Is too much screen time getting to you? Are you tired of staring at a computer or sitting in traffic? If so, it might be time to unplug and get back to nature. For a memorable and serene outdoor escape, try visiting Michigan’s Mackinac Island.
A few quirky details make this destination idyllic for outdoorsy types. First, 80% of the island is designated as a state park — Mackinac Island State Park, specifically. Second, Mackinac Island has been almost entirely car-free since July 6, 1898. Except for emergency vehicles, no cars are allowed on the island. Instead, people on the island embrace walking, biking, and horse-drawn carriages.
So, get ready to ditch your car and discover a new world. With this guide, you can find some of the best ways to explore and enjoy Mackinac Island.
A charming seaside escape rests just off the eastern coast of Florida. Amelia Island, part of the Sea Islands, has been a beloved destination for hundreds of years. Throughout history, the region’s beauty has even driven several different countries to battle over it. Today, let’s discover what makes this spot so beloved.
Like most islands, Amelia Island offers beaches galore. While these sandy shores are noticeably pristine, they alone aren’t what makes the island so special. Instead, the beauty comes from the beaches, marshes, animals, plants, and landmarks working together to build a landscape like none other. Explore each of these elements in this list of seven things that keep people coming back to Amelia Island.
Not many people get to visit Mitlenatch Island, and the seabirds like it that way. This important nesting site rests in the middle of the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia and Vancouver Island. Mitlenatch means “calm waters all around” in the Coast Salish language. But visitors might wonder if they were joking. The wind often kicks up too much for folks to land on this island, which is only accessible by boat.
When I visited, my group got lucky and arrived on an idyllic spring day. Mitlenatch is in a rain shadow, so it only gets about 30 inches of rain annually — which is nothing in coastal British Columbia. We stopped off at Mitlenatch as part of a five-day cruise via posh catamaran with the Victoria-based company Maple Leaf Adventures. If you’re interested in birds or plants, it’s a fascinating trip to take.
How to reach Mitlenatch Island
Visiting Mitlenatch on a calm spring day was delightful. After walking on the island, we circumnavigated it by boat to watch sea lions and harbor seals lounging on rocks. Several tour groups and water taxis offer service from nearby Cortes Island or Vancouver Island. Depending on the weather and the condition of your muscles, it’s also possible to kayak to Mitlenatch.
You could kayak to Mitlenatch. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Cactus and wildflowers
Greg Shea, our boat’s naturalist, told us we were looking for cactus on Mitlenatch. What?! I’d never heard of cactus growing in British Columbia. But sure enough, we found prickly pears, thanks to the rain shadow.
Wild cacti growing in British Columbia! / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Spring is also the time to see wildflowers blooming. Local species include purple camas, pink pea flowers, yellow monkey flowers, and chocolate lilies. While most of the surrounding islands have tall trees, Mitlenatch is mostly treeless due to the rain shadow and “shallow dry soils.” This lower flora profile makes for gorgeous wildflowers.
Chocolate lilies. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Mitlenatch’s seabirds
Mitlenatch is a protected area for nesting birds. Over a thousand pairs of glaucous-winged gulls nest here, arriving in April to pick out their breeding territory. Pelagic cormorants nest on the island’s steep cliff faces and narrow ledges. Double-crested cormorants, northwestern crows, pigeon guillemots, and black oystercatchers also rely on the island for safe nesting. My group took turns in a blind, where we watched a colony of gulls on a rock outcropping.
Birds at Mitlenatch Island Nature Reserve. / Photo by Andrea_44
Volunteer projects
The only people allowed to stay on Mitlenatch are volunteers with the Mitlenatch Island Stewardship Team (MIST). I met Heidi Tonn and Rodney Mitchell, who have volunteered for a week every summer for 30 years. The couple had five students with them during my visit.
“We do a whole bunch of different citizen science during our weeks here,” Tonn said. Volunteer stays coincide with the four-month-long seabird breeding season. “During that period of time, we’re here just to keep a presence, to keep it protected,” Tonn added. Volunteer activities include bird counts, beached bird studies, intertidal surveys, plant phenology, and removing invasive species.
The humble but much beloved volunteer cabin. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
