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Michigan, United States · Population 583
Boats first, then the weather that stops them, then the lake that shapes the shoreline; freight explainer follows as the practical reference.
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Mackinac Island Ferries
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Weather & Straits Warnings
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How High Is the Lake?
Freight boats, horse-drawn drays, mail by boat and plane — how packages, groceries and building materials actually reach a car-free island, and what changes in winter.
What to bring, how dorm housing and pay work, getting on and off the island, and staying healthy — the practical knowledge seasonal workers usually learn the hard way.
Questions the island keeps asking — what's open in winter, cheap eats, bikes, the mainland stop worth the boat — answered by residents and seasonal workers.
The numbers that matter — 911, the medical center and the winter air taxi — plus the city-vs-state-park split that decides who handles your street, the trails, and M-185.
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25 in (64 cm) above chart datum
1 in (3 cm) above the July average since 1918
No weather warnings for Mackinac Island and the Straits
The National Weather Service has nothing in force here right now.
Last boat off the island today: 10:30 pm
Boats running