G6AdventuresMackinaw City is a major destination in Northern Michigan. So much so that we stayed there for five nights. You can easily spend a week there without running out of things to do. Standard must do’s include Mackinac Island, Colonial Michilimackinac, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, and McGulpin Point Lighthouse. But, if you’re anything like us, we like to wander a bit to see what is nearby. Starting at Mackinaw City, there are a mecca of day trip locations. Frankly, this list probably just scratches the surface of potential day trips from Mackinaw. We tend to look at day trips that are within two hours of where we are staying. But we’ve traveled as much as a three hours one-way for a really great destination, like Washington D.C. (read about our day trip to D.C. here). For great day trip destinations from Mackinaw City, keep reading!
Sault Ste. Marie: 1 Hour from Mackinaw City
Early in our stay in Mackinaw City, we drove the fairly quick one hour drive up to Sault Ste. Marie. Being that we crossed the Mackinac Bridge for the first time, traveled into the Upper Peninsula for the first time, and found the drive new and scenic, we didn’t mind the drive at all. Once we arrived in Sault Ste. Marie, we immediately headed toward the Soo Locks. We easily found street parking less than a block from the locks. Once we arrived and parked, we walked to the Soo Locks Visitor Center. There is a security check at the gate entering the public park that runs along the canal. At security, they will check your bag, or at least run a wand over it.
The Visitor Center is open from mid-May through mid-October and hosts various interactive displays to show how the locks were constructed, how they operate, and how important they are to the transportation of goods. The center is not very large, but we spent a bit of time here. The kids found the exhibits fun and informative. I found the history and information as to its continued use to be fascinating. I had no idea that ships from around the world travel the 2,342 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to Duluth, Minnesota, the most western Atlantic seaport. Nor did I know that the Great Lakes cumulatively make up 21 percent of the planet’s fresh water. Usually, we utilize visitor centers to help us plan our day or visit to a park. We didn’t need this one for that purpose, but we did really enjoy it and learned a lot from it!
After finishing up at the Visitor Center, we walked out to the viewing platform of the Soo Locks. The platform has multiple levels with glass dividers to provide safe viewing of the boats and ships passing through. There are also boat tours you can take where you can experience the locks firsthand. We enjoyed watching the ships pass through the locks for a bit until the kids started to get restless. To be honest, I probably could’ve stayed a while longer, but they were getting a little bored with it. Though we did not explore it, there are walking paths, a lighted fountain and the “Torii” Japanese archway that adorn the park. While the Visitor Center is open seasonally, the park itself remains open year round.
Obviously, Soo Locks are the main attraction in Sault Ste. Marie, but there are other fun things to do in the city as well. You can shop in the various stores and boutiques. There are numerous restaurants, breweries, and dessert shops. We made it a point to stop in the Fudge Du Locke for fudge. Then, we saw the Sugar Daddy Bakery and just HAD to try some dessert bowls. It was a super cute shop, and we tried a couple of the bowls. Both were delicious. We didn’t make it to the Tower of History, but this 210-foot observation tower is a highly rated Sault Ste. Marie attraction as well.
We loved our day trip from Mackinaw to Sault Ste. Marie. We definitely recommend it. The drive isn’t far. There’s beautiful and rich history. You can shop, eat, learn. We found it to be a really fun place to explore.
Charlevoix: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes from Mackinaw City
Charlevoix may be one of the cutest towns we’ve seen in our travels. Downtown is lined with adorable shops and boutiques. You could spend an entire day strolling through this charming town, especially along Bridge Street, which will give you major coastal town vibes. Whatever you might be looking for, and what you didn’t know you needed, you’ll find it in Charlevoix. Visit The Lake House for unique gifts and Petoskey stones. Love Michigan cherries? Head to the Cherry Republic where you can find over 200 cherry products. Whether you like antiques, candles, jewelry, toys, candy, clothes, art, or nearly anything else, you will probably find it shopping in Charlevoix.
If your family wants quality beach time, visit Ferry Beach. Here, you can choose from a variety of activities. From a kayak launch to volleyball and basketball courts to a playground, the park adjacent to the sandy beach has enough to entertain your family for as long as you want. The gorgeous greenspace leading to the beach and into the spectacular Lake Michigan water, which looks straight out of the Caribbean, provides the perfect landscape for the day.
