There are 8 ways to get from Evanston to Mackinac Island by train, bus, ferry, or plane
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Train, bus, ferry
best- Take the train from Chicago Union Station to East Lansing Amtrak Stationtrain
- Take the bus from East Lansing, MI to Mackinawbus
- Take the ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Islandferry
13h 14m$122–263Fly Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Traverse City, bus, ferry
cheapest- Fly from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Traverse City (TVC)plane ORD - TVC
- Take the bus from Traverse City, MI to Mackinaw Citybus
- Take the ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Islandferry
10h 4m$86–353Fly Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Pellston, ferry
- Fly from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Pellston (PLN)plane ORD - PLN
- Take the ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Islandferry
9h 24m$92–377Bus, ferry via Lansing
- Take the bus from Chicago Union Station to East Lansing Amtrak Stationbus
- Take the bus from East Lansing, MI to Mackinawbus
- Take the ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Islandferry
14h 10m$118–192Bus, ferry
- Take the bus from Chicago Bus Station to Kalamazoo Bus Stopbus
- Take the bus from Kalamazoo Metro Transit to Mackinaw Citybus
- Take the ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Islandferry
14h 41m$96–170Train, bus, ferry via Grand Rapids
- Take the train from Chicago Union Station to Grand Rapids Vernon J. Ehlers Stationtrain
- Take the bus from Grand Rapids to Mackinaw Citybus
- Take the ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Islandferry
14h 54m$116–243Train, bus, ferry #2
- Take the train from Chicago Union Station to Flint Amtrak Stationtrain
- Take the bus from Flint Amtrak to Mackinawbus
- Take the ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Islandferry
14h 58m$138–295Fly Chicago Midway International Airport to Pellston, ferry
- Fly from Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Pellston (PLN)plane MDW - PLN
- Take the ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Islandferry
11h 2m$112–507
Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Pellston (PLN) flights
Comparing Your Travel Options
The cheapest way to get from Evanston to Mackinac Island is to bus and ferry which costs $95 - $170 and takes 14h 41m.
The fastest way to get from Evanston to Mackinac Island is to fly and ferry which takes 9h 24m and costs $90 - $380.
The distance between Evanston and Mackinac Island is 480 miles.
The best way to get from Evanston to Mackinac Island without a car is to train and bus and ferry which takes 13h 14m and costs $120 - $270.
It takes approximately 13h 14m to get from Evanston to Mackinac Island, including transfers.
Mackinac Island is 1h ahead of Evanston. It is currently 2:42 PM in Evanston and 3:42 PM in Mackinac Island.
There are 88+ hotels available in Mackinac Island.
What companies run services between Evanston, IL, USA and Mackinac Island, MI, USA?
There is no direct connection from Evanston to Mackinac Island. However, you can take the train to Chicago OTC, walk to Madison & Canal, take the line 60 bus to Clinton & Jackson, walk to Chicago Union Station, take the train to East Lansing Amtrak Station, walk to East Lansing, MI, take the bus to Mackinaw, walk to Mackinaw City, then take the ferry to Mackinac Island. Alternatively, you can take the subway to Clark/Lake, take the subway to O'Hare, walk to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) airport, fly to Pellston (PLN), take the taxi to Pellston, take the line 1484 bus to Mackinaw City, walk to Mackinaw City, then take the ferry to Mackinac Island.
- Website
- united.com
Flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Traverse City
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 27m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $35–260
Rome2Rio's guide to Amtrak
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +1 800-872-7245
- Website
- Amtrak
Train from Chicago Union Station to East Lansing Amtrak Station
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 55m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $50–140
- Website
- Amtrak
Train from Chicago Union Station to Grand Rapids Vernon J. Ehlers Station
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 4m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $45–120
- Website
- Amtrak
Train from Chicago Union Station to Flint Amtrak Station
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 3m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $65–170
- Website
- Amtrak
- Phone
- +1 989-725-5105
- Website
- Indian Trails
Bus from East Lansing, MI to Mackinaw
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 20m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $40–75
- Website
- Indian Trails
Bus from East Lansing, MI to Mackinaw
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 20m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $40–75
- Website
- Indian Trails
Bus from Kalamazoo Metro Transit to Mackinaw City
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 25m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $45–85
- Website
- Indian Trails
Bus from Grand Rapids to Mackinaw City
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 5m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $40–75
- Website
- Indian Trails
Bus from Flint Amtrak to Mackinaw
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 40m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $45–80
- Website
- Indian Trails
Bus from Traverse City, MI to Mackinaw City
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 55m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $18–40
- Website
- Indian Trails
- Phone
- +1 800.638.9892
- Website
- Arnold Transit Company Homepage
Ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island
- Ave. Duration
- 15 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $25–37
- Schedules at
- Arnold Transit Company Schedules
- Website
- Arnold Transit Company Homepage
- Adult Round Trip
- $37
- Adult One-way
- $25
Ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island
- Ave. Duration
- 15 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $25–37
- Schedules at
- Arnold Transit Company Schedules
- Website
- Arnold Transit Company Homepage
- Adult Round Trip
- $37
- Adult One-way
- $25
Ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island
- Ave. Duration
- 15 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $25–37
- Schedules at
- Arnold Transit Company Schedules
- Website
- Arnold Transit Company Homepage
- Adult Round Trip
- $37
- Adult One-way
- $25
Ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island
- Ave. Duration
- 15 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $25–37
- Schedules at
- Arnold Transit Company Schedules
- Website
- Arnold Transit Company Homepage
- Adult Round Trip
- $37
- Adult One-way
- $25
Ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island
- Ave. Duration
- 15 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $25–37
- Schedules at
- Arnold Transit Company Schedules
- Website
- Arnold Transit Company Homepage
- Adult Round Trip
- $37
- Adult One-way
- $25
Ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island
- Ave. Duration
- 15 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $25–37
- Schedules at
- Arnold Transit Company Schedules
- Website
- Arnold Transit Company Homepage
- Adult Round Trip
- $37
- Adult One-way
- $25
Ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island
- Ave. Duration
- 15 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $25–37
- Schedules at
- Arnold Transit Company Schedules
- Website
- Arnold Transit Company Homepage
- Adult Round Trip
- $37
- Adult One-way
- $25
Ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island
- Ave. Duration
- 15 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $25–37
- Schedules at
- Arnold Transit Company Schedules
- Website
- Arnold Transit Company Homepage
- Adult Round Trip
- $37
- Adult One-way
- $25
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