They don’t all go by the name ‘National Park,’ but there are five public spaces in Michigan that are official National Park Service properties: Isle Royale National Park, Keweenaw National Historic Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, River Raisin National Battlefield Park and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Interestingly, if you go back 125 years, Michigan had only one national park. And it wasn’t one of the five national parks in the state today.
Ever hear of Mackinac National Park?
The funny thing is, maybe you’ve even visited Michigan’s first national park. After all, it still exists to this day! We now know it as Mackinac Island State Park, which makes up more than 80% of Michigan’s beloved Mackinac Island.
It was 125 years ago that Mackinac Island State Park was established as Michigan’s first state park – the first “state park” in the entire country, in fact. But for two decades before that, the majority of Mackinac Island was known as Mackinac National Park. It was the second national park in the United States, created just three years after Yellowstone National Park.
Want to know what Mackinac National Park looked like? Well, it looked a lot like Mackinac Island State Park looks today! So, if you wish you could go back in time and visit Mackinac National Park, basically you can.
- 5 things you have to see in Michigan’s original national park
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Take a look below at what the popular landmarks of Mackinac National Park looked like in the late 1800s, and how Mackinac Island State Park looks today. Thanks to Mackinac State Historic Parks for the old photos!
Mackinac Island’s Arch Rock
Mackinac Island’s iconic Arch Rock offered an unparalleled photo backdrop during the Mackinac National Park era (left), just as it does today.
Mackinac Island’s Sugar Loaf
Mackinac Island’s Sugar Loaf, as seen from below during the Mackinac National Park era (left) and from up above at Point Lookout, is every bit as much of a geological oddity today as it was then.
Historic Fort Mackinac
Mackinac Island’s historic Fort Mackinac today (right) still overlooks downtown from high above the bluffs of Mackinac Island just as it did in 1880, and back in 1780 when the British moved the fort to the island.
Mackinac Island’s Fort Holmes
An observation tower no longer stands at Fort Holmes (left) on the highest point of Mackinac Island, but you still can get a beautiful view of the Mackinac Bridge and the entire Straits of Mackinac from way up there.
Mackinac Island’s Mission Church
The oldest-surviving church building in all of Michigan, the Mission Church on Mackinac Island (right), is open daily for tours in season and is also a popular wedding venue. By the Mackinac National Park era (left), the Mission Church was already 65 years old!
M-185 on Mackinac Island
Even before a road was paved 8.2 miles all the way around the outer rim of Mackinac Island, people enjoyed getting out into Mackinac National Park to see the sights (left). These days, the road – the only state highway in the country that prohibits automobiles – makes it possible to ride a bike all the way around Mackinac Island in just over an hour at a leisurely pace.
Horse-drawn Carriage Tours of Mackinac Island
Just like during the Mackinac National Park era, a horse-drawn carriage tour of Mackinac Island remains one of the most popular ways to take in the sights of historic and natural wonders.
Mackinac National Park existed from 1875 to 1895, with soldiers at Fort Mackinac serving as park rangers. But when the U.S. military decided that it no longer needed to man Fort Mackinac, the national park and all the iconic landmarks in it were suddenly at risk. Who would preserve the historic fort and the natural wonders of Mackinac Island?
Fortunately, in stepped the state government to create Mackinac Island State Park – the first public space in the country designated as a “state park.” That was 1895.
These days, Mackinac Island State Park features several attractions:
- Historic Fort Mackinac, where you can tour some of the oldest buildings in Michigan and watch historical interpreters reenact soldier life from the 1800s
- Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum, where you’ll find artistic visions of Mackinac Island State Park’s historic buildings, wooded trails, scenic views and legendary rock formations
- Biddle House Mackinac Island Native American Museum, where you can tour the 1830s home of Edward and Agatha Biddle and explore how the first half of the 19th century dramatically changed the lives of Native Americans on the island
- Historic Downtown Mackinac, where you can watch demonstrations at the Benjamin Blacksmith Shop, learn about historic Mackinac Island architecture at the McGulpin House and visit the American Fur Company Store & Dr. Beaumont Museum to immerse yourself in the incredible story of how Dr. William Beaumont saved the life of a man with a huge hole into his stomach!
- The Mackinac Island State Park forest, where you can wander more than 70 miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails with stunning lake views and impressive limestone rock formations
Come visit Mackinac Island, Michigan’s original national park!
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