Mackinac Island Transportation

[CWtheMan]

Once you get there in the summertime you can walk, rent a bike, rent a buggy or take an island buggy tour.









I'll bet you can guess the smell?

[JRTJH]

You can also take your own bike on any of the ferry lines to the island. If you do (and your bike doesn't have fenders) watch where you ride or that "familiar smell you mention" will also become a "brown stripe on the back of your shirt and pants".....

[FlyingAroundRV]

Also, if you take your bike over on the ferry, be prepared for the "registration fee" that they charge. They give you a bracelet like sticker to put on your bike. I never had anyone check mine, but if you're riding a private bike and don't have the sticker, you can get fined ... So I was told.
In any case, it was good to take our bikes. The ride around the island is a must for even moderately fit bikers as it's mostly flat for the whole 8 miles.
https://youtu.be/5F1J8sXMSEs
We were there when the Mini on the Mack rally was on. The DW is an absolute Mini fanatic having owned one of just about every model over the years as well as her sistes and aunts. We were puzzled at first why we were seeing so many Minis in the area until we did a bit of online digging. They were shooting for 1500 minis to cross the bridge and they were scheduled to do it the day we were leaving for Detroit. We bugged out early so we wouldn't get caught in a 1500 car traffic jam on the bridge while towing our trailer.

[Northofu1]

Attachment 25482Fudge will never smell the same again! Those two smells should never meld together. But,,, Its a nice day trip
The bike path is 8 miles, well paved, rest stops along the way.

[captcolour]

Mmmmm. Planked whitefish at the Village Inn.

[busterbrown]

Personal bikes were our choice of transportation around the island last summer. The four year old did well dodging the steaming road apples.

[roadglide]

I remember going to Mackinac Island Every year for two weeks vacation when I was a kid. From Sturgis we have decided travel Minnesota on 14 to Winona 90 east to 21 st road to Coloma US Hwy 8 Wisconsin Heafford US Hwy 2. I haven’t Looked for a campground in the area yet. I’ll cross Mackinac bridge going south to Illinois. I know I want to avoid 75 South through Michigan.

[notanlines]

If anyone does happen to visit the Island this summer, try to squeeze in a tour of the lobby of the Grand Hotel. Yes, they do charge for the tour, but it is then deducted from the noon lunch. This is truly one of the last magnificent hotels in the country. Small rooms with only inside view start at $1,000 and nice rooms with an 'actual' window start at about $1,600. And just so you don't ask, no we haven't stayed there. The Lilac Tree Hotel downtown was more our speed. We heartedly recommend a trip to the island. But no, the fudge isn't any better than what is served at your other favorite tourist spot!

[busterbrown]

Originally Posted by notanlines

This is truly one of the last magnificent hotels in the country.

Yes it is. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a guest for several weekends at the Grand Hotel while in high school. It was part of Michigan's competitive debate tournament marking the end of each season. Hundreds of 'ruthless' debaters descending on Mackinaw Island each soring. As a 16 and 17 year old, I really didn't appreciate the beauty and charm of the property, nor the elegance of service offered to us teens. Nearly two and a half decades later, I see the hotel in a completely different light.

BTW, there are usually significant savings towards the end of the season, around October. I've seen rooms priced in the $200 range. I'm meaning to take the DW one of these years.

[hornet28]

This was in our local paper today for the Grand Hotel

CELEBRATE MICHIGAN PACKAGE

Here are more details on the spring 2020 lodging and dining deal:

Dates: The deal is being offered this year on May 3, 5, 6, 7, 19, 25 and on June 1, 4, 7.

What's included:

Accommodations
Breakfast and dinner daily
Free golf greens fees on The Jewel (cart fee required)
25% off lunch at Grand Hotel restaurants
Admission to Fort Mackinac
Admission to the Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum
Cost: The May package rate is $149 per person, per night, based on double occupancy. The single occupancy rate is $223. The June package rate is $159 per person, per night, based on double occupancy. The single occupancy rate is $243.

To book: Call 1-855-885-4107 beginning at 8 a.m. on Sunday, March 8. Package dates often sell out quickly. This deal is only available by phone. There are no online sales.

[JRTJH]

Hornet28,

Did you notice the "small print at the bottom of that special"???

Program applies to category 1 rooms (that's the small inside view rooms) and does not include the mandatory charges: *Subject to 19.5% added hotel charge, Michigan 6% sales tax, 3% Mackinac Island assessment and an $8.50 per person baggage handling charge.

So, you can add about 30% to the "published rates"...

And, in order to eat "that free dinner" in the hotel, the following dress guide must be followed: After 6:30pm dresses, skirts, blouses, dress sweaters and dress slacks for ladies are preferred, while gentleman are required to wear a suit coat, necktie and dress pants, no denim or shorts. This applies for all areas inside the hotel with the exception of the Cupola Bar. Children 12 years and older are expected to follow the same dress code as adults.

Essentially, in the evening, you can't leave your room without a coat and tie...

That said, it is an experience everyone should enjoy (at least once)…...

[flybouy]

10 yrs ago we spent 5 days at the Greenbrier Resort near White Sulphur Springs, WV. We rented a "cottage" but dinner dress codes, dress code to walk in the hotel unless you're going in for horseback reservations.

The resort owns 6,000 acres and has several world class golf courses, off road driving courses, etc.

Great experience for the southern WV area. In upstate NY I'd recommend Mohonk Mountain House Resort in the Hudson Valley.

