Both North Manitou Island and South Manitou Island will have limited visitor access throughout the 2026 season due to a major construction project.
The National Park Service is relocating the docks on both islands to safer, more sheltered locations. This project addresses damage caused by storms, shifting sand, and high-water levels. It also includes repairing historic buildings and replacing failing infrastructure. Safety and resource protection are the top priorities. For these reasons, all facilities, docks, and utilities on both islands will remain closed until the work is complete.
These improvements are funded by the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Fund and will make island access more reliable for years to come.
What Is Closed?
North Manitou Island
- Dock
- Village
- All potable water sources
South Manitou Island
- Dock
- Village
- Lighthouse
- Group campsites
- Bay Campground
- All potable water sources
The only bathrooms available on South Manitou Island are the pit toilets at Popple Campground or Weather Station Campground. In the backcountry, use a small hand trowel to dig a cathole, which is a pit for human feces. Catholes must be at least 100 feet away from trails, campsites and buildings, 300 feet from water, and 6-8 inches deep. When finished, cover the hole with dirt and other natural materials to disguise the cathole. Groups should establish a communal privy and cover it after the last use.
Toilet paper should be used sparingly, and must be either buried deep in a cathole or packed out. Place toilet paper in a sealable plastic bag to pack out. Used feminine items must be packed out.
When Will Access Resume?
- South Manitou Island: Dock and village expected to reopen in 2027.
- North Manitou Island: Dock and village expected to reopen in 2027.
Getting to the Island in 2026:
- The Manitou Island Transit Ferry will not operate because there is no safe docking location on either island during construction.
- Personal boats cannot dock. Boaters must anchor offshore and use a smaller vessel to reach shore. There are no mooring buoys or protected anchoring areas.
- Personal motorized watercraft (jetskis) are prohibited within one-quarter (1/4) mile of the Lake Michigan shoreline within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Launching, landing, or beaching personal motorized watercreaft on any Lake Michigan shoreline within the Lakeshore, including North Manitou Island and South Manitou Island is prohibited. (36 CFR Part 3 - Boating and Water Use Activities)
- Charter boats must have a Commercial Use Authorization (CUA).
- Current CUA holders:
- Manitou Passage LLC – 231-218-5853.
