Visiting Mackinaw Island and The Upper Peninsula
Mackinaw Island
Visiting Mackinaw Island is like taking a step back in time. The only modes of transportation are foot, bike, horse drawn carriage and snowmobiles in the winter. The island is home to around 500 year round residents but has over 1 million visitors each year, mostly during the summer months, and is only 3.8 square miles. It is a quaint town that takes pride in their streets, from the colorful flowers and awnings to the clean sidewalks and the pretty storefronts! So, how do you visit Mackinaw Island?
Where we stayed
Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground
We stayed at Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground in Mackinaw City, MI. The campground is on the beautiful Lake Huron lakeshore. Our site was a “narrow bridge view site,” which had a spectacular view of the famous Mackinaw Bridge. The site was narrow but plenty wide and long and there was plenty of vegetation between each site that made it feel more private.
We loved the common area across the street from our campsite. It had fire pits and plenty of room to bring chairs and games. That was one of our favorite parts of this trip! This might be the largest campground we have ever stayed at. It was a drive to the camp store, pool, and bath houses. I definitely believe that the bridge view sites are the only way to go at this campground!
Mackinaw Island
There were enjoyable things about the island but in hindsight, we would have done things a little bit differently. We have learned to research and plan much better since this trip.
Getting to the Island
We took the free shuttle from our campground to the ferry and thought we left plenty early but had to wait for the campground shuttle and then the long line to get on the ferry. Tickets were over $30 each and we purchased bike permits for our kid’s bikes. We were told it was less expensive to do that than to rent bikes on the island. After waiting for what felt like a very long time, we made it to the island.
The ferry ride was uneventful and we had a beautiful, sunny day.
How to Travel Around Mackinac Island?
Mike and I rented bikes once we got to the island. Bike rentals are for the amount of time that they are used so no need to have them back by a certain time! Bikes cost about $12/hour and an additional $20 for a bike lock. You can even rent a dog crate to pull behind you! We left our furry friend in the camper though.
There was some construction on the island so we could not ride our bikes all the way around. We pedaled as far as we could and had some beautiful views of Lake Huron. Riding bikes on a busy, tourist-filled day was a little scary, there were bikes everywhere! Bikers were dodging horse poop and dodging each other. It was a little stressful keeping up with the kids with all the bikers and obstacles around.
Arch Rock Offers a Stunning View of Lake Huron
We had a pleasant stop at Arch Rock, lunch at an outdoor cafe, and sampled some fudge. Next, we biked uphill to Fort Mackinac. We have a history buff in the family and while this would have been interesting, it was another $15+ each so we passed on going in. Back down the hill we went, again scary with young kids. Thankfully there are no cars on the island but plenty of people, bikers and horse carriages to dodge.
The Grand Hotel: To Go or Not to Go
We had another uphill trek to the Grand Hotel. Again, it costs money just to walk into the hotel so we were content to look at it from the outside. It was beautiful but we were not dressed properly to go in anyways. Seriously, there is a dress code!! Back down the hill we went, praying no one got hurt or crashed. We were kind of over the bikes by this point! Who knew this tiny island was so hilly!
Pro Tip: Consider the Horse-Drawn Carriage Tour
In hindsight, we wished we would have booked a horse-drawn carriage ride. You can even bring your dog on a carriage ride! We would have seen more of the island and not felt so stressed about keeping up with one another and not wrecking into something or someone. It was a crazy, busy day on the island, too busy to feel comfortable biking with kids! Definitely look into the horse-drawn carriage option!
After buying some souvenirs, we boarded the ferry with a minimal wait and picked up the campground shuttle much more smoothly on the way back! We enjoyed an evening watching the beautiful sunset and having a fire pit right on the water! The kids even swam in the lake right from the campground.
What else to do in Mackinaw City?
Jack Pine Lumberjack Show
This was an entertaining show with different competitions between two lumberjacks. We especially loved it when they raced up a very tall pole so effortlessly. We purchased tickets at the campground for around $15-20 each and kids under 5 are free! The show starts at 7:30 and lasts about 90 minutes. And the best part was that it was only 1 mile from our campground! This was very entertaining and worth the money!
Soo Locks
The Soo Locks are located in Sault Ste Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and about 1 hour from Mackinaw City. The locks help ships navigate the 21 foot variance between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. They are one of the largest and busiest locks in the world! We took a boat through the Soo Locks and some of us liked this excursion more than others.
The Soo Lock Tour costs about $30 for adults and $10 for kids. Snacks and drinks are also available to purchase and there is a bathroom on board the boat. They even have a free dog kennel your furry friend can use while you are on this tour. The kennel is covered but outside so consider this in cold or hot weather. Our dog was the only dog in the kennel and they had an employee check on him and give him a treat.
The lock tour normally lasts around 2 hours but our tour was closer to 3 hours. It was a very long time and did get a little boring but it was during Covid and Canada was still closed to the world causing most ships to use the Soo Locks. I thought the tour was very informative and it was amazing being next to a freighter that was over 1,000 feet long and watching it squeeze in the lock!
