Dog-Friendly Summer Destination: Mackinac Island
As a Midwest-based travel agency, we are always looking for fun weekend road trips to take during the beautiful summer months. One of our favorite destinations that fits the bill is Mackinac Island in our neighboring state of Michigan. Not only does the island offer plenty of family-friendly activities, it is also a great place to travel with your dog!
Our content writer, Erin, recently traveled to Mackinac Island with her German Shepherd mix, Kya, her best friend Khara, and Khara’s big, scruffy Labradoodle, Luca. The group had a great long weekend exploring the island and the parks and cities surrounding it. Written by Erin, here is a look at their itinerary and some activities they wish they would have done so you don’t have to miss out on them!
Walking along M-185 on Mackinac Island, from left: Khara, Luca, Erin, & Kya
Mackinac Island is one of the best spots to visit with your dog, especially if you are new to pet travel. The island’s website has a great article detailing how to easily plan a dog-friendly visit. After doing a bit of our own research, here is what we did during our 4-day visit:
Day 1 - Thursday, June 1st
After a beautiful 8-hour drive from Minneapolis, MN to St. Ignace, MI, we checked into Straits State Park. We opted to stay off of the island for a more secluded feel. Our campground was gorgeous and included campsites right on the lake, beautiful views of Mackinac Bridge, and hiking trails right from the road in. We spent the evening settling in and exploring the beach.
Khara & Luca on the beach, right at our campground
Day 2 - Friday, June 2nd
We started our day by driving over the Mackinac Bridge from St. Ignace (which is on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) to Mackinaw City (which is on the mainland of Michigan). We spent the first part of our morning walking the dogs around Mackinaw City, the marina, and past the Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum. We saw lots of cool ships, houseboats, and ferries. The museum is open seasonally and is great to view from the road, but be mindful that you should plan a dog-free visit if you would like to go inside.
Next, we visited the McGulpin Point Lighthouse. We ate lunch in the grassy picnic area, walked through the forest on the hiking trails and read the historical signs accompanied by life-sized representations of historical figures. Then we walked along the sprawling shores below the lighthouse and let the dogs swim in the cool waters. We wanted to continue seeing as much of the lakes and shoreline as possible, so next we headed to Headlands International Dark Sky Park. We took a gorgeous walk along the lake shore and explored trails similar to those at the McGulpin Point Lighthouse, featuring historical figures and information about them. I would love to come back to this park at night for amazing stargazing experiences.
Erin & Kya wading in the water below the McGulpin Point Lighthouse
Our nature viewing ended with a beautiful drive through Wilderness State Park. This is one area that we did not do research on before visiting. Although the drive was wonderful, we ended up in an area that was not dog-friendly and decided to cut our visit short. Be sure to look up trails and plan your visit if you would like to explore with your canine companion.
To cap off our day we hung out at the quaint, dog-friendly patio at Bière de Mac Brew Works. We loved their beers and it was the perfect, peaceful way to wrap up the day.
Enjoying beers on the Patio at Bière de Mac Brew Works
Day 3 - Saturday, June 3rd
Saturday was our dedicated Mackinac Island day! We took Shepler’s Ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island. Shepler’s offers free parking for day guests and a free ride for leashed dogs - a win win! Both Shepler’s and the Mackinac Island Ferry Company offer rides from St. Ignace or Mackinaw City - we opted for Mackinaw City, as we wanted to drive over the Mackinac Bridge as many times as we could because the views were breathtaking.
Erin and Khara riding the ferry to Mackinac Island - the dogs sat comfortably on the floor
Once we arrived on the island, the first thing we were greeted by were horses! The ferries dock in the busy downtown area and, unfortunately, both of our dogs were nervous at first, as neither of them have spent much time around horses. Although we were prepared for travel with our dogs (hint: read our blog post about how to prepare for travel with your dog), we knew they were a bit stressed in this new environment, so we opted to take the day slow and start outside of the busiest areas. We walked clockwise on M-185, the state highway that circles about 8 miles around Mackinac Island and can be traveled by horse, foot, and bike. We stopped outside of the iconic Grand Hotel and then explored the trails throughout the center of the island, making stops at Point Lookout, Sugar Loaf Rock, and Arch Rock.
The iconic Arch Rock
After spending the late morning and early afternoon hiking, we slowed down on the sprawling lawns and beautiful beach outside of Mission Point Resort. Then we walked toward downtown, stopping at Fort Mackinac which includes the oldest building in Michigan, historical reenactments, and cannon firing (beware of this with nervous dogs). Once we were ready for some food and drinks we settled into the dog-friendly patio at Great Turtle Brewing Co.
The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring downtown Mackinac Island, stopping into the many dog-friendly shops (look for dog-friendly stickers on shop doors), and watching the boats from the numerous lush, green lawns.
Khara and Luca walking downtown on Mackinac Island
Miles and miles of walking wore us out, so we were happy to relax on our ferry ride back to Mackinaw City. It was a gorgeous evening, so we spent it cooking and relaxing at our campsite.
Day 4 - Sunday, June 4th
We said goodbye to the Great Lakes on Sunday morning and drove the 8 hours back to Minneapolis. As we drove back, we talked about what we missed and will plan to do on our next visit (and, of course, we will bring the dogs again). Here are the dog-friendly activities we think you should try out on your trip that we weren’t able to:
Stay on the island at one of the dog-friendly accommodations:
Take a carriage tour - small dogs are welcome on your lap and large dogs are welcome with purchase of a child ticket (our dogs were nervous around horses, otherwise we would have done this)
Get out on the water with Great Turtle Kayak Tours
Explore the caves on the island including Skull Cave, Eagle Point Cave, and Devil’s Kitchen
Check out more of the sights in St. Ignance including Castle Rock and the Wawatam Lighthouse
One thing we know for sure: we will be returning to Mackinac Island soon!