Michilimackinac State Park: Planned Upgrades Will Enhance Visitor Experience at Popular Michigan Photo Spot

Many visitors to Mackinaw City have stopped at Michilimackinac State Park to photograph the Mackinac Bridge, see the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, or tour the fort at Colonial Michilimackinac. A recently announced plan could see the park here get some upgrades for the first time in several decades, enhancing the visitor experience at this beautiful site. The “Where Michigan Meets” project is the latest effort from Mackinac Associates, a friends of Mackinac State Historic Parks group that was behind the 2015 rebuilding of Fort Holmes on Mackinac Island and many other projects.

We’ve stopped here on almost every trip to or from the Upper Peninsula for more than 30 years, and when we stopped in June a large sign by the parking lot caught our attention as it described the plans for this long-overdue project.

Plans call for a much bigger and fully accessible picnic area complete with “picnic pods,” a boardwalk along the Lake Huron shore, a special events platform, a pergola available for weddings, improved irrigation, signs detailing the region’s history, and more.

Colonial Michilimackinac is a re-created 18th century fort and fur trading post, complete with historical interpreters dressed as British soldiers and voyageurs. Visitors here can watch live demonstrations and also learn about the archaeological digs here that have uncovered more insight on what life was like here many years ago.

The Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse dates back to 1889 and its castle-like appearance has made it one of Mackinac’s most well-known landmarks. Visitors can tour this lighthouse and see its original lens, take in the view from the top of the tower, and learn about shipwrecks in the area at the museum.

The lighthouse was made obsolete in 1957 when the Mackinac Bridge opened. Hundreds of thousands of people stop at this park each year to take a picture of the five mile long bridge that connects Michigan’s two peninsulas. We’re excited to hear that this park will soon be an even better destination for visitors to Mackinaw City, and it was great to see that Meijer has already become a lead donor for the project!