Mackinac Island is 4.4 square miles (11.3 sq. km). 2.8 sq. miles are preserved as state park. The maximum elevation of the island is 150 feet above the lake level.

Mackinac Island is accessible only private boats, by ferry from St. Ignace or Mackinaw City and small planes. The airport has a 3,500 foot paved runway and charter service from the mainlands is available. After winter freezeup, the island is accessible by snowmobile. Residents save their Christmas trees at British Landing which are placed along a route marking 5 miles of safe ice. Travel on the island is by foot, bicycle or horse-drawn carriage. Both bicycles and carriages are available for rent although inexperienced carriage drivers are cautioned to avoid busy town areas. An 8.5 mile road rings the island and numerous roads cover the interior.

The island was at the center of a thriving fur industry beginning in the 17th century and lasing into the early 19th century. The Mackinaw Fur Company was merged with the Southwestern Fur Company by John Jacob Astor to form his American Fur Company.

The island changed hands from the French to the British after the French and Indian War. Ownership reverted to the Americans after the American Revolutionary War. Subsequently it was the site of the first engagement in the War of 1812 but again returned to America by treaty in 1815. In 1875 it was given special federal protection, second only to Yellowstone National Park. When Fort Mackinac closed in 1905, the land was given to the state of Michigan and it became Michigan's first state park, Mackinac Island State Park which allows no camping.

Mercator projection: public domain Online Map Creation

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