MACKINAW CITY, MICH. — When’s the last time you really set out for adventure?
The Adventure Tour, a high-flying trek through the treetops at Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park, in Mackinaw City, is fully open for the summer and ready to welcome guests onto the Forest Canopy Bridge, Eagle’s Flight Zip Line, and Treetop Discovery Climbing Wall.
“The Adventure Tour allows our guests to get fully immersed into the natural side of Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park,” said Steve Brisson, Mackinac State Historic Parks Director. “It complements the history and natural beauty of Mill Creek while providing our guests a thrill to go along with it.”
The tour is a special, guided experience that allows visitors to learn about the park’s natural history and the layers of the forest. After winding through the north woods, guests discover the Forest Canopy Bridge. Here guests will learn about the animals and plants that live on the forest floor and then travel through the understory into the trees. Mill Creek sits fifty feet below, and the tour will pause in the middle of the bridge to learn about the advantages and challenges wildlife face when living in the trees.
Next is the 425’ Eagle’s Flight Zip Line. The adrenaline starts pumping while standing on the platform, 40 feet above the creek. After taking that jump, guests are now an eagle gliding over the pond to catch a brook trout that was spotted from a perch in the trees.
Finally the tour reaches the Treetop Discovery Tower Climbing Wall. Here guests will scale more than five stories and learn about the various birds that call Mill Creek home while listening to the birds’ calls. Be sure to also head up the stairs on the back of the tower to take in an awe-inspiring view of the Straits of Mackinac.
The Adventure Tour is opens daily with Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park. Tours take place every half hour beginning at 9:30 a.m., with the last tour at 5:00 p.m. Each tour can have a maximum of 20 people. Tours are $11.00 per person in addition to general Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park admission, and can only be purchased upon arrival. Special restrictions apply to the tour, and can be found by clicking here. Tours may be canceled due to inclement weather.
Mill Creek was originally established in 1790 by Robert Campbell to provide sawn lumber for nearby Mackinac Island. Campbell also operated a farm, with hay fields, cattle and an extensive orchard. A gristmill was eventually added to the operation. In 1819 the mill and farm were purchased by Mackinac Island merchant Michael Dousman. He continued operations on the site through the 1830s. Abandoned and eventually forgotten, Mill Creek was rediscovered in 1972. After extensive archaeological work, the site opened in 1984. The Adventure Tour was added in 2008. Today, visitors can watch the reconstructed sawmill in operation and explore the natural history of the site through trails, exhibits and naturalist programs.
A downloadable version of this release can be found here. Additional pictures provided upon request. More information about Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park can be found here.
Mackinac State Historic Parks, a family of living history museums and parks in northern Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac, is an agency within the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Its sites—which are accredited by the American Alliance of Museums—include Fort Mackinac, the Biddle House, The Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum, American Fur Co. Store & Dr. Beaumont Museum, McGulpin House, and Mackinac Island State Park on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park and Michilimackinac State Park in Mackinaw City. Mackinac State Historic Parks is governed by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, established in 1895 to protect, preserve and present the parks’ rich historic and natural resources for the education and recreation of future generations. Visitor information is available at (231) 436-4100 or online at www.mackinacparks.com.
