Traveling to South Manitou Island is a day-long commitment. The boat from Leland leaves at 10AM. You get to the island about 11:30 and have until 4PM, when the boat returns to pick people up, docking back in Leland about 5:30PM. As day trips go, though, this might be one of my all-time favorites.
Most visitors to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will only see the islands of South Manitou and North Manitou as lines on the horizon. I wanted more than that. I wanted to be out there on the water to experience the lake itself. The day trip to South Manitou Island, 18 miles offshore, included three hours on the water. Ah, just the adventure I was looking for!
About an hour out of Leland, the boat passed the North Manitou Shoal Light Station. Locally known as “The Crib” in reference to its construction design, it was built in 1935. Until 1980, it was run by humans, but since then, it’s an automated light station. A group is restoring it and started giving tours this summer; you can read more at the link at the bottom of this post.
Lake Michigan has a long history of brave souls who staffed lifesaving stations like this one on South Manitou Island. The team would haul this massive rowboat (which also had a sail) down to the shore and launch it into the stormy waters in search of mariners who had issued a distress call. The bravery of these men in the stories recounted in each lifesaving station I’ve visited leaves me in awe of their courage. As a mariner in another life, I appreciate their efforts, and I appreciate the Park Service and others who have worked so hard to commemorate their lives and work.
While you can hike around South Manitou Island, the tour company that runs the boat service also does a trailer tour, where you sit on benches in an open trailer towed by a tractor. It sounds kind of odd but it totally works to get you to the interior of the island and see the most notable sights and yet not miss the boat home at 4PM. The tour guide was very knowledgeable about both islands and his stories added a layer of history to what we were seeing.
The interior of the island, other than the one lake, is heavily forested. There are no deer on the island, so nothing to eat the underbrush or tree seedlings. The result is a thick canopy overhead and a ground-level view that reminded me of the Hoh rain forest in the Pacific Northwest.
To continue with that comparison, the island has a stand of old growth cedar trees, their shaggy bark being the very thing that protected them from being harvested when all the other stands of cedars had been cut down. It turns out the salty, sandy air embedded sand into the bark so when the foresters tried to cut down one of these trees, their blades would quickly turn dull. Eventually they gave up, and the cedars are now part of a hike that I quite enjoyed. We scrambled up and over downed trees, muddy trails, and rocky paths, and I loved every minute of it.
The shot below has a few hikers in it to give you a scale to see how tall the trees are and how thick the forest is. Combine that with no lights, cars, mechanical noises and other human inventions and you really do feel like you’re in the middle of a tiny island in the middle of a very big lake.
One of the other notable stops on the tour was the Morazan shipwreck site. Everyone got off the boat but the ship itself could not be saved and the waves and wind are slowly sinking what is left of it.
After the formal tour was over, I wandered down to the water, where the last of this summer’s biting flies were laying in wait. So I gave up on that idea, and checked out the lighthouse (not open for tours due to COVID-19) and then did a little more hiking around to see views. I could see the tour boat coming for us so I slowly walked back to the dock, one of the last people to board.
Would I do this day trip again? Oh, yes, please!
Want to Know More?
- South Manitou Island
- North Manitou Shoal Light Station
- Manitou Island Transit (ferry service)
- SS Francisco Morazan
Just a perfect day, problems all left alone.
I’ve been to Northport many times, but have never gone out to the island. I think we can see them from my friend’s beach. It looks like it would be a lot of fun, minus the flies.
I think in the right season (fall?) the flies are gone. The trip is worth it for the boat ride and for the “wow, we’re a long way from everywhere else” feeling of being on the island for a day.