01
Headlands International Dark Sky Park
One of a handful of internationally certified dark sky parks. Bring a chair. The Milky Way casts a faint shadow on moonless nights.
Mile 195 · Cheboygan County, Michigan
Lat 45.78° N · Lon 84.73° W
Mackinaw City .
Where the coast ends at the Straits. Headlands International Dark Sky Park, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, the ferries to the island, and the Mackinac Bridge five miles west. Bring a coat — the wind is honest here.
Mile
195
US-23 N
Quick facts
Dark sky
Bortle 2
Internationally designated
Ferries
3 lines
Mackinac Island · 16 min
Bridge
5 mi
Mackinac Bridge · 1957
Drive
4 hr 30 min
Detroit via I-75
Things to do · 5 picks
What to do in Mackinaw City.
Curated by Sunrise Coast Council editors. Half a day to a week, family-friendly to wilderness-grade.
02
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse
A cream-brick Romanesque revival light in the shadow of the bridge. Sunset views from the lantern room are unmatched.
03
Ferry to Mackinac Island
The car-free island in the middle of the Straits. Day-trip it: rent a bike, ride the eight-mile loop, eat fudge, take the last boat back.
04
Colonial Michilimackinac
A reconstructed 1715 French fur-trading post on the Straits. Costumed re-enactors, daily musket demonstrations.
05
Walk the McGulpin Point trail
A short loop down to McGulpin Point Lighthouse — older than Old Mackinac, with a private little beach below the bluff.
The dark sky
The Milky Way over the Straits.
Headlands sits on the western edge of Mackinaw City, 600 acres of forest and beach pushed out into the lake on the way to the Straits. The county turned the lights off here in 2011 and got it certified as an International Dark Sky Park. On a moonless August night, you can see seven thousand stars — about ten times what a suburban sky shows.
There's an open-air observatory, year-round programs, and a 4,000-square-foot event center for cold nights. Or just bring a blanket. The trail down to the beach is gravel-and-roots; the night sky overhead is the same one the Anishinaabe saw a thousand years ago.
600 ac
Park area
Bortle 2
Sky class
7,000
Stars visible
Mackinaw City · the dark sky
"Stand at the Straits in October and you can feel both lakes meeting under your feet."— Sault Sainte Marie Lake Pilots Association
Where on the coast.
Tawas
Mile 40
Oscoda
Mile 55
Harrisville
Mile 75
Alpena
Mile 95
Rogers City
Mile 140
Cheboygan
Mile 170
Mackinaw City
Mile 195
Where to stay · 3 picks
All Mackinaw City lodging →
Cottages, inns, campgrounds.
Hotel
Straits Harbor Hotel
A modern waterfront hotel with rooms facing the bridge. Pool, breakfast, walk to ferries.
from $189 / night
Cottage
Headlands Cottage
A two-bedroom cottage inside the dark sky park. Skylight in the bedroom, telescope in the closet.
from $245 / night
Camp
Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground
600+ sites under jack pines on the lake. RV sites with bridge views go for $58.
from $42 / night
Questions · 4 answers
Common questions about Mackinaw City.
Quick answers to what travelers ask most before driving up.
Q.01
Where is Mackinaw City, Michigan?
Mackinaw City sits at the northern tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, at the Straits of Mackinac where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet. It is Mile 195 along US-23 — the northern terminus of the Sunrise Coast — and about four and a half hours from Detroit on I-75.
Q.02
Is Headlands International Dark Sky Park worth visiting?
Yes, especially on a moonless night between May and October. Headlands is one of the first internationally designated dark sky parks east of the Mississippi (Bortle class 2). The Milky Way is clearly visible to the naked eye, and the park hosts free year-round astronomy programs.
Q.03
How do you get from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island?
Three ferry lines — Star Line, Shepler's, and Arnold — run high-speed catamarans from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island. The crossing is about 16 minutes; round-trip fares run roughly $32 for adults. Ferries run daily May through October.
Q.04
Can you climb Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse?
Yes — Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse is open for $8 tower climbs May through October. The 51-step climb leads to the lantern room with views of the Mackinac Bridge, the Straits, and both lakes meeting below.