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Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA

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ST. IGNACE
POINTS
OF INTEREST

Mackinac Bridge. In 1957 this majestic bridge finally connected Michigan's two peninsulas across the 4-mile Straits of Mackinac. It's thrilling to cross, beautiful to look at day and night. See history displays and videos at striking Bridgeview Park off the St. Ignace approach. ... more

Bridgeview Park. Great views up at the Mackinac Bridge from a pleasant park with picnic shelters. Interesting historical video monitors and pictures with text about the bridge and previous transporation across the Straits are in an enclosed pavilion with restrooms. ... more

Museum of Ojibwa Culture. See how Ojibwa social values and their subsistence culture adapted to the climate. View change at the Straits in the 1660s from the native perspective of indigeous Ojibwa and Odawa and Huron newcomers, when the French fur trade was moving in. A fine small museum. ... more

Marquette Mission Park. The peaceful park has well-done interpretive panels about the Straits history of Ojibwa, Odawa, and Huron people and Father Marquette's Catholic mission, possibly at this very location. An authentic Huron longhouse and Ojibwa tipi are open without charge. ... more

Native Expressions Ojibwa Museum Store. This peaceful shop carries traditional crafts (quill work, baskets, more) plus certified contemporary Native American art. Here too is the U.P.'s largest selection of books and music about Eastern Woodland Indians and French-Canadian Great Lakes history ... more

Downtown St. Ignace. Downtown highlights: an interesting book and magazine store, a shop with antique lighting and furniture, and a choice new arcade of shops ... more

Huron Boardwalk. A mile-long harborfront path with benches shows off a busy harbor and has Mackinac Island views. Interpretive signs and a Mackinaw boat convey the area's rich history ... more

American Legion Veterans Memorial Park. A waterfront park with picnic area, telescope, popular play structure, and beach often used by scuba divers visiting shipwrecks. At the nearby Star Dock, Mackinaw Parasailing ... more

Sunset Cruise or Vespers Cruise under the Mackinac Bridge. 1-hour narrated ferryboat cruise or vespers cruise take visitors under the Mackinac Bridge and out into Lake Michigan for seeing the sunset. ... more

Coast Guard Cutter Biscayne Bay. Docked at St. Ignace, this modern icebreaking harbor tug clears the Straits for freighter traffic each year and is occasionally open for scheduled tours ... more

Manley's Fish Market. Outstanding fresh and smoked whitefish, homemade jerky, and beef sticks. They can be eaten at picnic tables on a pleasant, shady lawn ... more

John Herbon Pottery Studio. John Herbon and three fellow potters work and show here. John's classic shapes are simply embellished with lizards, fish, ... more

Jabber Joe's. Offbeat variety/antique shop with frozen custard, too. Strong on candy, repro toys. ... more

Castle Rock. Stairs lead to the top of a natural limestone tower with a grand view of St. Martin Island, St. Ignace, and Mackinac ferries. A great family roadside attraction ... more

Horseshoe Bay Wilderness Trail/Hiawatha National Forest. A one-mile hiking trail through a mixed forest and wetland leads to a secluded Lake Huron beach, part of the 3,800-acre Horseshoe Bay Wilderness within the Hiawatha National Forest. ... more

Carp River Canoe Trail. An easy, scenic trout stream for family paddling with informal campsites by the river. ... more

ST. IGNACE

Carp River Canoe Trail

Just outside St. Ignace, the scenic Carp River, a trout stream, offers two days of family paddling through an undeveloped part of the Hiawatha National Forest. Paddlers can camp informally or use the Carp River Campground.

Within 15 miles of St. Ignace, this beautiful stretch of the Carp River winds past old ogging rollways, amid forests of pine, maple, and birch in a designated wilderness area. I-75 crosses the river, however, and highway noise really carries, disrupting the wilderness mood. In summer and fall the river is rated for beginners, but high waters in spring runoff (into June) are for experienced paddlers only. The recommended stretch, from to , is a two-day trip. Canoeists can camp at undesignated spots at least 50' from the river, using Leave No Trace practices.

The Carp River is a second-quality trout stream. Brook, rainbow, and brown trout are in river pools, and steelhead and salmon are near the mouth. The river passes the rustic Carp River Campground, reached by stairs up a steep bank. In three more miles it empties into St. Martin Bay on Lake Huron. Parking and a boat launch are by the river mouth.

Canoeing and camping on the Carp was one of the very favorite Hiawatha destinations for a forest service recreational specialist who worked in St. Ignace. There's no canoe livery in this vicinity at the time. For parties with two cars, it would be easy to leave one car at the river mouth and canoe to it.

For now there's no small canoe trail map. Stop by the Forest Service St. Ignace office on U.S. 2 west of the bridge for info on put-in points and occasional rapids, or for a detailed Hiawatha National Forest map. Or call weekdays, (906) 643-7900.

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