From something truly unique that I’m pretty confident you’ll find nowhere else, seek out the Charlevoix Mushroom Houses. Over 50 years, Earl Young designed and built 26 homes and 4 businesses. He focused on stone, including limestone, fieldstone and boulders. Also known as Gnome Homes or Hobbit Houses, you can drive throughout Charlevoix seeking out these properties, using this tour map. Remember that these are privately owned. While you cannot take tours of the insides, just seeing the exteriors is plenty fascinating.
Equally unique, check out Castle Farms. The property was built in 1981 by Albert Loeb. At the time, Mr. Loeb served as the acting president of Sears, Roebuck, and Co. He built the property as a model dairy farm, with stone barns and castles inspired by those found in Normandy, France. At one point, the farm owned over 200 head of cattle and 13 pair of Belgian draft horses. In the 1960s, the farm sold to John VanHaver, who opened to the public for tours. From the 1970s to early 1990s, under new ownership, the farm served as a concert venue.
Today, Linda Mueller owns the farm. You can visit the property, taking tours of the grounds and castle. It also serves as a breathtaking event venue. Seasonally, you can see Michigan’s largest outdoor model railroad. There is a World War I museum. There are massive gardens and stunning property grounds, including a hedge maze. They also offer children’s activities during certain times of the year. You will need to pay an admission price to tour the grounds, but you could truly spend hours and hours here.
Though we are not typically lighthouse seekers. However, when we traveled to Michigan, we found that we quickly jumped onto the lighthouse bandwagon. First, they are everywhere in Michigan. Plus, when surrounded by so many, you can’t help but get caught up in their unique qualities and appearances. Also, we have some history buffs in our family, so we became incredibly interested in the history associated with each lighthouse. And, finally, given the right location, they make for out-of-this-world beautiful sunrise or sunset landscapes. The South Pier Light Station in Charlevoix stands on Lake Michigan, making it a gorgeous addition to a Lake Michigan sunset. While you cannot tour the lighthouse itself, but you can walk right up to providing you fantastic views of Lake Michigan.
When planning our Michigan trip, Charlevoix did not jump on my radar. We only drove through it on our way to Mackinaw City from Sleeping Bear Dunes. But after seeing it and then learning more about it, I realize how much we missed out on this Michigan gem. There are no campgrounds with sites big enough for our rig. But, our next RV trip to Mackinaw City will absolutely include a day trip to Charlevoix.
Tahquamenon Falls: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes from Mackinaw City
Just over an hour northwest of Mackinaw City, you will find probably the most famous waterfalls in all of Michigan. The Lower Falls and Upper Falls make up the main attractions of the Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Known for their unique color, the falls attract tourists from all around. The Upper Falls presents as an impressive 200-foot-wide and nearly 50-foot-tall waterfall. The Lower Falls consists of a series of five smaller waterfalls surrounding an island.
We intended to arrive at Tahquamenon Falls early to avoid larger crowds, but, well, kids, so we ended up not getting there until around 11 a.m. We started at the Lower Falls. Given the time, I was worried about parking, but we easily found a spot. There were no amenities, such as bathrooms, Visitor Center or even a gift shop in the Lower Falls when we visited. However, the park is currently constructing a new gift shop and restroom buildings, which are supposed to open during the summer of 2023.
We followed the paved and boardwalk trail from the parking lot about a half mile to the bridge connecting the trail to the Island. Along the way, we stopped at several overlooks. Once we crossed the bridge, we walked the half mile dirt trail around the island. Walking this trail, you can view all five waterfalls of the Lower Falls. After crossing the bridge back over to the boardwalk, we decided to take a detour. The trails are not named, only numbered. If you look at the Lower Tahquamenon Falls trail map, the main boardwalk trail is numbered as #14. Coming back from the Island, we took Trail #14 to #13 to #16 to #15, and then back to #14, which came to about a 1.3 mile detour through the woods. We really liked this hike as it was incredibly peaceful and serene with few other hikers on the trails.
Back at the parking lot, we drove the five miles to the Upper Falls. Here, we walked the paved trail from the parking lot to the Gorge View. Only Olivia and I braved the 116 steps to walk the entire Gorge Boardwalk. While a pretty walk, I’m not sure the view of the Falls was much better here than it as at the overlook platforms up above. Once Olivia and I made our way back to the trail, we followed the trail over to the Brink View. This time, Eric, Olivia, Ellianna and I traversed the 94 steps down to the viewing platform. The teenagers remained at the top. I felt the Brink View gave a much better view than you could get at the upper observation decks. If you only did one of the two, I would choose the Brink View over the Gorge Boardwalk.
