Hi there!
It will take you 5 minutes to climb Castle Rock in St Ignace.
Well, that is how long it will take you if you don’t stop to rest as you are climbing the stairs on the way to the top of Castle Rock!
Yes, there are stairs to climb at Castle Rock!
But it will be done and over with before you know it!
So Castle Rock is one of the popular attractions in the eastern part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that you can visit soon after crossing the Mackinac Bridge.
It’ll give you grand views of one of the Great Lakes of Michigan, Lake Huron.
Side note!
Things to buy on Amazon for your adventures!
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- Lightweight quick-dry hiking shorts (comfortable shorts that are good for movement!)
- for women: hiking shorts | for men: hiking shorts
- Lightweight quick-dry hiking pants
- for women: hiking pants | for men: hiking pants
- capris for women
- Some of the best outdoor travel brands:
- When you fly: If you have an iphone, you can put an airtag tracker in your luggage so you can better keep track of it! Buy just one, or buy a pack of 4. (Read the reviews!) This also makes a good travel gift!
You can also see Paul Bunyan and Babe here
This will be at the start of the trail to the top of Castle Rock.
Map location of Castle Rock
Explore the map.
Cost to hike up Castle Rock
It’s $1 per person to see the Castle Rock overlook.
Hours
You can hike up to Castle Rock from 9am to 9pm.
No bathroom here
🌳
Read the reviews and compare prices at partner websites!
Where to stay
- Traverse City: Bayshore Resort (Day trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore)
- Mackinaw City: Baymont by Wyndham or Beach House Lakeside Cottages
- St Ignace: Best Western Harbour Pointe Lakefront or Moosewood Inn or(UP side of the Mackinac Bridge)
- Munising: The Beach Inn Motel or Scotty's Motel (Day trip to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore)
- Marquette: Hampton Inn Marquette (waterfront)
- Keweenaw Peninsula: Country Inn & Suites by Radisson in Houghton or AmericInn by Wyndham in Calumet
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Now…
Trip to Castle Rock
So for google maps, you can search for Castle Rock, and it will get you to the right place.
If you’re driving up from the lower peninsula, then Castle Rock can make for a fine first stop in the UP.
So after you’ve crossed over the Mackinac Bridge…
It’ll be about a 10 minute drive to get to the Castle Rock parking lot. As you get closer see the rock off in the distance.
Once there, to take the trail up to the top, you’ll first enter the building, which is like a small gift shop where you can also pick up some UP souvenirs.
You’ll head to the cash register to pay the “entry fee.”
Then, you’ll follow the sign to take the door outside to the Castle Rock trail.
Then, up you go to the top of Castle Rock!
Once you start up the stairs, you can make it up to the top in less than 5 minutes. Unless you take breaks.
There are some benches along the way.
And you’ve made it to the top of Castle Rock!
Take in the views of Lake Huron, along with the vast wilderness of Michigan!
And that’s a bit of what it’ll be like to hike up to the Castle Rock overlook!
See more things to do when you’re in the area:
And before crossing the Mackinac Bridge, you may consider stopping by Wawatam Park where you’ll find a small beach and views of the bridge.
Plus more great big rocks to see in the Upper Peninsula:
Plus see great tiny colorful rocks at Sable Beach and beaches of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
HAPPY HIKING TO THE CASTLE ROCK OVERLOOK!
Top places to visit in Michigan:
- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
- Upper Peninsula Michigan
- Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
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