Michigan highway M-185 is the only state highway in the country that does not allow cars.
It is an 8-mile narrow paved road that runs along the entire perimeter of Mackinac Island, and it is only open to bicycles, pedestrians, horses, and horse-drawn carriages.
A trip around the island on the M-185 offers stunning views of the Straits of Mackinac and other historic sites such as Main Street, Fort Mackinac, Mission Point, Arch Rock, British Landing, and Devil’s Kitchen.
Along the road, you can see many little rock towers, called Cairns, which are built by passersby along hiking and biking trails as a memorial to having been on that trail.
We set out early one morning to bike the M-185. Unsure as to whether our son could bike the full 8-miles alone, we got him a tag-along bike, and our daughter and my camera bag rode in the Burley.
Along the Eastern side of the island, we stopped to build our family cairn which ended up being 4 little cairns grouped together.
The views from the road are simply beautiful. Next time we’ll take it a little slower and add a picnic lunch along the route. Because I am praying that there will be a next time!
Pingback: a grand birthday ~ mackinac island. |