If you walk from the parking lot to the Gorge View, across to the Brink View and back to the parking, it totals about 1.5 miles. There are a few other trails you can explore in the Upper Falls area. With our youngest, we tend to try to keep our hiking to about five miles per day, and we’d already done over four miles, so decided against trying them. Instead, we made our way to the pavilion which has the Camp 33 Gift Shop, a taco truck, another fast food window and the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery & Pub. We got here mid-afternoon, so we opted for some quick tacos from the taco truck. They were delicious and very filling.
We spent about 4 1/2 hours at Tahquamenon Falls State Park, so it is definitely prime for a day trip from Mackinaw. Plus, if you’re up for a little bonus jaunt, you could drive the additional 20 minutes from Tahquamenon to Whitefish Point Light Station. Here, you can visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. Paying to see the museum also provides you admission to other buildings on site, including the 1861 Lightkeeper’s Quarters and the 1923 Surfboat House. We found the museum and exhibits interesting and worth the family price of admission. Here, you can also visit the Edmund Fitzgerald memorial located near the entrance to the boardwalk observation deck viewing Lake Superior. If you are able, we recommend adding this to your day. From here, it takes about 1 1/2 hours back to Mackinaw.
Also, if you’re looking for a dinner option between Tahquamenon Falls and Whitefish Point, we recommend Wheelhouse Diner & Goat Locker Saloon in Paradise, Michigan. You can literally eat a cheeseburger in Paradise! Don’t pretend you didn’t just sing that as you read it! Read more about our stop at Wheelhouse here. Exploring Tahquamenon Falls and Whitefish Point makes for a full day, but it is absolutely doable. You can easily do Tahquamenon Falls in the morning, eat a picnic lunch or grab lunch at the Upper Falls, head to Whitefish Point, and then stop at Wheelhouse Diner on your way back to Mackinaw. Believe me, that’s a fun day trip from Mackinaw!
Torch Lake: 1 1/2 Hours from Mackinaw City
Admittedly, and unfortunately, we did not make it to Torch Lake during our Michigan travels. It is on my list to visit next time. Luckily, our friends got the opportunity when they stayed in Mackinaw to take a day trip. They absolutely loved it. I think you’d be hard pressed to find clearer, more beautiful water that exists outside of the tropics. National Geographic actually named it as the third-most beautiful lake in the world.
Once you get to the lake, you can swim, kayak, fish, or basically do any other water sport you can think of. Beyond the water, you can enjoy miles and miles of hiking and biking trails around the lake. If you want a day on the lake, there is no better in Michigan (or probably most anywhere else) than Torch Lake.
And, if you’re feeling especially adventurous, continue down to Traverse City to savor the Wholey Cow at MOOmers Homemade Ice Cream. 10 scoops of ice cream with toppings, bananas, brownies and an entire can of whipped cream, the Wholey Cow is an experience all on its own. We didn’t have it in us the day we visited MOOmers, so, instead, we opted for the ice cream flight. Once you get your ice cream, sit outside overlooking the family dairy farm producing the milk used to make the ice cream they serve. You can even buy the dairy’s milk straight from their creamery.
While the excursion to MOOmers adds a bit of time getting back to Mackinaw, it’s a super fun experience! Whether or not you just go to Torch Lake or add MOOmers to your itinerary, it’ll be a great day trip from Mackinaw.
Kitch-iti-Kipi: 2 Hours from Mackinaw City
First, since visiting it, “Kitch-iti-Kipi” has become my favorite phrase to say. It means “big cold spring” in the native Ojibwe language, which is a perfect description of Michigan’s largest natural freshwater spring. Kitch-iti-Kipi is located in Michigan’s Palms Book State Park, in Manistique. The spring measures 200 feet across and 40 feet deep. Despite its depth, you can clearly see the bottom even at the deepest point. An interesting and incredibly unique feature to the park includes the self-guided observation raft you can take across the spring. The wooden raft includes a viewing window in the middle of it. You can also see the crystal clear water over the sides. The raft itself operates by way of a cable and is pulled across the spring by one or more people on board. Our littles loved take a turn pulling it across.
