Mackinaw City, the Straits, and Wilderness

The very top of Emmet County meets the Straits of Mackinac. Lakes Michigan and Huron join here, and the Mackinac Bridge soars across to the Upper Peninsula. Mackinaw City sits right at the foot of it — the Emmet County side lies in Wawatam Township. It’s one of Michigan’s biggest tourist towns and the jumping-off point for ferries to Mackinac Island. In town you’ll find the reconstructed 1700s fort at Colonial Michilimackinac, the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, and big views of the bridge. Just west of town, the Headlands International Dark Sky Park draws stargazers to some of the darkest skies in the region.

West along the Lake Michigan shore, Bliss Township holds Wilderness State Park. The park covers thousands of acres of forest and wetlands, plus more than twenty miles of wild, undeveloped shoreline. The hiking, camping, and beaches are all great. Carp Lake Township, just south of Mackinaw City, is quieter country around Paradise Lake and the community of Carp Lake.

For buyers, this end of the county is a mix. Mackinaw City is tourist-driven, with lots of seasonal lodging and cottages. Bliss and Carp Lake hold large stretches of woods, lakeshore, and state land, where you can find rural acreage and waterfront away from the crowds. Homes out here are on wells and septic (see the well-and-septic note).