A Mackinac Winter
The trails in the Mackinac Island State Park are kept peaceful for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. Since 1991, volunteers from the Mackinac Island Ski Club, with the support of State Park personnel, groom what have been called some of the best Nordic ski trails in the Midwest.

New Year's Eve December 31, 2007
Ring in the new year on Mackinac Island. The Village Inn and Patrick Sinclair's Irish Pub host great parties. Bogan Lane Inn, Harbor Place Studio Suties, Mission Point Resort and Pontiac Lodge offer rooms for the big event.

November brings colder temperature, the leaves falling from the trees, a bit of rain and a quiet across the Island. This is a perfect time to catch up on some reading, writing and hiking in Mackinac Island State Park.

December sees the community out and about for the annual Christmas Bazaar, the lighting of the Christmas Tree downtown and Islanders catching up on the season. As the temperatures drop, the strength of community ties grow stronger.

January
is a time of snow and solitude. Travelers to the Island enjoy cross country skiing, snowshoeing, loads of relaxing and Superbowl Sunday at the island pubs.

February offers Winterfest hosted by the Mackinac Island Recreation Department for good old fashioned outdoor fun. Mid-month the Annual Winter Festival, Valentine’s Day celebrations and the Village Inn's winter fun weekend with the heralded Chili Cook-Off warms our hearts and bellies.

During March, island pubs kick out great yet quaint St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

Come April, Islanders reflect and prepare for the new season, Grand Hotel opens for the late winter season offering excellent ratesand the boats start running.




The Solitude of Nature
Seeing Arch Rock, Sugar Loaf and Mackinac Island architecture covered in snow is a memorable experience. The stillness and solitude found at Fort Holmes give the traveler a truly memorable vision not familiar to most of the Island’s visitors.

Accommodations

A cozy bed & breakfast, nice downtown apartments and a sweet hotel are here to make sure you enjoy a good winter slumber on Mackinac Island. Please click on the links below.

Winter Slumber
Bogan Lane Inn 906-847-3439
Harbor Place Studio Suites 906-847-3347
Pontiac Lodge 906-847-3364

Getting Here in the winter
Before the ice freezes, we take Arnold Line ferry via St. Ignace or fly over via Great Lakes Air from Mackinac County Airport in St. Ignace. Northwest Airlines serves Pellston Airport (PLN) and Mackinaw Shuttle or Wolverine Stages offer van service to the ferry dock in St. Ignace.

Once the lake freezes...
After the Arnold Line stops running due to ice, we simply use Great Lakes Air 906-643-7165 to fly back and forth to the Island.Tickets average about $45 RT for adults with a reduced rate for children. FYI-furs and feathers...or dogs, cats and birds fly free.

Winter Horses
Winter horse drawn taxi service is available and reservations are necessary. Call 906-847-3323 before 3pm each day for evening or early morning service and for any airport pick up.

Restaurants & Shopping

The Village Inn, Patrick Sinclair's Irish Pub, Seabiscuit Cafe & Grog (through Nov. 15) and Doud's Market serve our food and grocery needs while the Balsam Shop offers Cross Country Ski and Snowshoe rentals and serves our need to shop. Just see the bartender at the Village Inn to arrange your sking or shopping needs.

Cross Country Skiing
As mentioned above, the Balsam Shop offers Cross Country Ski and Snowshoe rentals for the beautifully groomed ski trails throughout Mackinac Island State Park.

Mackinac Island Public Library
With a great inventory of books to enjoy and a great winter art exhibition, our library is the go to spot during the winter. The cheery interior was created by designer Carelton Varney who now manages Dorothy Draper & Co., in New York City and is the interior designer for Grand Hotel. The library's decor was specially designed to reflect the rich history of Mackinac and the traditional role of public library reading rooms. Daguerreotypes of 19th century American Literary Figures (Holmes, Longfellow, Bryant, Emerson, Lowell and Whittier) hang near the custom designed maple circulation desk.

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