The Mackinac Bridge Walk has been held every year since 1958. The first bridge walk during the Bridge's Dedication Ceremony in June, 1958 and only 68 people walked across the Mackinac Bridge that year. The walk has been held on Labor Day every year since 1959. Most years, the Michigan Governor leads off the start of he Bridge Walk and President George H. W. Bush led the walk in 1992. The sun is rising over Mackinac Island as walkers ascend the Mackinac Bridge

Mackinac Bridge Building the Bridge 50th Anniversary of opening the bridge Windy Straits Mackinac lighthouses

The Mackinac Bridge Walk begins at 7 AM and no one is permitted to begin their walk after 11AM. Two lanes of traffic are closed for the start of the walk and motor vehicle traffic is limited to one lane in each direction. Midway in the morning, the walkers are reduced to one lane, allowing two lanes for traffic heading south.

Although the direction of the walk was south to north in the early years, the walk is now always from the Upper Peninsula to the lower Peninsula. A fleet school buses takes the majority of the walkers from the Mackinaw City side to St. Ignace. Other walkers use the busses to return to the UP. There is no fee to walk the bridge, but there is a $5 charge for the bus. The busses run from the Old State Dock in Mackinaw City from 5:30 AM until 2:30 PM.

To manage the 40-80,000 people who walk the bridge, the following are NOT permitted: smoking, signs, banners, umbrellas, bicycles, roller skates, skateboards, wagons and other similar devices. Baby strollers and wheelchairs are allowed on the bridge during the walk. The ONLY animals permitted are working service dogs.

There are no rest rooms on the bridge, but there are huge banks of portable toilets at both ends. Although the walk can be completed in about an hour, the typical walk will take about 2 hours. No running or jogging is permitted.

400 runners and wheeling athletes are permitted to run across the Mackinac Bridge at the start of the walk. They are selected by a lottery a this web site. There is a fee for participation in the walk.

For many years, there was a walking race at the beginning of the Mackinac Bridge Walk. Competitors were required to walk heal to toe and running or jogging could result in a disqualification. The mightymac.org Webmaster competed in the walk in 1967 at age 13 and finished 5th in his age group with a time of about 56 minutes.

copyright 1959-2012 by Keith Stokes. These Mackinac Bridge photos may not be reproduced without written permission. My home page