Mackinaw City, Michigan: Campground, Breweries, Hiking, Swimming

September 2022, weekdays, two nights

View from top of the hill behind site 2 in French Farm Lake Campground

French Farm Lake campsite 2

This is a free campground with no services; not even water or a trash receptacle. There is a board at the entrance with information about how to register and tag your site when camping. Information I had read online said there are seven campsites in this park; however, we only saw six sites. 

Above: the drive out of campsite 2 in French Farm Lake Campground
Below: Road back to the higher numbered sites in French Farm Lake Campground 

The road in to the campsites and boat launch is not big enough for two trailers to pass side by side, and we were fortunate that we did not encounter any traffic when we arrived or departed. Our son was with us when we arrived, so we rode in his car to check out the sites before driving in with our trailer. When departing, if you want to turn right onto Trails End Road from French Farm Lake Road (west toward I-75), be aware that this is a sharp turn by a hill, and it is not doable with a trailer in tow. It is easy to turn left, and then turn around at the park, or do a U-turn at Wilderness Park Drive with a small trailer.

Above: view of campsite 2 in French Farm Lake Campground
Below: campsite 4 in French Farm Lake Campground

Campsite 3 is the most level and spacious site we observed; however, that site was occupied when we arrived. We chose site 2, which was tricky to get out of with our 25' travel trailer. Campsites 1 and 4 were both empty during our stay, and neither of those sites were very trailer-friendly, as they are not very level. The sites at the end by the boat launch (#s 5 & 6) looked like decent sites. There were two trailers in this area that looked like they had been there awhile.

View from front of campsite 2 and through camper window
in French Farm Lake Campground

Other than the maneuvering to get out of site 2, we liked this campsite. It was secluded, and we could see the lake through the front window of our camper. It is also a closer walk to the beach from the lower number campsites.

Mackinaw City public beach

Recreation: beach, hiking, boating, fishing

It is less than one mile one-way from campsite 2 to the Mackinaw City public beach on Wilderness Drive. The public beach is sandy, beautiful, and it was calm enough for swimming. There are vault toilets and trash containers at the beach.

View of French Farm Lake from North Country Trail

North Country Trail goes through the campground. Trail parking is located on French Farm Lake Road before you get to the campsites. We observed a few small boats use the boat launch, and we observed people fishing from shore. We did not take our kayaks out on the lake because we were unable to unhook our truck from the trailer on campsite 2 and drive to the boat launch. We would definitely prefer campsite 3, if staying more than two nights.

Mackinaw City breweries

We visited Bière de Mac Brew Works and Rusted Spoke Brewing Co. We have visited both of these breweries before, and our experience this time was the same as last time: great beers and service at Bière de Mac, and Rusted Spoke is a location we would skip in the future. I do not think we are alone with our experience from observations we made during the visits. We were in town just before the fall beer festival in Marquette, and many people stopped in Bière de Mac on the way to fill growlers, etc. When we were in Rusted Spoke, the clientele was mostly local, and staff made us feel like we did not belong because we were not local (both times we stopped). Additionally, this location is more like a pub than a brewery with their own beers.

Tractor parade over the bridge when we departed Mackinaw City

Let me know if you have any questions. Safe travels!