Old Cemetery via Beach

Old Cemetery via Beach is a 2.0-mile round trip from South Manitou’s Ranger Station to the old dock and cemetery on the island’s east shore. This is the beach route, not the separate 4.6-mile Cemetery via Road to the island’s main cemetery. The park map lists the destination and distance but doesn’t draw a detailed walking line.

Plan on about an hour; that’s an estimate from the two-mile walk, since no time or difficulty is posted. The route is nearly level, with a gravel beach and old dock pilings at the end. The exact beach path and footing aren’t described, so confirm which shoreline section is passable before setting out. The exact beach path is not drawn on the park map, so treat this shoreline route as an approximate trace rather than a signed, precise track.

William Burton and his family settled South Manitou around 1835, and by 1838 he had a house and steamboat landing here. In 1847, the village included a blacksmith shop, grocery, and barn; a wooden track several miles long carried cordwood to the dock. A little up Chicago Road from the beach, look for the old store foundation and a few graves of early settlers and sailors. Most of the village is gone, so the surviving pilings are a clear clue to where it stood.

A Sleeping Bear Dunes pass is required, and pets aren’t allowed anywhere on South Manitou Island. The hike starts by the village landing; check current island transportation and access rules before leaving Leland. There’s no food service or store on the island, so plan that part on the mainland.