This is Michigan's 1st state park. The landscape is characterized by high limestone bluffs,…read morebeautiful vistas of sparkling water, vibrant forests & mystical geological formations. Cars have been banned since 1898, this is a a quieter way of life away from interstate noise of cities. Over 80 percent of Mackinac Island is within this park. The island is sacred to the Ojibwa & Odawa Great Lakes Indian tribes.

It is definitely worth spending at least several hours if not half a day at Fort Mackinac. You can…read moretake your time to leisurely look about or you can take the period-dressed docent led tours and educational talks. There are rifle shooting displays as well as cannon loading & firing displays. You can stop in the restaurant for lunch and a beverage while enjoying fantastic views of the island.

Arch Rock Lots of…read morepeople here. All waiting for a photo. There is a restroom nearby also. You can walk/ride bike to this location or you can ride by horse carriage. Horse carriage is the easiest because you don't need to climb the 207 steps. Highly Recommended

The most famous of the rock formations on the island, this arch towers above the water and is more…read morethan 50 ft wide. It attracts the vast majority of the tourists to the island, and can be reached by foot, taxi, carriage or bike. It can also be viewed from below, on the perimeter tour of the island. The rock was a mile uphill behind the Grand. Had we gone from the harbor we would have climbed up 200 steps.

Arch Rock Lots of…read morepeople here. All waiting for a photo. There is a restroom nearby also. You can walk/ride bike to this location or you can ride by horse carriage. Horse carriage is the easiest because you don't need to climb the 207 steps. Highly Recommended

Whatta sight! On an island full of beautiful geological formations, Arch Rock stands out from the…read moreothers because it overlooks the water and spans at least 50 feet. It's a beautiful rock! You'll want to make the effort to get up the hill to see it. You can walk up to Arch Rock, but keep in mind that it's all uphill! Or you can bike (again, uphill) or do what I did and take a horse-drawn carriage. Arch Rock, and the adjacent Milliken Nature Center are one of the stops on the horse carriage tours. You only get about 15 minutes to check it out, but how much time do you need to look at a rock formation, no matter how pretty it is? There's a deck that takes you out a little closer to Arch Rock, and from here, you can take lots of beautiful photos of the water peeking through Arch Rock.

I was made aware of Fort Mackinac when I heard a loud boom coming from the direction of a hill. I…read morethought something had exploded on the island, but no: it was just Fort Mackinac doing their thang. Apparently, they have rifle and cannon firing demonstrations here, which are scheduled, so if you want to see one while you're visiting the fort, make sure to meet at the allotted time. This is a living history museum, and you'll learn a lot about American and British military history. I mean, you probably will, because you'll read the signs and information that's posted. I mostly looked around and admired the architecture and the view, and took photos of pretty or interesting things that I saw. So from my perspective, Fort Mackinac is a cool and visually interesting place to spend an hour or two. You are basically walking into and out of different houses and structures on what used to be a military outpost. Each building has something new to learn about military life, with exhibits that appeal to all ages. I was surprised by how many interactive and hands-on exhibits there were for kids. Keep in mind that some of the buildings are very airy, so if you visit on a cold day, it might be a little chilly. Plus, you're walking in and out a lot, so if you visit during the fall like I did, you might need a jacket. The gift shop is pretty big, with lots of souvenirs to remember your visit not just of Fort Mackinac, but Mackinac Island, as well.

Went to Fort Mackinac during our trip to Mackinac Island. Sadly not impressed…read more It was raining and cold, which made it more miserable - but that is not the fort's fault of course. It seemed pretty run down, not a lot of exhibits, minimal information on the exhibits, a lot of meh rooms. Sadly not impressed. Because of the rain there was no riffle/cannon demonstration. Got through it rather quickly. The staff was pleasant. Pricing is ok, around $17.50 I believe. The climb to get to the fort is rough.

I absolutely love following the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau social media channels throughout the…read moreyear to get a taste of Mackinac! On the island, the Visitors Center is directly across from Marquette Park. The building is part museum/education on the history of the island and part gift shop. There are free public restrooms as well as a water bottle refill station. The staff at the welcome desk are happy to answer any questions you have about the island. On the day I stopped in, the staff member was a longtime year-round resident, and I enjoyed chatting with her about what it's like to winter on the island.

Some T-shirts and gift items are for sale here. There is a woman selling tours. I enjoyed the…read moredisplays of the animals and the history of the island. We walked out onto the back porch. It's a beautiful view of the harbor.

