Whether you climb the 207 steps from Lakeshore Drive all the way up to Arch Rock or you make your way there on bicycle or horse-drawn carriage, you deserve a break. The new Milliken Nature Center is just the place.
Located on the Arch Rock Plaza just a few steps from the picturesque limestone formation, the nature center is the No. 1 place to learn about Mackinac Island’s No. 1 sight. Inside you’ll find an exhibit called “Arch Rock: Unsurpassed in Nature’s Beauty” with dozens of historical images of the iconic attraction along with a timeline of how the arch came to be.
The Milliken Nature Center also is headquarters for detail on all the other geological wonders of Mackinac Island, highlighting how the island itself was formed eons ago and why fascinating rock formations are so common. You can even find an interactive 3D map of Mackinac Island to help you understand how and when Arch Rock, Sugar Loaf, Skull Cave and other natural landmarks appeared.
Plus, the Milliken Nature Center offers new, modern restrooms. Yay!
How To Find Arch Rock and Milliken Nature Center on Mackinac Island
Arch Rock is on the east side of Mackinac Island, just a little ways past Mission Point Resort after Lakeshore Drive veers to the north. The stairway from Lakeshore Drive is perhaps the most heart-pounding option for getting up to Arch Rock, but there are more leisurely ways of getting there:
- You can access the Arch Rock Plaza from the interior of Mackinac Island on foot or bike without having to climb so many steps. Of the many possible routes, the most direct is Arch Rock Road, which peels off Huron Road behind Fort Mackinac. The Arch Rock Bicycle Trail is another popular option.
- You can board a horse-drawn carriage tour of Mackinac Island downtown and make your way to Arch Rock in relaxing comfort, with a guide clueing you in to charming Mackinac Island details along the way.
- You can see Arch Rock from the water when taking a Mackinac Island paddling trip with Great Turtle Kayak Tours.
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How Old is Mackinac Island’s Arch Rock
Arch Rock has sparked many tales of how and when it formed. But scientific evidence suggests that it’s about 4,000 years old, hollowed out by splashing waves when water levels were much higher. Back then, much of Mackinac Island was beneath the surface of what’s known as Lake Nipissing. Then, as the lake level dropped, the water eroded softer material and left the limestone breccia intact as an arch.
That’s how many of Mackinac Island’s impressive rock formations came to be including Sugar Loaf, Robinson’s Folly, Chimney Rock, Scott’s Cave, Lovers Leap and others. The latest example is Devil’s Kitchen, which is on the west side of Mackinac Island just above the modern-day water level.
The earliest written accounts of Arch Rock come from the early 1800s, including one mention that labeled walking across the arch “a rash enterprise.” Now, as then, Arch Rock stands some 145 feet above Lake Huron and looks much the same. (It is illegal to cross the arch these days.)
See Mackinac Island’s other arches
The Future of Mackinac Island’s Arch Rock
As Mackinac Island transitioned from a military outpost to a tourism destination, Arch Rock quickly became a focal point. For example, Victorian vacationers in the late 1800s would make the trek to Arch Rock after dark to watch the moon rise through the opening.
In 1875, Mackinac National Park was created in part to protect Arch Rock and other geological features that remain in what today is known as Mackinac Island State Park.
While people have been predicting since the 1800s that Arch Rock would collapse, it is a stable rock formation that should remain intact for the foreseeable future. However, it does experience erosion from wind and water and some day will probably fall down.
That makes now the best time to come and see Arch Rock, and to visit the Milliken Nature Center for a taste of how Arch Rock’s mind-blowing history connects to what you can see all around Mackinac Island today.
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