▼ A very compact three-person elevator takes you from the bridge surface to the top. You then climb into the structure, up two sets of ladders, and out through a hatch in the middle of the cross-section...

▼ (Left to right) Msgr. George Michalek, Bishop Jim Murray, Sr. Joan Meerschaert, and I visited the top of the north tower in Summer 1991. Note the hatch at the bottom of the photo. It is through this hatch that you pop onto the top after climbing two flights inside the structure. I would guess it to be about eight feet between the two railings. Behind us, you'll see a 10-step ladder which you can climb to walk around the aviation lamp. You are protected by a small railing. On the other side of the railing, it's straight down 552 feet to the water. To the left of the aviation lamp is a small rope that keeps visitors from walking down the cable as painters and other maintenance workers do. It's a view that simply defies description!

▼ I took this picture looking over the railing. A dissying angle...

▼ A nice view from the top, clear or foggy (I did not take these pictures).

Pedestrian traffic is prohibited on the bridge except on Labor Day when the northbound lanes are closed to vehicles. The governor usually walks (or jogs!) the bridge first, then hundreds of thousands of other vacationers follow. Pedestrians always walk/jog from the north to the south. I walked the bridge in the mid-1990s, and I think that's enough for awhile. It's not a hard walk, or scary (it's quite a thrill!), but there are just soooo many people. You have to find a hotel room the night before, get up about 5:00 AM, park your car south of the bridge, take a school bus to the north side, then wait for the governor to start the walk south. By the time you are back in your car, you are pooped! (I did not take this picture.) ▼

▼ Two post cards from 1958...

▼ An envelope stamped on the first day the bridge opened...

▼ Brass medallion (or key chain) commemorating the opening in 1958,
with the image of Michigan Governor G. Mennen "Soapy" Williams.
1¼" diameter

Mackinac Bridge official website | US-27 in Michigan | Email