South Manitou Cemetery Trail

South Manitou Cemetery Trail is a 4.6-mile out-and-back from the Ranger Station to the island’s main historic cemetery. The route goes west from the village, then north on an unpaved road to the cemetery, about a mile beyond the old schoolhouse. You return by the same road. Allow about 2½ hours; the distance, rather than a big climb, is the main commitment.

This is an inland road walk, not a dune crossing or a shoreline hike. The unpaved track and footway lead through the island’s historic interior to a small cemetery in a grassy clearing among trees. The cemetery is the route’s main payoff, so choose it for island history rather than a dunes or shoreline walk.

The village schoolhouse, passed on the way north, dates to 1899 and served grades one through eight. Teachers also took on nursing and other jobs in a small island community. The cemetery holds descendants of several early island families. Aaron and Julia Sheridan and their son Robert drowned in a boating accident in 1878 while returning to the island; their descendants placed markers for them here in 2006. Bertha Peth, who spent most of her adult life on South Manitou, was remembered locally as the “Island Queen.”

Pets aren’t allowed on the island, and a park pass is required. There’s no food service, store, or medical center on the island. Start at the Ranger Station in the village and check the park’s current boat access and landing arrangements before planning the trip. If you want a much shorter village walk, the lighthouse route is listed at 0.6 miles round trip from the same starting area.