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Ferry times, fares, parking and the last boat home
Reduced service
Mackinac Island has no cars and no bridge — every trip on or off the island is a ferry. This page is the companies' published schedule, worked out from your clock, with fares and mainland parking, so you can see the last boat home before you set out.
It is not a live feed. Weather and ice change the real times, and winter boats run only when the water allows, so always check the ferry company too.
Times are your device’s clock against the published schedule — not a live feed.
This is the published schedule — not a live feed
Times below are the companies’ published schedule. Weather and ice change the real times, and winter boats run only when the water allows — always check the operator before you travel. A ticket is usually good for any boat that day, so you don't have to lock in a departure time when you buy.
Add up a round trip for your group — ferry tickets plus mainland parking.
Ferry (round trip)
$39
Estimated total
$39
Plan around the last boat back — miss it and it’s a hotel night or a charter flight.
An estimate from the published fares below. Booking fees and exact prices are set by the companies — confirm at the dock.
Parking on the mainland
Two prices people mix up. The outlying lots are cheaper — about $10–$15 a day, or $20–$25 overnight — and run a free shuttle to the dock. The secured dockside lots cost more, about $40–$75 a night. You never have to pay for dockside parking just to catch your boat. These are typical 2026 rates; the ferry companies set them, so confirm before you go.
Lot
Where
Price
Day lot (with shuttle)
Mackinaw City
$15.00 per dayFree shuttle to the dock
Overnight lot (with shuttle)
Mackinaw City
$25.00 per nightA few blocks away; free shuttle
Dockside, secured
Mackinaw City
$50.00 per nightMore on weekends
Day lot (with shuttle)
St. Ignace
$15.00 per dayFree shuttle to the dock
Overnight lot (with shuttle)
St. Ignace
$25.00 per nightFree shuttle
Dockside, secured
St. Ignace
$40.00 per night
Free shuttle: Every outlying lot runs a free, continuous shuttle to the dock — paying for dockside parking is a choice, not a requirement.
From about November 1 to April 20, Arnold Transit runs a few boats a day from the St. Ignace Classic Dock — but only as long as the ice isn't too thick. Once the harbor freezes, usually deep in winter, the ferries stop and the island is reached by small plane from St. Ignace until spring. Winter fares are higher than summer.
Both ferry companies are now owned by the same family, and the City of Mackinac Island has called it a monopoly. In April 2026 the companies told the city they may stop running after the 2027 season unless a new agreement is reached; the current franchise ends June 30, 2027, and fares and parking have been in court. None of this changes today's boats — but it is why prices move, and why we date-stamp them here.