Navigation Structures at Frankfort Harbor

The Betsie River ( BET-see) is a 54.0-mile-long (86.9 km) river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is located in the northwestern Lower Peninsula of the state, flowing into Lake Michigan at Frankfort. The river's course is mostly within Benzie County, (which takes its name from a variant pronunciation of the river), although the river rises in western Grand Traverse County and flows briefly through northern Manistee County. The river widens to form Betsie Lake before emptying into Lake Michigan between Frankfort and Elberta. The Betsie River is a part of Michigan's Natural Rivers Program.

Benzie County ( BEN-zee) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,970. The county seat is Beulah. The county was initially set off in 1863 and organized in 1869. At 321 square miles (830 km2), Benzie County is the smallest of the 83 counties in Michigan in terms of land area. Benzie County is part of the Traverse City metropolitan area. Part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is located within the county. It is also home to Crystal Mountain, one of Michigan's top-rated ski resorts.

The Frankfort Light is a lighthouse located on the north breakwater in the harbor in Frankfort, Michigan. The current light was constructed in 1912 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

The Frankfort Land Company House, also known as the John Bockoven House, is a single family house located at 428 Leelanau Street in Frankfort, Michigan, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It currently operates as the Stonewall Inn B & B.

Elberta ( el-BER-tə) is a village in Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 329 at the 2020 census. Located in Gilmore Township, Elberta overlooks Lake Michigan and lies across Betsie Lake from Frankfort. Elberta is part of Northern Michigan.

Crystal Lake Township is a civil township of Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,065 at the 2020 census.

Gilmore Township is a civil township of Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 813 at the 2020 census. The L-shaped township contains the village of Elberta and is bordered on the north by the city of Frankfort. The narrow township is located between Crystal Lake Township to the north and Blaine Township to the south, as well as a short boundary with Benzonia Township to the east.

The Watervale Historic District is a resort, originally constructed as a lumber camp, located at 975-1422 Watervale Road on the shore of Lower Herring Lake in Blaine Township, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1991 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Blaine Township is a civil township of Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 484. It is located in the southwest portion of the county. There are no significant population centers in the township; the nearest towns are Arcadia to the south, Benzonia to the northeast, and Elberta to the northwest. M-22 is the township's main thoroughfare.

WLLS (99.3 FM) is a radio station in Beulah, Michigan. The station, which began broadcasting in 1979, is owned by Traverse City broadcaster Roy E. Henderson under the "Fort Bend Broadcasting" banner and has long been the primary local station for the Frankfort area and Benzie County. It was formerly simulcast on WCUZ 100.1 FM licensed to Bear Lake, Michigan, which now airs a talk format as Talk Radio 1340 WMTE (although the actual WMTE-AM 1340 remains silent as of July 2012). WLLS's coverage area does not extend far east of Traverse City and Cadillac to protect co-channel WATZ-FM in Alpena, but the station can be heard across Lake Michigan in parts of northeastern Wisconsin.

WBNZ (92.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to Frankfort, Michigan.

Crystal Lake, the largest lake of this name in Michigan, is located near Lake Michigan in Benzie County about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Traverse City and about 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Frankfort at 44°39′N 86°09′W. It measures approximately 2.5 by 8 miles (4.0 by 12.9 km), and has a maximum depth of 165 feet (50 m). At 9,854 acres (40 km2), it is Michigan's ninth largest inland lake. Up to and through the American Civil War years Crystal Lake was known as "Cap Lake" due to the frequent whitecaps visible on its surface. Crystal Lake is adjacent to the southern reaches of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. In 1873, an effort was made to connect Crystal Lake with Lake Michigan via a channel. The lake level of Crystal Lake was higher than that of Lake Michigan and when the channel was opened, the water level in Crystal Lake dropped about 20 ft (6.1 m). Although the project was a failure, the lowering of the lake level uncovered sandy beaches, including the current public beach at Beulah.The watershed that feeds Crystal Lake is very small, and fertilizer and sewage outflows are minimal, leading to the exceptionally clear water that gives it its current name. The surface area of the lake is 35% of the total area of the drainage basin (land and water combined).