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The towers of a large suspension bridge over choppy water under a stormy gray sky.

Region 6 of 6

Mackinac & the Straits

The top of the Lower Peninsula, the bridge and the island.

At the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula, Mackinaw City looks out over the Straits of Mackinac, where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet. Mackinac Island sits in the straits a ferry ride away.

St. Ignace, across the bridge in the Upper Peninsula, is a nearby gateway but outside the area this guide covers for now.

This is an editorial grouping for trip planning, not a county or tourism-bureau boundary.

Regional map

Map of Mackinac & the Straits

10 places on an OpenStreetMap map

Map of Mackinac & the Straits. The same places are listed on this page.

Key destinations

Horse-drawn carriages and parked bicycles on a downtown street lined with shops on Mackinac Island

Mackinac & Straits

Mackinac Island

A car-free island in the Straits of Mackinac. Bike or walk from a busy harbor town to an old fort and a state park that covers most of the island.

The Mackinac Bridge on the horizon at sunset over the Straits

Mackinac & Straits

Mackinaw City

The base for the Straits, beside the Mackinac Bridge at the tip of the Lower Peninsula, with a reconstructed colonial fort and ferries to Mackinac Island.

Lakes and rivers

The inland lakes, bays and rivers that bring many visitors here in summer.

Jumbled slabs of blue-white ice piled along a frozen shoreline

Bay · Mackinac & Straits

Straits of Mackinac

The strait between Michigan's peninsulas, with harbors at Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island, the bridge, island ferries and protected shipwrecks.

  • Public launch

Lake · Mackinac & Straits

Paradise Lake

A big, shallow all-sports lake at Carp Lake village south of Mackinaw City, with tea-colored water, large pike and a DNR launch with a boat wash.

  • All-sports
  • Public launch

Major attractions

Arch Rock framing clear turquoise Lake Huron water, with cyclists on the shore road far below and cedars in the foreground

Attraction

Arch Rock

A natural limestone arch on Mackinac Island's east side, 146 feet above the water. You can see it from the shore road or from the bluff above.

An aerial view of the reconstructed stockade and buildings of Fort Michilimackinac on the Lake Michigan shore.

Historic site

Colonial Michilimackinac

Mackinaw City's 18th-century fort and fur trading village, rebuilt from historic maps and one of the longest-running archaeological digs in the country.

The white stone West Blockhouse and wooden walls of Fort Mackinac on a misty day.

Historic site

Fort Mackinac

The fort on the bluff above Mackinac Island's harbor, founded by the British in 1780 and now a living history museum with fourteen restored buildings.

Looking up at the Mackinac Bridge towers and cables against a cloudy sky

Bridge

Mackinac Bridge

The five-mile suspension bridge that carries I-75 across the Straits of Mackinac between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, open since November 1, 1957.

Historic cannon on a whitewashed stone mount overlooking Mackinac Island's town, church steeple and the blue Straits

State park

Mackinac Island State Park

Michigan's first state park covers more than 80 percent of Mackinac Island: forest, limestone formations, historic sites and 70-plus miles of roads and trails.

Lighthouse

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse

The 1892 castle-style lighthouse just east of the Mackinac Bridge, with restored keepers' rooms, a tower you can climb and a shipwreck museum.

Upcoming events

A Colonial Christmas

Saturday, December 12, 2026, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Mackinaw City · Mackinac & Straits

HolidayHeritageFamily

Fort2Fort Five Mile Challenge

Saturday, May 8, 2027, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Mackinac Island · Mackinac & Straits

SportsOutdoorsHeritage

All events in this region

Sample itineraries