Please email us if you plan on bringing a boat to arrange parking. You may not use our docks for your boat unless you contact us separately and make a reservation for your boat. You may not "tie up" here because we are on the windy side of the lake and doing so will damage your boat and our dock. This is a very strict policy. This is a fishing lake and swimming is not advised due to the presence of swimmer's itch. We recommend you use our pool if you desire a swim and there are lakes nearby which are better suited for swimming. No jet skis allowed. Kayaking, canoeing, and paddleboarding is welcomed. You can contact us to book a boat lift or watercraft rental. DOCKS ARE SLIPPERY WHEN WET!! USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN WALKING ON OUR DOCKS. ABSOLUTELY NO RUNNING AT ANY TIME! Children must never be unattended on our docks and we advise wearing life vests near the water. Smoking is allowed on the property, but not inside the cabins. This is a STRICT policy. You will be charged a fee if we detect smoke inside of our cabins. Please be courteous to other guests. Pet Policy – We LOVE dogs! But we have some rules… 1. Your pet must be well behaved. People come to Bowstring for peace and quiet. We will lose customers if your dog disturbs our other guests. 2. Absolutely no pets on our bedding. Dog hair will not wash out of our bedding. Pet hair on our bedding will result in a charge for replacing bedding. It is ruined once pet hair works its way into the fibers. If you must sleep with your dog, you must bring your own bedding. 3. Accidents/shedding - If your dog has frequent accidents, it’s best not to bring them. If cleaning staff has to spend extra time on pet stains, there will be an extra charge. If there is excess pet hair everywhere, there will be an extra charge for cleaning. Remember, vacuums and dust mops are provided! If you need a cleaning product for a pet accident, don’t hesitate to ask! We have dogs and we know it can happen from time to time! 4. Barking dogs will not be tolerated. We understand a few yips during play or when someone comes home, but it you leave your pet in your cabin all day and it continually barks, your pet will be asked to leave. 5. Aggressive dogs are not welcome at Bowstring. If a staff member deems your dog aggressive, your pet will be asked to leave. 6. Leash your dog at all times. Having dogs off leashes can create all types of problems. You will be given one warning, then we’ll have to ask your pet to leave. 7. You must clean up after your pet. Even on the road outside Bowstring Shores. The entire Bowstring community walks on the road. There are dog poop bags on trees all over the property. In front of the lodge, behind cabin 1, and by the boat ramp. Please be considerate and also remind children walking dogs of this rule. 8. Breed Restrictions – There are certain breeds that are aggressive or too large to accept in our cabins. The largest breed you may bring into our cabins is a Labrador retriever. No Great Danes, St. Bernards, Bull Mastiffs, or other very large/hairy breeds that drool excessively. We know that pitbulls are a misunderstood breed, but we can not accept them at Bowstring for insurance purposes. 9. Leaving your dog outside/in your car – In the past, we have been asked if dogs can stay outside or in your car to avoid pet fees. The answer has to be no for several reasons. One, there are predators in the area, this is the Northwoods, and it’s not safe for your pet. Two, we think it’s cruel to leave your pet locked up in your car or on a chain while you’re on vacation just to save on pet fees or kenneling costs. Three, your dog could get loose and you wouldn’t know, putting other dogs, people and your dog in danger. They’re part of the family too! 10. If we ask your pet to leave – This will probably mean that someone must take your pet home. There will be no financial compensation for cutting your vacation short. It is a tough decision for us to make. We want everyone to have a great time at Bowstring, but if it comes down to one guest being unhappy or all guests being unhappy, we’ll have to choose one guest. 11. Not declaring your dog – If you failed to tell us you have a dog, you will be charged for one. If we forgot to charge you for one at check out because neither of us noticed that it wasn’t on your bill, it is within our rights to charge you retroactively. Cleaning staff does have to spend quite a bit of extra time cleaning and deodorizing after cabins with pets. 12. Number of pets – we limit the number of dogs to two. In cabins 1 or 9 (one bedroom cabins) the limit is two small dogs or one larger dog. 13. Extra fees – if your dog sheds excessively and we find hair in places like the shower, the stove, the windowsills, and under the beds, we may contact you to discuss an extra fee. Our staff is expensive to employ, and like the rest of the country, we are understaffed in the first place, so if a lot of extra time is needed cleaning dog hair, we may charge an extra fee. 14. No cats. Check-out cleaning procedures We ask that you please leave your cabin the same way you found it with a few exceptions. 1. Please wash, dry, and put away all dishes, flatware, glasses, etc. and empty the dishwasher if applicable. Please do not remove any kitchen items from your cabin. A fee will be incurred if items go missing. 2. Please wipe down kitchen sink/faucet, bathroom sink/faucet, tables and countertops. 3. Please check microwave, coffee maker, refrigerator, stove, and oven and wipe away any food remnants. 4. Please check under all beds and in all drawers and in all bathrooms and kitchen cupboards for items you may have forgotten. 5. Please sweep or vacuum or mop with items provided if you have tracked in dirt or mud. 6. Bedding – any body fluids on bedding will be thrown away. We are not a hospital and it is not safe for our staff, nor do we think it is sanitary to re-use these items. You will be charged for any ruined bedding. No need to make your bed. We will change the bedding and re-make them. Please keep in mind that this includes blood stains from scratching insect bites. 7. Please empty your trash and re-line the cans with the garbage bags under your sink. Trash is placed in our garbage cages or in the dumpsters. Please tie the bags well. We do not recycle. Please remember to take out bathroom trash. 8. Please check couches or chairs for excess dirt/crumbs and clean as necessary. 9. Please do not leave any leftover food. 10. Please turn off any climate control in summer months. 11. Please turn off all the lights before leaving. POOL 1. Pool Hours are 9am to 7pm. The pool will be treated with unsafe levels of chemicals outside of those hours. 2. No child under 13 may swim unsupervised 3. We love to see kids having fun; however, we ask that they refrain from screaming for two reasons. One, we cannot tell the difference when kids are in distress or when they’re having fun if they’re screaming. Two, cabin 5 is right next to the pool and they deserve the peace and quiet of lake life too. 4. No running. 5. No diving. 6. NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY – SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK 7. We ask that guests be polite to all other guests while at the pool. This includes children. Any hostility or bullying will result in removal of pool privileges. Please be respectful when other guests would like to use the pool. 8. Pool closures may happen at any time and without notice. This does not warrant any type of discount. 9. Do not spray sunscreen in our pool water. We understand that many need protection from the sun, but please be careful with our pool water. 10. No glass in the pool area and no smoking in the pool area. 11. Do not put the pool water in your mouth. 12. Please have a talk with your kids about keeping our pool water clean. There is a public bathroom in the pavilion next to the campground.