Mackinac Island in Winter
Mackinac Island is a 3.8-square-mile dot of delight. It is sandwiched neatly between Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas in the Straits of Mackinac, where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron collide. Automobiles are not permitted on the island, which makes it an oasis of historic charm, horse-drawn carriages, natural beauty, and bicycles.
If you know Mackinac Island, you know its summer glory: the ferry ride spent gazing at the Mackinac Bridge, the adorable fudge shops and welcoming pubs on Main Street, and the scenic eight-mile bike ride around the island’s perimeter. You might know its spring and fall glory too, it’s marked by copious lilac blooms and fiery fall foliage. In any season, Mackinac Island is a world all its own. But in winter, it is feels especially otherworldly.
A dear friend of mine, Travis, has spent ten summers and six winters on the island, including year-round residence for the past four years. Travis is a fantastic ambassador to Mackinac Island. He artfully captures the Norman Rockwell-esque charm of life there and constantly tempts me to visit through his photos and videos. I’ve visited many times in the spring, summer, and fall. This year, a winter visit felt like a must.
Here’s what I learned during my weekend visit:
Snowy bicycle photo by Sara Wright
GETTING TO MACKINAC ISLAND IN THE WINTER
Star Line Ferry continues running ferries from their St. Ignace location as long as they can (until it becomes too frozen and dangerous – usually late January/early February). Once ferry service stops, your only options are flying or (if conditions are right and you are a little brave and a little crazy) you can take the famous and fleeting 4-mile ice bridge from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island.
The ice bridge is monitored by a group of locals in St. Ignace and Mackinac Island who spread Christmas trees across the bridge to guide intrepid travelers. It is not advertised to tourists because it is, of course, dangerous and impermanent (strong winds could break it up within hours). Despite my nerves, I chose to trust my local friend, and the dozens of fellow snowmobilers, pedestrians, and cross-country skiers I saw making the same bold choice to brave the bridge.
Before embarking, I drank a Bloody Mary at St. Ignace’s Mackinac Grille and squeezed my head into my snowmobile helmet (it was also my first time ever on a snowmobile). I then boarded Travis’ sled, hung on to him extremely tightly, and questioned my sanity as we whizzed across the ice. It was terrifying in some respects, but I had a great-big-joyful grin on my face the entire trip. The rush and the view were far better than any roller coaster I’ve ever ridden.
WHAT THE ISLAND IS LIKE IN THE WINTER
During winter, the island takes a restorative deep breath. The less than 500 year-round residents have the darling, snow-globe-like world primarily to themselves. The town slows down, simultaneously recovering from and preparing for the nearly 15,000 (daily!) tourists who visit during the summer.
Photo by Travis Sredzinski
A much smaller, hardier pack of travelers visit during the winter. The island’s signature swarm of bikes and carriage-lined roads are replaced by rows of snowmobiles. Only two restaurants and one grocery store remain open for provisions (Huron Street Pub, The Mustang Lounge, and Doud’s Market). And the roads and wooded paths are pure white (unmarred by the muddy car-tire-snow-plow mess we navigate on the mainland).
Photo by Travis Sredzinski
WHAT TO DO ON THE ISLAND IN THE WINTER
You’ll enjoy a visit to Mackinac in the winter if you enjoy peace and quiet, an away-from-it-all feeling, cozying up at a neighborhood pub, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, or fat tire biking. I definitely wished I had my skis because they had beautifully groomed, dedicated cross-country ski trails.
Mackinac is also known as a destination for Christmas, New Year’s Eve, the Mackinac Island Winter Festival (which includes a cook out, sledding, and snow sports!), and lantern-lit cross-country ski and snowshoeing events. This page has a great breakdown of what to do and where to stay if you are planning your own winter visit.
During my 24-hour visit, we took a scenic cruise around the island by snowmobile, bellied up to the bar at The Mustang Lounge for tater tot nachos and poutine, bought a bottle of champagne and a wheel of brie at Doud’s Market, played board games at Travis’ home, and shared a fantastic brunch with Travis’s friends before embarking on our return trip across the ice bridge.
LOCAL LIFE IN THE WINTER
Travis smiled when I asked him about local winter life on the island, admitting that it isn’t for everyone. But he’s adamant: he wouldn’t trade it for the world. Many people ask him if he gets bored or feels isolated during the winter months. To Travis, his life on the island is just the opposite of isolation and loneliness. There is a magic in being “contained” because it cultivates a strong sense of community and belonging, which it turns out, is a core human need. Travis and his friends carry their island resident status with pride and care deeply about their tribe. As Travis put it, “We look out for each other.”
They participate in community theatre, play hockey, gather for potlucks, participate in bar trivia, and generally carry on with life the way people in small towns across the country and world do. Sure, things are a little more logistically complicated on an island. But Travis appreciates the special world that inconvenience creates. “I like being inconvenienced,” he said, “the juice is worth the squeeze.”
When Travis talks about the island, he beams.
“I can’t express to you how much I love my town,” he said as we pulled in, via snowmobile, for a night cap at “The Pub.”
It’s undeniable, the island has a captivating spirit, a magnetism even. Many islanders have spent time off the island and boomeranged back to island life.
“We tried to go back to the real world,” one of Travis’ friends laughed, “But it sent us back.”
I hope the real world sends me back to the island very soon. It’s truly a treat, in any season.
