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    Castle Rock

    4.1 (32 reviews)

    Castle Rock Photos

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    Christine B.

    This has been a staple of all my Mackinac city visits for years. It has a huge gift shop for many souvenirs. The best is the 110 steps I believe and the view from the top. There are benches in between for thise of us that need a break. It was closed for the season I believe in late October but stopped by the attraction to take a picture. All of my family has been here and it's a classic. Paul Bunyan and Babe and the Big blue ox is always a popular photo while here.

    Aide M.

    It's ok. Lots of stairs to get there. You can see the lake and Mackinac island from there, but not really a big deal. I don't ever need to go back there. There's a store, you need to go through and pay there.

    View at top of castle rock
    Amy B.

    The tickets to climb castle rock were dirt cheap, at a 1 dollar a person price tag, view was great, and it had a giant Paul Bunyan and Babe the blue ox to take pictures with!

    Who doesn't love curios?
    Joe W.

    One big fat dollar gets you up to the top of the rock. I love that kind of a deal. Nice souvenir shop so you'll surely spend more than $1 while you're there, but that's what these types of places are for. Paul Bunyan & Babe are comically protected by a too-tall chain-link fence. I suppose this keeps the kids from climbing on them and destroying them, but it's so in your face it's hard to get a good photo. Lots of stairs. Nice way to stretch your legs after being on the road for a while. The view is nice. We had a good clear day. Not the most dramatic view you'll ever see, but remember, you only paid $1. Just do it.

    Nathasja T.

    Well, blimey! Between a State Park hike earlier in the day, another nature walk, a paddle boat and these hellish stairs my arse is on it's way to perfection. Not really though.. in reality my right calf is (still) tense AF, but who is counting. Somehow we made it up these stairs rather rapidly, we were kicking booty and taking names for real. Honestly, it's not as bad as it looks if you're concerned about the exercise portion of it. If you have a slight unease with heights like myself, well- maybe it is a little bad. The stairs are uneven, somewhere halfway through they start to lean which is challenging and annoying, but on the upside there's little 'turn outs' where you can congregate with the old folk and catch your breath if necessary. Then, when you finally reach the top.. the view is amazing. To one side there's a bunch of nothingness - trees as far as you can see, and to the other side is the bridge and lower peninsula, and dividing both is the bluest, most beautiful water. Definitely worth hauling yourself up there for. Actually going up will set you back a whopping dollar, but you get a pretty gangster sticker for it in return once you come back down, so it's all good.

    Meghan B.

    The climb will set you back 50 cents, but it's worth every penny. Babe the Blue Ox and Paul Bunyan bravely overlook I-75, protecting climbers from the perils of overly-pastied Yoopers trolling for trolls. The climb, according to Local Kid, is a full 170 steps to the top. But you'll see both peninsulas, the Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, Castle Rock Camp Park, and even the casino in the distance. In the gift shop are many treasures, from edible rocks to Mexican jumping beans; rubber tomahawks and elusively dirty t-shirts. Me, I scored a pack of playing cards and a ceramic sculpture of the rock and PaulBabe for Mom for Christmas. Don't tell her! Also, a climb up the rock gets you a free sticker. This is a staple from my childhood. And I love it just as much now. Go.

    Oh you know... Just Paul Bunion on a giant seat....
    Betsey K.

    The climb is 174 tilty, old steps to the top. But the view is worth doing it three times! Mackinaw Island looks beautiful from that height. Seeing the tips of the Mighty Mack peek over the tops of the trees is such a treat also. For me the real treasure of this place is looking down on the coniferous forest below. You truly are standing atop God's Country. As an added benefit Paul Bunion looks like he is sitting on a giant potty at the base of the climb. This will make for some awesome jokes on the way up:)

    The front sign
    Keith F.

    I have always loved hiking to the top and staring into the wilderness of the Upper Peninsula. It can be quite the hike but worth it. It costs a dollar. The curio shop is full of Michigan trinkets. Definitely worth the price and the experience.

    Jasmine T.

    Amazing view but wear comfortable walking shoes. The stairs are kind of hard to walk up and down. The gift shop is filled with fun and interesting souvenirs to purchase. Don't forget to get a sticker once you complete the climb to the top.

    Oli O.

    Around 200 steps up to a beautiful viewing spot. Cute gift shop with lots of trinkets.

    Ryan S.

    This was a nice little stop not far from the bridge. It's a gift store with fun items and souvenirs, but the main attraction is the big tall mountain rock in which you have to climb/walk a good amount of stairs to get to. It only costs a dollar to do and will take 30 minutes if your day to get some great pics and breathtaking views. It's nice to just hangout at the top for a few minutes. Definitely a recommended place if your in the area.

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    6 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Good view for only $1. I give this two stars because I felt the conditions weren't safe and up kept. Definitely a tourist trap!

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    9 years ago

    It is always fun to go here whenever I'm in the UP. It is a short climb little heart taking a little bit but it's fun.