I would recommend this tour if you are interested in how the locks work and you have the time. You can also watch the ships entering and exiting the locks from the Soo Lock Visitor Center. There is an observation deck to get a bird’s eye view of this process. Also, many people enjoy camping right on the water and watching the ships pass by.
Castle Rock
Castle Rock is located just on the other side of the Mackinaw Bridge in the UP. It sits 195 feet above the water and offers a great lookout point of Lake Huron. On clear days, you can see for 20 miles! It costs $1 to walk up the path. This is an odd stop and we would recommend it if you have the time and it is a clear day. There were some odd statues along the way including a huge statue of Paul Bunyan and his ox, Babe. They were surrounded by a fence which made it even more weird but we did have a beautiful view at the top!
Picture Rocks National Seashore
This was definitely one of the highlights of our time in the UP! At this point, we had moved our campground to a more centrally located area in Newberry, MI but you can definitely do this from Mackinaw City, just count on a 2-hour drive each way. We loved our time at Kritters Northcountry Campground in the UP!
Pictured Rocks National Seashore is a stunning geological masterpiece that stretches for 42 miles on the Lake Superior coast. The best way to see these colorful cliffs is from the water; late afternoon and early evening sunlight is the picture-perfect time to go. You can take a boat tour, a glass bottom boat shipwreck tour, or a guided kayak tour. The kayak tour looked terrific but very cold!
We took a sunset boat tour of Pictured Rocks. It costs $40-50 each and is a 2-3 hour trip, depending on which boat ride you purchase. Our Captain was very knowledgeable and entertaining. And the rocks were simply stunning, the pictures do not do it justice! We started on the upper deck of the boat which is not covered and it was cold! We enjoyed the less crowded and enclosed lower deck of the boat. I am sure this depends on what time of day your tour starts.
The Pictured Rock Boat Company has a dog kennel available. It is free and inside. Just make sure you bring a lock, otherwise you can purchase one in the gift shop. There were many dogs at this kennel when our furry friend was there but it was clean and in good shape! Definitely don’t miss this stop!
Tahquamenon Falls
It took us a while to figure out how to say this but now it rolls off the tongue If you love chasing waterfalls like our family, then this is a must-see! The Upper Falls, one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River, has a drop of nearly 50 feet and is more than 200 feet across. Just 4 miles downstream is the Lower Falls, which consists of a series of five smaller falls cascading around an island that can be reached by a rowboat rented from the park. As the river flows through cedar and hemlock swamps upriver, the tannins from plants and bark leach into the water giving it its unique rusty coloring.
We drove to the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls parking lots and took the short paved paths to view the falls. There were multiple lookout points to view the beauty and there were areas that you could descend many steps to get an even better view. Dogs are not allowed on these steps so our family took turns. There is so much to do here, you could spend days or you can easily spend 1-3 hours hitting the highlights like we did.
Shipwreck Museum
We enjoyed our time at the Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish, MI. This museum has a self-guided tour of the main gallery, which includes a permanent exhibit dedicated to the Edmund Fitzgerald, featuring the ship’s original bell. The legend of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains the most mysterious and controversial of all shipwreck tales heard around the Great Lakes.
The museum also has a self-guided tour of the Lighthouse Keeper’s Quarters. Whitefish Point is home to the oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Superior. We really enjoyed learning about the lighthouse. The museum went into great detail about how remote and isolating this job was. We learned about the different families that called this home and how they dealt with the extreme isolation in the wintertime. It was quite fascinating!
It costs between $10-15 a person, depending on the age or visitors can pay a family rate of $50. We brought our dog to this museum as it is housed in several original buildings. We took turns going into buildings and watching our dog. It was a beautiful, sunny day when we were there. You can even walk along the banks of Lake Superior at this museum. This is a museum you can easily spend 1-3 hours at. We started one of our days here and drove 30 minutes to Tahquamenon Falls after.
Oswald’s Bear Ranch
This bear sanctuary was close to where we were staying in Newberry, otherwise, we probably would not have traveled here. It cost us $25 for our vehicle. We walked around the Ranch viewing cubs, young bears, and full-grown bears. The cubs were very cute and playful to watch. But, there is something about watching wild animals in captivity that we didn’t love. I am sure these bears are being well cared for and possibly could not make it in the wild on their own but it is a pass in our books.
What a Trip
Mackinaw City and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is still one of our favorite trips to date. The vastness of the lakes, along with their beauty and harshness was powerful to take in. The summer weather was nearly perfect as well! One major tip, internet can be spotty while driving around! So, know where you are going or plan for this, a paper map or printed directions were very helpful for us!
There is so much to see and do here. We hope to get back to this area and explore these places more and see some new places. We would even enjoy a winter trip to understand this area even better! Check out our post on traveling the Great Lakes for more info!