Both are offering discounts due to the current events.

[johnlewis]

Originally Posted by FlyingAroundRV

Also, if you take your bike over on the ferry, be prepared for the "registration fee" that they charge. They give you a bracelet like sticker to put on your bike. I never had anyone check mine, but if you're riding a private bike and don't have the sticker, you can get fined ... So I was told.
In any case, it was good to take our bikes. The ride around the island is a must for even moderately fit bikers as it's mostly flat for the whole 8 miles.
https://youtu.be/5F1J8sXMSEs
We were there when the Mini on the Mack rally was on. The DW is an absolute Mini fanatic having owned one of just about every model over the years as well as her sistes and aunts. We were puzzled at first why we were seeing so many Minis in the area until we did a bit of online digging. They were shooting for 1500 minis to cross the bridge and they were scheduled to do it the day we were leaving for Detroit. We bugged out early so we wouldn't get caught in a 1500 car traffic jam on the bridge while towing our trailer.

Didn't have a registration fee when we were there 2 summers ago. Rode the 8+ mile route around the island, rode around downtown, parked the bikes while we shopped, and none of the "tourist police" we saw said anything about a registration fee.

Joann's fudge was the beston the island. We stayed at Straits State Park (we enjoyed staying in the "upper" campground, because flies and mosquitoes weren't the problem the were in the campground on the lake). The best smoked fish we found was at Manley's Famous Smoked Fish in St. Ignace, MI.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by FlyingAroundRV

Also, if you take your bike over on the ferry, be prepared for the "registration fee" that they charge. They give you a bracelet like sticker to put on your bike. I never had anyone check mine, but if you're riding a private bike and don't have the sticker, you can get fined ... So I was told...

I just saw your comment and wanted to take a moment to explain your "misconception"....

The Island doesn't have a bicycle registration or an associated fee for personal bicycles. What you paid was a "transportation fee" to the ferry company to transport your bicycle to the island and back to the mainland. They (the ferry company) attaches a wrist band to identify which bikes were "transported to the island" in an effort to prevent theft by people who might not be as honest and might attempt to bring a bicycle back that they didn't take to the island... Any bike without a "wrist band" won't be allowed back on the boat without a ferry receipt/ticket with the bicycle transportation charge reflected on the receipt.

You won't get "fined" if you lose or don't have that wrist band, but you may not get the bicycle off the island if you can't prove it's yours and cough up a receipt proving you paid the fee to bring it to the island.... More "theft deferral" than "government fee"....

So, that "registration fee" wasn't actually "a government fee" but was a "private ticket for your bike to use the ferry". Sort of like "extra baggage fees" on an airline.....

[larry337]

Or just ride your snowmobile over on the ice. [emoji16]

[JRTJH]

It takes a "certain amount of raw courage" to ride a snowmobile over the 3 miles of ice that "sometimes forms" between St Ignace and Mackinac Island. The "official USCG position" is that the ice bridge is not safe, but they will attempt rescue if called upon. The water reaches 300' depths along the route, so even if you do make it "to the island and back" there's a substantial emotional "what if" that you face while making the trip.

A bit more wind than anticipated, a shift in currents or the extra weight of 2 people on a machine vs one is all it takes to "be 300' under the ice. For me, it was a "one time in a lifetime". We trailered the machines to St Ignace, rode to the island, around the loop, then headed back before anything changed that might have "stranded us or changed conditions".... Sitting here now, thinking about it, I have to ask myself, "WHY" ?????? my only answer is: Because it was there..... I don't feel the need to do it again. Lake Huron is COLD even in the summer !!!!!

[larry337]

I like the term raw courage, sounds better than blind stupidity! [emoji1787]

What can I say, like you said, it was there. Also rode Whitefish Bay in Paradise and several other inland lakes in the UP and northern lower.

[JRTJH]

Yeah, we can go with "raw courage" it does sound better than "blind stupidity". When I did it, my BIL called, asked if I wanted to run to the UP for a quick snowmobile trip. Actually he wanted to use my trailer to get his machine across the bridge.... Anyway, long story short, a couple hours later, we were "suited up, headed southeast out of St Ignace, following those damn Christmas trees and tires".... About half way to the island, I remembered we had seen open water under the bridge as we drove across and that started working on my "raw courage"... I made it, not really because of "courage" but rather because if I'd turned around and crashed through the ice, nobody would have been there to mark where to throw flowers in the spring.....

Anyway, that's a "one and done" for sure !!!!!

Now, smaller inland lakes are a blast to ride. Lots of long, smooth, fluffy snow, open 'er up and "fly low".... I've seen 140 on the speedometer and still felt good about going faster, just ran out of lake before running out of "stupidity" (Oh, I meant "courage")....

Season's over for this year. The trails are all snow, ice and sand (snirt) and I don't like to run my snowmobiles on that kind of surface. I guess I'm cheap more than adventurous" LOL

[larry337]

It's definitely a very un easy feeling if you allow yourself to think about all the water under you. I typically looked for lots of evidence of safety before I would do it, I was pretty nervous a lot of times. But at the same time it was also fun and exhilarating. Houghton Lake is a party on ice in the winter. And the UP they say is 9 months of Winter and 3 months of rough sledding lol.

[flybouy]

From an old boater "it doesn't matter if there's one foot or a thousand feet feet between your feet and the bottom".