Magnificent Mackinac Island

I’ve been wanting to visit Mackinac Island (that’s Mack-in-naw) ever since I first heard about it. I remembered watching ‘Somewhere in Time’ about a hundred years ago, and yearning to visit the island. Islands have a special allure and charm to them and Mackinac is no exception. It’s not, however, an easy place to get to. it sits about five miles offshore of the Mackinac Straits in Michigan’s Upper Peninsular (UP) in Lake Huron. Access, at least in the summer, is by ferry or private boat and there is a small airport that accommodates prop planes and small jets. In the winter, the airport is pretty much the only way to get there once the harbors freeze over. June, however, is a perfect time to visit.

Day 23 - There are three ferry companies that service Mackinac Island on a regular schedule. I’d purchased on-line tickets from Shepler’s Ferry ($30/pp/RT) and the free shuttle picked us up at the campground around 0900. The ferry tickets, though non-refundable, are good for any day and any time in 2022.

A very welcoming crew met us at the ferry terminal and ushered us onto the ferry which took off exactly at 0930 as scheduled. We had selected a ‘Big Mac’ departure which included a quick ride under the Mackinac Bridge with narration before heading out to the island.

From Wikipedia… “The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac, connecting the Upper and Lower peninsulas of … Michigan. Opened in 1957, the 26,372-foot-long (4.995 mi; 8.038 km) bridge (familiarly known as "Big Mac" and "Mighty Mac") is the world's 26th-longest main span and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere.” And there we were, sailing right under it.

Mackinac Island was originally named Michillimackinac by the native people, “place of the great turtle” because its shape from the mainland resembled that of a huge turtle. The name was later shortened by French voyageurs and settlers to something a bit easier for them to pronounce and spell.

It didn’t take long to get to the island once we were under way… about 15 minutes or so. As we entered the harbor, we could feel the excitement growing. Stepping onto the pier at Haldimand Bay and on to Main Street was like traveling back in time to the Victorian era.

Cars are not allowed on the island. Horse-drawn carriages, wagons, bicycles and feet provide all the transportation the island allows. Supplies and cargo arrives on the ferries and waiting wagons pulled by Percheron and Belgian draft horses convey the cargo to the shops and hotels.

Carriage rides are popular with tourists. We had planned to bring our new e-bikes (Class 1, pedal-assisted), but even they are not allowed. Bike rental kiosks are everywhere, but we preferred to walk.

Main Street is a frenetic affair. Restaurants, souvenir shops, hotels and fudge shops line the street and business was bustling with tourists. It took at least a half hour to become accustomed to the number of carriages, wagons and bikers on the road.

Signs were posted exonerating horse-drawn vehicles from any liability in case you got run over. Oblivious tourists beware! Avoiding carriages and wagons was actually easier than avoiding the throngs of bicyclists. Avoiding all the road apples was sometimes an even bigger challenge.

The day was glorious, warm and sunny. The heady perfume of blooming lilac filled the air. We walked up and down the Main Street, ducking into this shop and that one. Fudge shops were everywhere. There must have been at least a dozen or more. It seems Mackinac Island is the fudge capital of the world.

Since the Victorian era in the late 18th century, the island has been associated with sweets… first maple sugar and then due to few entrepreneurs, fudge. In fact, fudge that’s made right before your eyes. And samples are free! And yes, though we tried some. Yum!

I’d purchased a $2 Visitor’s Guide while on the ferry and we sipped a coffee on a shady park bench while planning our day. We quickly came to the conclusion that one day would not be enough and we’d need to return when we had more time and could actually stay on the island… a time when there weren’t so many tourists (like us!). In the meantime, we figured we’d have one day to acquaint ourselves with the island and and take advantage of what it offered.

We considered visiting historic Fort Mackinac high above Marquette Park. At this key location on the island with a commanding view of the harbor, the fort was first established by the British. After war and negotiations, it became an American outpost and then became a fur trading headquarters for John Astor and the American Fur Company.

When it was no longer needed as a military installation but was becoming a popular tourist hotspot, the U.S. government turned it into America’s second national park in 1875. In 1895, the park was transferred to the state and became Michigan’s first state park. Today nearly 82% of the island is protected and remains a state park.  With all that history, we still gave it a pass. We love the history, but there were just too many people and too many other things to see and do.

As a bit of trivia, it was in 1898 that the first automobile arrived on Mackinac. It made so much noise, it frightened the horses and “threatened the island’s carriage economy. The village council voted to ban horseless carriages (and all motorized vehicles) from the island and the law has never been rescinded.

As always, eating was a priority. After much deliberation, we decided on a light lunch at the  Chippewa Hotel, a lovely place right on Main Street. Though crowded, we got a table rather quickly and the service was prompt and efficient and the food was good. We sampled the local brews. David tried the local catch, whitefish… tasted like white fish, he reported.

Bellies full, we walked further along Main Street for a good photo opp of the Round Island Lighthouse.

We climbed the hill to the Grand Hotel and it is indeed grand… both in size and grandeur. Built in 1887, the Grand boasts having the longest front porch in the world (668’) overlooking expansive, manicured lawns and Lake Huron beyond.

It’s a spectacular place, but if you’re not a guest, there’s a $10/pp fee to sit on the porch or stroll around the grounds. I certainly understand why. If you pay $500+/night for a room, you don’t want looky-loos and riffraff wandering about. And proper dress is required, too. If I sound jealous and petty… I am. The place is pretty extraordinary.

The Grand even has its own elegant carriages with liveried driver.

There’s a network of trails and paths around the island and since we love walking, we chose a shady trail along Huron Road which took us behind the fort.

The gazebo from ‘Somewhere In Time’ was worth a quick stop.

There’s an option for driving your own carriage which looked like fun. Since we figured the drivers weren’t experienced, we were hoping the horses were.

All the while we walked, we frequently stepped off the narrow roads to make way for horse drawn carriages filled to capacity with tourists. What the touring passengers missed was the natural splendor of the island… the forest smells, the skittering small animals, the colors, the wildflowers which were everywhere. Yellow lady slippers, delicate lilies of the valley, dame’s rocket, Solomon’s plumes, wild roses and blue cornflowers lined the roadside and bloomed on the forest floor in a spectacular array of colorful blossoming beauty.

When we reached the island’s east coast we checked out Arch Rock, then descended the 207 steps to the coast road back into town.

With 10 miles on our hooves, we caught a 7pm ferry back to St. Ignace where a shuttle waited to take us back to the campground. All in all, a pretty perfect day that had us wanting a return visit. We did get a chance to photograph the Round Island Passage Light on our return ferry ride.

I thought this would be an easy blog to write, but it wasn’t mostly because I can think of all the things we didn’t do, so as I write, it sounds as if we didn’t do much at all. I have way too many pictures to share and words don’t do the Island justice. Yet it was a full, awesome day.  Sometime just being there, being alive and enjoying every minute is what makes it so memorable. We will return.

Next time, we head west back to Duluth finishing the western section of US-2 t hat we missed, then turn right around and head east to complete the remainder of the Lake Superior Circle Tour. Sound confusing? Stick around, we’ve got it all figured out.