More than 130 years ago, one of Mackinac Island’s most famous visitors boarded a luxury steamship in Cleveland and embarked on a multi-day journey to northern Michigan that included a speaking engagement at Grand Hotel. Mark Twain’s voyage by boat across Lake Erie and up the Detroit and St. Clair rivers into Lake Huron was similar to what many Victorian vacationers experienced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
They would board that era’s “cruise ship” and make a direct connection from Ohio to Mackinac Island. Travelers from Columbus or Cincinnati often would first take a train to Cleveland, Toledo or Detroit, then hop on a steamer bound for Mackinac Island. The water segment of the trip would take 30 hours or more, and guests were treated to private staterooms, formal dining rooms and grand staircases.
These days, other modes of transportation have usurped the romantic steamships of yesteryear – although modern Great Lakes cruise ships do make stops at both Cleveland and Mackinac Island. Here’s a closer look at how today’s travelers make their way to Mackinac Island from Ohio cities such as Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo:
Driving to Mackinac Island: Getting from Ohio to Mackinac Island by Car
Since the mid-20th century, the automobile has been the dominant form of transportation for Ohioans traveling to Mackinac Island. Interstate 75 is the land version of Twain’s steamer route, crossing into Michigan north of Toledo and along both Lake Erie and the Detroit River on its way to Mackinaw City.
From Toledo, the drive to Mackinac Island is a straight shot up through Michigan for about 4.5 hours. (It’s actually a little quicker and shorter to take U.S. 23 north instead of I-75, then reconnect with I-75 near Flint.) Along the way, you’ll pass by Michigan cities including Ann Arbor, Flint, Saginaw and Gaylord.
From Cleveland, it’s about a 6-hour drive when starting the trek on the Ohio Turnpike. From Columbus, it’s about 7 hours on both U.S. 23 and I-75. And from Cincinnati, it’s about 8 hours on I-75 most of the way.
The catch is that you can’t drive all the way to car-free Mackinac Island. Once you arrive in Mackinaw City, you can park your car and board a ferry boat to Mackinac Island. (If you’d like to cross the Mackinac Bridge first, then you can hop on a Mackinac Island ferry boat in St. Ignace, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.) The ferry will drop you and your luggage off right at the dock, and you can walk or take a horse-drawn taxi to wherever you’re staying. Some places to stay will have a dockporter fetch your bags from the ferry.
What To Do With Your Car When Visiting Mackinac Island
Flying to Mackinac Island: Getting from Ohio to Mackinac Island by Plane
While most Mackinac Island visitors arrive by ferry boat from Mackinaw City or St. Ignace, there also is air traffic into Mackinac Island Airport. These are mostly charter flights coming from airports around the country or short, 7-minute commercial trips from St. Ignace.
Many people who fly most of the way from Ohio to Mackinac Island will take a commercial flight into Pellston Regional Airport (PLN), Traverse City Cherry Capital Airport (TVC) or Chippewa County International Airport (CIU) near Sault Ste. Marie and then rent a car or take a shuttle to the ferry docks in Mackinaw City. Other will drive to the airport in St. Ignace and catch an air taxi with Fresh Air Aviation or Northwoods Aviation.
Non-stop, direct flights from Ohio airports to northern Michigan are rare. Flights to Pellston and Traverse City generally connect through Chicago or Detroit, while flights to CIU connect through Chicago, Detroit or Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Most major Ohio airports including Akron-Canton (CAK), Cincinnati, (CVG) Cleveland (CLE), Columbus (CMH) and Dayton (DAY) offer easy access to Detroit (DTW).
Tips for Flying to Mackinac Island Airport
Taking a Cruise to Mackinac Island: Getting from Ohio to Mackinac Island by Boat
This is far less common than it was in Twain’s day, yet some Mackinac Island visitors still do arrive by boat. In fact, there are a handful of Great Lakes cruise ships that make Mackinac Island a port of call.
For example, the American Great Lakes Cruise is a two-week trip between Milwaukee and Buffalo, N.Y. with stops in both Toledo and on Mackinac Island. And the Pearl Mist goes on a 15-day Great Lakes Explorer journey that hits all five lakes with stops in both Cleveland and on Mackinac Island.
Cruise shops that stop on Mackinac Island typically dock in the morning, giving passengers the day to explore the island. Things to do include horse-drawn carriage tours, visits to historic Fort Mackinac, bike rides along the car-free streets, shopping charming boutiques, tasting world-famous Mackinac Island fudge and much more.
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