Ferry ride to South Manitou Island

We awake at our campsite in Leelanua State Park to a dense fog rolling in off the lake and the sound of fog horns blaring warnings to the passing ships. Is the ferry going to run today? Will we be able to see anything if it does? We quickly check our phones to see if there are any messages from the tour company, and breathe a sigh of relief when we don’t find any. The ferry ride from Leland, MI to South Manitou Island appears to be going as scheduled.

The drive down the peninsula is very slow going due to the limited visibility (~400ft) and as we arrive at the Leland Harbor the visibility is even worse. But, we see many others already waiting on the dock and a tour employee checking people in. Question one has been answered – the ferry will run and tour is going.

The Ferry

As we board the ferry early to claim one of the inside seats, we overhear a few of the staff exclaiming that they’ve never seen fog like this last beyond daybreak.

Throughout the 1 1/2 hour journey everyone, tour employees and passengers alike, are wondering when the fog will lift and what we’ll actually be able to see today. It’s a very quiet and subdued ride as we’re completely surrounded by fog. The water is like glass and the most common sound over the engine, is the intermittent fog horns. Then suddenly, the island harbor appears in front of us. The relief felt by all is palpable.

The Island

Exiting the ferry, we are greeted with a view of the Life Saving Station. It’s now noon, but the fog is still so thick that we cannot see the lighthouse; which should be visible between the two buildings pictured below.

The island is 5,260 acres with 65% of it being beach, sand dunes, or steep slopes. The central part of the island is suitable for farming and that is where homestead claims were made as early as 1863.

The island is known for growing Rosen Rye seed and it is still grown on the island today. Rye easily cross-pollinates, so the island’s isolation is ideal for maintaining a pure strain that cannot be achieved elsewhere.

The Tour

After a quick picnic lunch we board the tour wagon and head out to explore South Manitou Island.

We begin meandering our way through very dense forest with the guide explaining that the island does not have any deer. This allows the undergrowth to flourish and many plants to grow here that are rarely seen on the mainland.

The Valley of the Giants

Our first stop is the “Valley of the Giants”; which is an untouched grove of White Cedar trees with some over 700 years old . This grove survived the logging enterprise established on the island in the 1800’s because it’s difficult to get to, and the trees were too big for the equipment at the time. These trees are currently over twice the size of an average White Cedar. Some of them are starting to lean; which according to our guide, means they are beginning to age out and die.

The Shipwreck of the Morazan

Our next stop is the Shipwreck of the Morazan. With the guide’s permission, we set out at quick pace and quickly get ahead of the rest of the group. We were warned that the viewing ledge is small and we want to get clear pictures of the wreck then move away before the rest of the group arrives. It’s a very good thing we do, because the fog completely obscures the wreck a few minutes after we take our pictures. We were the only ones in the group to actually see it.

The ship ran aground in 1960 during bad weather and no lives were lost. The small section on the left is the bow with the bulk of the ship on the right. It is now home to a colony of double-crested cormorants.

The South Manitou Island Lighthouse

Our final stop on the tour is the Lighthouse. Located on the southeast corner of the island, it was established in 1839 and was manned until 1958. We climbed the 117 steps to the top and went out onto the gallery deck to view the island from above.

It’s now time to head back to the Ferry, and begin our journey back to the mainland.

North Manitou Shoals Lighthouse (The Crib)

Boarding the ferry in the afternoon we’re hoping either the fog has lifted or the captain will take pity on us and get close enough to see the North Manitou Shoals Lighthouse.

The shoals extend several miles into the passage between the islands and the Leelanau Peninsula. So, in 1935 the lighthouse was constructed to signal to ships where the island shoals began. It was built in 26 feet of water on a square concrete crib. The lighthouse was manned until 1980 when it was fully automated. The lighthouse remains fully functional and was actually the fog horn we’d been hearing all day.

The captain took pity on us…

Given the fog, we were very lucky to be able to see everything we wanted to, and overall we had a wonderful day.