Honestly, Kitch-iti-Kipi is the main draw to Palms Book State Park. Other than a gift store and ice cream shop, I’m not sure that there is anything else to do here. We spent less than 1 1/2 hours at this park. However, 20-minutes southwest sits the Fayette Historic State Park. This is a fascinating piece of Michigan history. You can definitely spend half a day there or more. Explore what exists of the old iron smelting town that even produced its own type of currency. Read more about our visit to Fayette here. From Fayette, it is about a 2 hour and 20 minute drive back to Mackinaw.
Two and half hours starts to get to the end of our personal day trip spectrum. But if you combine Kitch-iti-Kipi and Fayette Historic State Park, I think you’ll find it worth the drive. I wouldn’t think twice about making this day trip from Mackinaw!
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore: 2 Hours to 2 1/2 Hours from Mackinaw City
In full disclosure, I don’t think Pictured Rocks is a day trip. I think you need a couple days to truly experience this area. Having said that, if you get an early start and don’t have travel plans that allow you to spend a couple days near Pictured Rocks, then at least see it as part of a day trip. If you can swing it, here is how I recommend making the most of a day trip from Mackinaw.
Start early and drive the 2 hours and 15 minutes from Mackinaw to Munising. Then, take a Pictured Rocks cruise. You cannot truly experience this amazing lakeshore without seeing it from the water. We used Pictured Rocks Cruises and took the Classic Cruise. The cruise lasts 2 1/2 hours and gets a bit chilly if you sit on the upper deck of the boat, so bring a jacket. Depending on what you time you finish the cruise, grab food at Eh! Burger or scrumptious, traditional pasties and fudge from Muldoons. After eating, head to the Munising Falls Visitor Contact Station. The Visitor Center is currently being repaired, but seasonally, a temporary station is set up with rangers to provide you with park information or to participate in the Junior Ranger program.
From the Visitor Center, you can stop at Sand Point. We didn’t make it here, but there is a beach and a 1/2 mile trail through the wetlands. Next, head to Miners Castle Scenic Overlook. You can also stop at the Miners Falls trailhead and hike the 1.2 miles roundtrip to view the falls. We liked this hike, and it is pretty easy. To be honest, we had not planned on doing this one, because we wanted to do the Chapel Falls hike. When we got to the Chapel Falls trailhead, cars were parked along the road for nearly a mile away from the trailhead. The hike itself was 2.5 miles (or 6.2 miles if you pass the Falls and continue to Chapel Rock). At 4.5 miles total, we were pushing our limits with our youngest, so opted not to do it and to do Miners Falls instead.
Continue to the eastern side of the park, stopping at the Lake Superior Overlook. Then, head to the Log Slide Scenic Overlook. This is a short hike through the woods to the edge of the Grand Sable Dunes. You can see where the dunes were used to slide logs down to the lake. At the top of the dune, you can see Lake Superior, the Grand Sable Dunes and Au Sable Lighthouse (though it’s a bit in the distance). If you dare, you can go to the bottom of the dune to the shore. However, it is an incredibly long, steep hike back up in the sand. Basically, you feel like you’re walking up the down escalator. There are warning signs explaining the danger at the top.
After leaving the Log Slide, head to the Grand Sable Lake Overlook for a quick stop. Then, head to the last hike of the day at Sable Falls Dune Trail. The trail is only 1/2 mile roundtrip but does consist of 168 steps to the bottom of the falls. Along the way down, there are a couple of viewing platforms to see the falls. Near the Sable Falls trailhead, you can also find the Grand Sable Visitor Center. If open, you can turn in your Junior Ranger book to get your badge. When we visited, this Visitor Center had very limited hours, so make sure you get that information ahead of time.
Exiting the east side of the park, you’ll find yourself in Grand Marais. From Grand Marais, it is a two hour drive back to Mackinaw. Truthfully, this itinerary would make for a tiring day. But, seeing Pictured Rocks is absolutely worth it. I’d also say that if you choose to do Chapel Falls, you will probably have to skip one or more of the other hikes I have noted. Do as much or as little as you’d like, and, if you do nothing else, take the cruise! Seeing the rocks from the water alone is worth the day trip from Mackinaw!
If you’re anything like us, you’re always looking for fun day trips. When visiting Mackinaw, we realized just how great a location it is for day trip destinations in every direction. Enjoy Mackinaw and all it has to offer (which is a lot), but don’t be afraid to venture out as well. Do you day trip when you travel? Have you taken a day trip from Mackinaw? Comment below with your favorite Mackinaw day trip locations. If you’d like to read more about our Michigan travels, click here. Or, if you’d like to follow us on any of our other adventures, click here.
