marked, and we arrived on a Sunday morning around 11:00 am. You must pass through a gate to access the grounds, upon which time we had to explain why we were there. We were not overnight guests, nor did we have a reservation for a pre-paid meal (most meals are buffet, for approximately $60 per person, and must be pre-paid, but include free access to the grounds.) Our other option was to buy a day pass to access the grounds at a cost of $25 per person (for which they do accept credit cards). The day parking lot is located at the entrance to the property, which is approximately 2 miles (or a 10-minute drive) from the main lodge. If you are truly there to hike, you might want to walk to the top, but if you are just primarily looking around, as we were, you can take a shuttle bus. Park your car in the paved lot, and make your way up a wooden staircase (of perhaps 20+ steps) to a wooden platform with a bench where you can wait for the small shuttle bus. It arrives approximately every 15 minutes, and holds about 18 passengers. The shuttle bus drops you at the Picnic Lodge, from which you can take a short 5-minute walk uphill to the lodge and lake. The Picnic Lodge has restrooms (there are also restrooms in the parking lot area, but they seem more like outhouse-type facilities) and a snack bar, plus a covered porch where you can enjoy a drink or snack (open only seasonally, though).
As DAY GUESTS, you are asked to wear a paper wristband, although on the day we visited, we saw guests with wearing three different colors of bands, so we are not sure what each color signified (or maybe nothing!) On your way up to the lodge, be sure to check out the garden center (where you can purchase plants to take home), the maze, and the gorgeous flower gardens. Day guests must agree not to enter the lodge or swim in the lake, but you can walk the perimeter on well-maintained (but not paved) trails, which have plenty of benches and places to rest if you need a break. The path around the lake took us about 30 minutes to walk. You cannot access the swimming beach, and if you peek in, you'll see why - it is SO tiny! But to make up for the lack of chair space, MMH has set up lots of chairs on piers and jetties that surround the swimming area. On our walk, we were able to peek in the windows of the indoor pool (which looked lovely and open and airy), the tennis courts, and the Granary restaurant.
The property is lovely, and if you are interested in outdoorsy activities, there are plenty of them here - swimming, boating, canoeing, stand-up paddle boarding, mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding, golf.
We saw enough great things during our short DAY TRIP to make us want to stay as overnight guests next time!
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