mackinac island state park

Liked it all. Especially the horse drawn tour. Walking or riding a bike will take you everywhere. Just watch out for the horse dung in your path. The Pink Pony is a favorite watering hole of sailors.

Mackinac Island State Park encompasses a large part of Mackinac Island. It is very serene and peaceful, offering the beauty of pure nature! We have been only during late Summer and early Fall, and it is gorgeous. If you can catch the Fall color, WOW! I would suggest using a map to help find your way along the roads and trails. Or you could wander aimlessly like we did. The day we decided to wander aimlessly, we ended up having to use the GPS on our phone to help us find downtown before we ran out of daylight.

If you have the time, I would recommend a quiet hike up to the top of the island away from the crowds downtown. Perhaps pick up a few sandwiches from Dowd's grocery, something to drink and head up to the peaceful side of Mackinac. There are plenty of marked trails to follow and it is a great way to spend several hours. Depending on the time of year, the silence can be deafening.

Took the Carriage Ride and enjoyed the view and history of the Island. The guide was fun and friendly and the Park is very clean.

The BB and the snow, especially the gentle snowfall as we road the surrey drawn by two beautiful black horses back to the airport. Beth, our taxi driver was awesome as well.

We spent a ton of time in the State Park, because there are so many beautiful things to look at, and the trails are so well kept, and very easy to hike. Even the "off-the-path" trails are easy to navigate on foot or on bike.

One of the most interesting places in North America. No cars, crystal clear freshwater lake. I am not sure about the Jesuit priest's influence. To God be the glory with Jesus Christ.

Beautiful scenery! Overlooks Lake Huron & Lake Michigan, smooth paved road on lakeshore passes by cliffs, woods, cedars, b&b's and more.

I've gone here a few times. The whole island is like traveling through time. Make sure you rent bikes and bike around the island. Its beautiful. Ferry tickets are about $20-30.

A day on Mackinac Island is plenty of time to ride the eight mile trail that circles the island, comb the beaches for shells, taste multiple varieties of fudge from every Fudge Shoppe on Main Street, enjoy a lovely lunch on a patio overlooking Lake Huron and stroll through the all the shops.

We went to Mackinac Island for the first time in June and it was wonderful. Lots of people said we would be bored after the first day, but I think those people must not have spent much time exploring all the island has to offer. Seriously, get off the main paved paths, and hike the smaller, dirt paths. We rarely ran into any people on these paths (on a weekend), and they are gorgeous. Our absolute favorite trail was the Tranquil Bluff trail and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys hiking. Eagle Point Cave is gorgeous and the whole trail is beautiful, but worth it just for the cave. We stayed at Lakebluff Condos and the area around the Indian Pipe and Allouez trail is so much prettier than the main Annex Rd. We saw gorgeous wild flowers along the Brown's Brook trail. Pretty much, if you find this island boring, you must be spending all your time in the downtown area (which is tacky and repetitive--how much fudge could a person want?) or on the Lakeshore Drive Trail. Get off the main roads and go exploring on foot to some of the less explored areas, and check out some of the big attractions (Arch Rock, Fort Holmes, Sugar Loaf, Devil's Kitchen, cemeteries, etc) and some of the less explored attractions (Eagle Point Cave, Friendship Altar, Sunset Rock, Brown's Brook Trail, Dwightwood Spring etc) on the way. It's not a big island, so don't be afraid to head off on footpaths and explore (despite what the people renting bikes/carriage rides/horses etc. tell you, it is very possible to explore ALL areas of the island on foot, and some of the most scenic areas are most accessible by walking). As long as you enjoy nature (beautiful views, caves, limestone formations, gorgeous wildflowers, etc) and history, and take the time to go exploring, you'll have a blast and won't be bored.

The park was so beautiful during the summer months, everything was green and the weather was perfect. We rented bikes for the day and rode around the island stopping to enjoy the view and take photos. It was quite the experience for our family. Also, the island seems to cater most to families.

This state park was really cool. There were several cool biking trails to explore the forest. Fort Mackinac made an appealing sight, but unfortunately I lacked enough time to visit it. Be sure to come here!

The best part of coming here is the ferry ride, which is beautiful. On the island, once you have seen the fort, which is very interesting, there's precious little else to do. Street after street of gift shops (all selling the same stuff), fudge shops and overpriced eateries are not my idea of a good time. We took the carriage ride through the park, which was certainly not worth the money. Boring. Ordinary woods, not even particularly pretty. It's a tourist trap, it reeks of horse poo, and everything is surprisingly expensive.

The best way to see the park - which occupies about 80 percent of the island -- is by bike. Lots of diverse scenery and easy to ride trails.