01
Cheboygan State Park hike
Five short loops through pine over an old cedar swamp. The lake overlook is a 90-second walk from the parking lot.
Mile 170 · Cheboygan County, Michigan
Lat 45.65° N · Lon 84.47° W
Cheboygan .
A river town just inland from the lake, the south gate of Mackinaw State Forest. Half a million acres of pine, lakes, and snowmobile trails out the back door.
Mile
170
US-23 N
Quick facts
State forest
500K acres
Mackinaw State Forest
Inland lakes
14+
Within a 20-mile radius
Best season
Winter
300+ mi snowmobile trails
Drive
4 hr 15 min
Detroit via I-75
Things to do · 5 picks
What to do in Cheboygan.
Curated by Sunrise Coast Council editors. Half a day to a week, family-friendly to wilderness-grade.
02
Snowmobile the Big M trail
The grand-daddy of Northern Michigan snowmobile trails: 300+ groomed miles connecting Cheboygan to half the state forest.
03
Mullett Lake fishing
A 17,000-acre inland lake. Walleye in spring, perch through the ice in February. Charters out of Indian River.
04
Bois Blanc Island ferry
A car ferry to a 12-mile island in Lake Huron — fewer than 50 year-round residents, miles of unmarked beach.
05
Cheboygan Opera House
A restored Victorian opera house above the river. Tours by appointment, shows year-round.
A back door to the north
A half-million acres out the back.
Cheboygan is not really on the lake — the lake is six miles east, at the river mouth. What the town actually backs onto is the Mackinaw State Forest: 500,000 acres of jack pine, white pine, hemlock, cedar swamp, and beaver pond, threaded with logging roads and snowmobile trails and trout streams.
It is the densest concentration of public land on the coast and almost nobody is in it. You can walk into the forest at the end of any back street in town and not see another human for the next four hours.
500K ac
State forest
14+
Inland lakes
300 mi
Snow trails
Cheboygan · a back door to the north
"The forest starts at the edge of town and does not end for a hundred miles."— Michigan DNR Mackinaw Unit Plan
Where on the coast.
Where to stay · 3 picks
All Cheboygan lodging →
Cottages, inns, campgrounds.
B&B
Riverside B&B
A six-room inn on the Cheboygan River, walking distance to the opera house and downtown.
from $138 / night
Cabin
Black Lake Cabins
Four cedar cabins on a private inland lake. Canoes included, no Wi-Fi.
from $165 / night
Camp
Cheboygan State Park
76 sites in the pines. Reserve a "rustic" site for the quiet.
from $22 / night
Questions · 4 answers
Common questions about Cheboygan.
Quick answers to what travelers ask most before driving up.
Q.01
Where is Cheboygan, Michigan?
Cheboygan sits at Mile 170 on US-23 in Cheboygan County, along the Cheboygan River about six miles inland from Lake Huron. It is roughly four and a quarter hours from Detroit via I-75.
Q.02
How big is Mackinaw State Forest?
Mackinaw State Forest covers approximately 500,000 acres of jack pine, white pine, hemlock, cedar swamp, and beaver pond across the northern Lower Peninsula. Cheboygan sits at its southeastern gateway, with public-land access from the edge of town.
Q.03
Is Cheboygan good for snowmobiling?
Yes — the region around Cheboygan is one of Michigan's premier snowmobile destinations. More than 300 miles of groomed trails connect the town to the broader Mackinaw State Forest network. The season generally runs December through March.
Q.04
Can you take a ferry to Bois Blanc Island from Cheboygan?
Yes. The Plaunt Transportation car ferry runs daily from Cheboygan to Bois Blanc Island, a twelve-mile-long undeveloped island in Lake Huron with fewer than fifty year-round residents. The crossing is about 40 minutes.