I Took My Dog to Mackinac Island — Here’s Everything You Need to Know

This article was originally published in 2017.

Mackinac Island feels like a step back in time in the best possible way. Tucked between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, it’s only accessible by ferry, which adds to its charm. And once you’re there? No cars — just bikes, horse-drawn carriages, and plenty of room to explore at a slower pace with your favorite furry friend.

Whether you’re wandering through the historic downtown, biking along the lakeshore, or just soaking in the peacefulness, there’s something special about this place. It’s not the kind of destination you rush through — give yourself at least two days to take it all in.

Catching a Ferry to the Island

Visitors can catch the ferry to Mackinac Island in St. Ignace and Mackinaw City.

There are two ferry options: Arnold Transit Company (formerly Star Line) and Shepler’s. We went with Shepler’s. Dogs ride free! 

Since Mackinac doesn’t allow cars, we knew we’d be getting around on bikes. When I looked up bike rental prices, I quickly realized I am a cheapskate. For a day’s rental, we’d pay at least $100. So opted to bring our own bikes.

For $17, they transport your bike and tag it with a license so you can use it on the island. I would say $24 is a better deal than $200. (Note: At the original time of publishing, the price for each bike was $12).

The ferries also provide a luggage transfer to your hotel. We opted to keep ours since we only had backpacks.

Since we’d already stayed in Mackinaw City last summer, we opted to stay in St. Ignace this time.

Since we took our little Cairn Terrier with us, we wanted to stay in a dog-friendly motel. We stayed at the Bayview Lake Front Inn. We actually loved it.  Our favorite part was a giant fire pit at night right by the water. It was so beautiful.

And they had the most unbelievable sunrise.  I stepped outside my motel door, and this was the view right at sunrise.

Can’t get much better than that!

Exploring Mackinac Island

Ah, the island of fudge shops, cycling, gorgeous sunsets, and horse poop. There are definitely a lot of pooper scoopers cleaning up the roads, but get prepared to step in some.

The Grand Hotel is, by far, the most popular Mackinac Island hotel to stay in.  We had our dog, so we had to stay somewhere else, but we ended up loving the Sunset Condos. We had a great room, a little patio overlooking the woods, and a washer/dryer!

We spent the afternoon biking around the island. There is plenty to see. We didn’t really have an itinerary other than to ride around and look.

Our dog Poppy didn’t love the ride so much, but we were glad to bring her. A couple of kids asked Jared what type of dog she was.  When he said “Cairn” they snickered and said, “Karen? Can I speak to her manager?”

Enjoying the Sip n’ Sail Cruise

The highlight of the trip was the Sip n’ Sail Cruise.  They had live music, a cash bar (where they happened to be featuring my favorite [drink] that evening: Bourbon), and, of course, a sunset. It was one of the most unbelievable sunsets I’ve ever seen.  Pictures don’t do it justice.

My recommendation is to stay in the bottom of the ferry. Everyone goes to the top (which is freezing and more crowded), but we got the privacy of the view.  We just loved it!

Mackinac Island at Night

Not much is open after dark, but you’ll have the place to yourself. We got take-out from a restaurant and rode back to our condo after the cruise.

The next morning was marked by thunderstorms. We had planned to ride around the island, but it looked like we had a short window of time to make it to the ferry in between rain showers.  We were able to make it, but not before we loaded up on fudge from Murdick’s.

All in all, I’d say it was a great two days in Mackinac Island.