Hi there!
St Ignace is known for being on the Upper Peninsula side of the Mackinac Bridge.
It’s also one of the cities that you can take a ferry to Mackinac Island.
If you are driving to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from the Lower Peninsula, then the eastern part of the UP will be your welcome to the Upper Peninsula right after you drive across the Mackinac Bridge!
I made a stop at St Ignace during my 2-week UP road trip, and here’s what you need to know about St Ignace!
1. Straits State Park
On the shores of Lake Huron on the UP side of the bridge is Straits State Park.
From here, you can see the Mackinac Bridge.
You can also see the Mackinac Bridge from higher ground, where there’s also a picnic spot.
You can drive here, or if you’re on lower ground you can also take the trail up.
At the shoreline there’s also a spot to sit and rest, and there’s also a small beach here so you can go swimming with Mackinac Bridge views.
Camping in St Ignace
There’s also the Straits State Park campground, and it’s possible to get a lakefront campsite with views of the Mackinac Bridge!
2. Father Marquette National Memorial
This is actually a part of Straits State Park, but it’s located in a different area from the main shoreline area of the park.
The Father Marquette National Memorial is a national memorial as designated by the National Park Service.
Marquette was from France, and he is known for traveling large distance of waterways by canoe in the 1600s, including a great length of the Mississippi River from north to south.
You can read more about the history of Michigan and the Great Lakes area by visiting the memorial, and you can read about the history here too.
Nearby the memorial, you’ll also find some more walking paths, including one that leads to an overlook with Mackinac Bridge views where you can also sit and relax!
3. Bridge View Park
This is another spot where you can get views of the Mackinac Bridge!
This is on the opposite side of the bridge compared to the Straits State Park shoreline.
This means that you get to see Mackinac Bridge from the shores of Lake Michigan.
Here you’ll also find a tribute to those who lost their lives in building the Mackinac Bridge, said to be one of longest suspension bridges in the world.
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4. Huron boardwalk
If going for a nice stroll alongside the lake sounds good to you, you can do so by walking the Huron boardwalk! You can find picnic tables along the way too.
You can also make it a self-guided historic St Ignace walking tour.
5. Wawatam Lighthouse
The Huron boardwalk can also take you to Chief Wawatam Park. You’ll find the Wawatam Lighthouse at the end of the boardwalk on this end.
At Chief Wawatam Park, you’ll also find some benches to sit with lake views, and there’s also a fountain with water spraying from the ground that kids can have fun running through in the summer.
It’s possible to get a ferry to Mackinac Island from both the Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula.
In the Upper Peninsula, there is a ferry to Mackinac Island from St Ignace that you can get from right next to Chief Wawatam Park.
See more about Wawatam Lighthouse.
6. Castle Rock
You can climb up a bunch of stairs to hike up to the Castle Rock overlook so you can get a grand view of Lake Huron from above.
The cost to go up is like $1.
See more about Castle Rock.
PLUS…
Drive the Lake Michigan scenic highway (US-2) from St Ignace!
If you’re driving up north from St Ignace and the Mackinac Bridge, add a slight detour to your route!
You can drive with views of Lake Michigan!
You can also stop and get out to walk along the shoreline too.
For reference on google maps, drive along US-2 from the Mackinac Bridge to around Brevort before you make your way up north. See the map.
Alternatively, be sure to drive along this road on your way back down south!
Day trips from St Ignace
- Soo Locks
- Point Iroquois Lighthouse
- Whitefish Point Lighthouse
- Vermilion Point Lighthouse
- Tahquamenon Falls State Park
- Crisp Point Lighthouse
Camping near St Ignace
- Straits State Park campground
- Brimley State Park campground
- Andrus Lake State Forest campground
- Tahquamenon Falls State Park campground
And those are some ideas of things to do in and around St Ignace!
More things to do around the Upper Peninsula
- Grand Marais
- Driving from Grand Marais to Pictured Rocks
- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
- Driving from Munising to Marquette
- Kitch-iti-kipi (the bubbling big spring)
And then also see things to do in the western Upper Peninsula!
HAPPY SPENDING TIME IN ST IGNACE!
👆 Driving across the Mackinac Bridge to St Ignace!
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