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    Review Highlights - Castle Rock

    Babe the Blue Ox and Paul Bunyan bravely overlook I-75, protecting climbers from the perils of overly-pastied Yoopers trolling for trolls.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

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    Cut River Bridge Road Side Park

    Cut River Bridge Road Side Park

    4.0(2 reviews)
    20.6 mi

    I didn't know this existed but Nate had us stop when we were traveling through the U.P. last fall…read more I appreciated the clean bathroom facilities and a nice spot to stretch our legs. There are some great views of the bridge when you go underneath it. We also took a second to walk across part of the bridge, but honestly it was a little scary with how fast the cars were whipping by us up there! You can take a path down under the bridge and then even further down to the water - we didn't make it all the way but you'll definitely get your blood flowing doing this! Lots of steps and even though it was shady and not super hot, I was sweaty afterwards! This was a nice place to get out of the car and I'd stop here again on this drive.

    Cute little roadside Park. They call it a million dollar bridge over a 10-cent River, but you're…read morenot there for the river you're there for the views of lake Michigan. There are 263 steps to go down and then come back up and there are decks with seating all the way down, and up, so you can take a rest if you need to. Definitely not handicap accessible. The park itself has vaulted toilets, glorified outhouses, picnic area and a few trails. There's also a door under the bridge with the name of troll door so if you're from the lower peninsula you can get your picture taken with it cuz you're essentially a troll, I got my picture done. Would get 5 stars, Just the one star off for not being handicap accessible, but overall a great free roadside Park and an awesome view of lake Michigan.

    Photos
    Cut River Bridge Road Side Park
    Cut River Bridge Road Side Park - Stairs

    Stairs

    Cut River Bridge Road Side Park - And more stairs

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    And more stairs

    Mt McSauba Park & Recreation Area

    Mt McSauba Park & Recreation Area

    4.3(4 reviews)
    46.5 mi

    This spot isn't even a secret but it feels like one when you are there. Easily one of my favorite…read morespots in Charlevoix. You are basically driving through a neighborhood and just come up to the dirt road path and it feels like you're not supposed to be driving on it but there is a little dirt parking lot with signs where you park. Then you take a quick 5-10 minute walk down the path and it opens into the beach! It's basically a sand dune so be aware that it may be kind of a journey to get back up. But definitely do-able. There isn't buoys or anything for swimming boundaries but you can definitely swim here. The beach is so sandy and nice. And there is very rarely crowds here. There has never been no more than 15 people here when I've been on the beach. There is tons of room to spread out too. A beautiful spot to watch the sunset as well.

    BAD management, awesome little hill with a cool progression terrain park for any skill. Sadly Bo…read moreBoss the manager discourages any progression on this park. I did a front flip 180 (misty 540) and all the local kids loved it and filmed me until Bo Boss said that it wasn't safe and also wasn't allowed on any hill in Michigan. This is not true as I have done flips in many competitions and during free-riding in Michigan at Boyne, Pine Knob, Mt. Holly, Alpine Valley, and Nubs Knob just to name a few. Also after politely agreeing to Bo Boss' skewed rules of how a ski hill is supposed to be run, I attempted to shake his hand but he disrespectfully did not want to take part. Great Hill but unfortunately since Bo Boss is stuck in the 1970's and discourages any modern progression of the skiing sport I would not recommend this hill until Bo Boss gets with the time or until management changes.

    Photos
    Mt McSauba Park & Recreation Area - Lake Michigan

    Lake Michigan

    Mt McSauba Park & Recreation Area - Dunes

    Dunes

    Mt McSauba Park & Recreation Area - Twilight

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    Twilight

    Antrim Creek Natural Area

    Antrim Creek Natural Area

    5.0(3 reviews)
    59.2 mi

    Two parks for the price of nothing! The north entrance leads to a very nice beach with great views…read more Their are some great rocks for people into rock collecting. Their are places to park and trails to hike. At the south entrance you park then there are trails to hike. 1 leads back to the north park. The other one leads to about a 5 minute hike to a stream view area. You'll see the stream almost right away, but in the distance and between foliage. It's a very nice stream, though nothing epic. There is then a 3 minute hike to the beach where the stream meets Lake Michigan. Again here the views are spectacular. Thetrails could be better marked and better upkept to get rid of low branches. The trail connecting the two parks is about 0.8 miles. Overall a 5 star review.

    Well, this was a delight of a park - though the hike didn't work out too well. We came here for the…read moretrail/hike, but the trail was mostly washed out from rain and it became impassable the further in we went. This is actually right along a gorgeous little stretch of beach though, a nice spot for looking for charlevoix and petoskey stones. Gorgeous shore, plenty of distance to walk, dog-friendly - what could be better? Lots of fairly rocky shoreline, but some areas that were pretty sandy as well, for folks wanting a place to lie down. I will say the main area right near the parking lot was very crowded, but the further down you walked you could get to some pretty quiet areas. You can also go partly down the trail and connect to another stretch of beach that is very quiet.

    Photos
    Antrim Creek Natural Area
    Antrim Creek Natural Area - Area info

    Area info

    Antrim Creek Natural Area - Area info

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    Area info

    Castle Rock - hiking - Updated May 2026

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