A hidden oasis with lots of potential! I recently visited on a weekday in late July and despite the…read morerain, there wasn't too much mud to wade through. We had been planning on playing the 9-basket disc golf course when we got to MI, knowing that it was a very low rating on DGCR, but were pleasantly surprised. I am happy to say I've been here, done that, but probably a one-time visit for me. From the pictures, you can see it's obviously a lush and clean park with dozens of activities available for children and adults. Most of these installments are a little run down, even in the middle of summer tourism, particularly the markers that tell you where the tee is (some are in pieces, some are plain missing). Luckily, we had enough service to search it up on a dedicated disc golf site and were well on our way. Main upsides include a clean bathroom, picnic and barbecue area, visible baskets, and beautiful landscaping. Downsides? The overgrowth around the edges of the park, where all 9 tees are situated. I lost my favorite disc in the 8ft shrubs, and some tees were completely in the shrubs. Also, this park was a little difficult to find as there aren't signs for it (unless you're coming up one particular path). So after an afternoon of walking the paths to Arch Rock and Fort Holmes, we struggled to get here without the help of a sometimes spotty Google Maps. Pro tip: download the Google Map of the island before you go walking.

It's cool that mak island put a disc golf park on the island, I have to say that I was so totally…read morestoked to bring my discs. With Michigans wide range and disparate landscapes, I was sure I was gonna get some sweet terrain to challenge my disc golf savvy. What I got at great turtle park was a bit disappointing. This park is good for your mid range or putter but it is flat. I would say you could probably make all the shots without having to bust out the driver, with maybe the exception of one hole. The baskets are not cemented into the ground, there is no tee off sign for any of the pins, and there aren't platforms. Rather, kitchen tiles mark the starting points for all the holes. These disappointments for a serious disc golf fan, make the park a three. The park itself is gorgeous and in the middle to high park of the island away from most of the tourism and people, so that's worth a few stars. Overall, however, the disc golf part of the park really soured my experience as it seemed like an afterthought. I rated this park three stars because: 1star: bathroom on premises. Nice. 1star: park itself is a cool spot, away from tourists. Good family/community area. 1star: disc golf here. Something's better than nothing. 0star: disc golf course missing tee signs and platforms, baskets are free standing, showing the non-commital nature of whoever put them in. 0star: hole nine missing tile that tells you where to start, all disc golf baskets within sight of the starting point, no sweet Michigan terrain involved, flat course.

It's free to walk around Fort Holmes and there's a nice view to the lake from the top of the hill,…read morewhich is the highest point on the island. The house building is opened during the day and there are displays inside containing pictures and information about the fort. ....| \ _ , , , - - , , _ , .../ , ` . - ' ` ' . _ \ - ; ; ; , _ ..| , a - ) ) _ . ; . ( ` - ` - ' - ' ' - - - ' ' ( _ / . _ ) - ' ( _ \ _ ) 2019

I have been to the island many times and after a while you run out of things to do besides the…read morestandard activities like riding bikes around the island, eating fudge, and shopping. Our last trip we decided to bike into the island rather than go around it and that is how we ended up at Fort Holmes. Local worker at the place we rented bikes also suggested we check this place out. He said going at night is even better to see amazing the stars. The bike ride up is a bit rough and you definitely need a mountain bike rather than a cruising bike. Once you get to Fort Holmes you have to take a lot of stairs - I will emphasize "a lot" again - to actually get to the fort. People were walking down the stairs and before we went up we asked them if the hike up is worth it and they said "yes". So we took all the stairs to the top and I must say it is worth it! Fort Holmes is the highest point of the island and the views are the best. We went during the day but I can only imagine what it looks like at night. We spent about an hour, maybe less here. The reconstructed fort is pretty cool, I wish there was a bit more historical context provided but it was neat to see what the fort used to be like. Benches are provided throughout the land and again the views are the best - at least 180 views of the island, maybe a bit more. Do not pass on visiting this gorgeous place, just be prepared to walk a lot of stairs - but it is worth it! Place is free, so cannot be beat!

The workers that I encountered at Mackinac Wheels Bike Store were super helpful and kind…read more They explained the whole process to me about how it works to rent bikes with them. I was not sure at first what to do since I was not sure how long I was going to be renting the bike for. They explained that you do not need to know how long you want to rent for it is all about when you come back. They asked additional questions like what routes did we plan on biking on the island. They can give you a different bike based on it you want to bike the hills in the center of the island or if you are going to just be biking around town or around the island. They also added on a basket complimentary! They have a tire pump if your tires get low and if anything goes wrong with your bike while you are renting from them you can give them a call and they will come to you. I definitely would recommend coming over here to rent a bike if it is close to where you are staying.

bikes went, wheels were round, had fun!…read more we went around pretty slow, quite a few people out even in a wednesday lol. we were certain that we could've beat the bike shop workers if we tried, they did not believe us, maybe we will have to come back and break their records

I hate to sound like a "Subpar Parks" review, but it's a cave, that kind of resembles a skull lol…read more Would be easy to miss if there wasn't a sign.