January 29, 2021
At this time, Manitou Island Transit is hopeful and planning on running for the 2021 season.
We are not accepting reservations as of yet. We are hoping to be able to start taking reservations by early spring. When that time comes, we will open up our online reservation system and also update our website and social media. We will not be taking reservations ahead of that time. We can answer questions for you and the best and easiest way to do that is to email us at manitoutransit@gmail.com.
Thank you for your understanding as we proceed during this challenging time.
June 8, 2020
To our beloved customers:
We announce with the heaviest of hearts that Manitou Island Transit will not be running the ferry boat to South and North Manitou Islands this year. For the first year in over 100, our boat will stay in the harbor. We come to you with this news in hopes that you will support us and can help us get back on our feet in years following, as our relationship with the National Park Service has left us in a position where we truly have no choice this year.
As many of you know, we are very proud of our family business and its establishment in 1917 when Tracy Grosvenor started running mail boats to the islands, which ran smoothly from docks on private property until the islands were designated a National Park. This bill forced people out of their homes and off of their land which they had been farming for decades. After 67 years of our family running to the islands, the National Park Service forced us to give up our land and remove our docks to build their own. In order to make it more convenient for the rangers, the National Park decided upon the new dock locations against the advice of generations of our family including Tracy, his son George, who grew up on North Manitou Island, George’s son Mike, who spent much of his life on the water and on the islands, and Mike’s sons who now captain the ferry, each informing the National Park that these specific locations would present significant issues including frequent dock maintenance and yearly dredging. If you have traveled with us in the past, particularly last year, you know the conditions of the dock on South Manitou Island were not ideal. This year, the dock is worse than before, and the water is not deep enough for us to dock on either island. The National Park Service has not budgeted money to maintain the docks in the way that is necessary for their chosen locations.
We are truly devastated to share this news with you. It has been a challenging year to handle this on top of COVID-19. We look forward to the future when we can safely run to the Manitou Islands and share its incredible history and beauty with you again. We know many of you have gone with us to the islands for years. This is not lost on us as our family has grown up working and playing on those same islands. A big piece of our history, our heart, and our family seems missing without these islands.
If you are as sad as we are, please help us share this information. Contact Superintendent Scott Tucker and Assistant Superintendent Tom Ulrich ((231)-326-4700) at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the Regional National Park Service (402-661-1736), Representative Jack Bergman, (constituent.bergman@mail.house.gov), and Michigan Senators Gary Peters (202-224- 6221) and Debbie Stabenow (202-224-4822) to tell them how much you care about the Manitou Islands and ask them to allocate money and time to fix the docks. For those of you who are seeking alternatives to still get to the islands, call our office (231-256-9061) for more information. We desperately want to get up and running again, but we need your help. We appreciate your loyalty and patience with us as we navigate this challenging time.
Sincerely,
Manitou Island Transit
COVID 19 Statement
April 29, 2020
To our customers, employees and visitors:
Manitou Island Transit is now planning to begin seasonal operations the 1st of July, 2020. We are in the process of contacting all current reservations scheduled for May and June and you will be receiving an email with all of the information if you haven’t already.
Our number 1 priority is keeping our customers and employees safe and healthy at this time. We will continue to closely monitor the ever changing COVID-19 pandemic.
At this point we are:
-following guidance from the CDC to drive our decisions related to the virus.
-instructing our employees to take proper hygienic steps as outlined by the CDC when interacting with customers and fellow employees.
-Reminding our employees of individual actions they can implement to help curb the spread of COVID-19, including washing hands more often, avoiding close contact with people who are sick, covering coughs/sneezes, and continuously cleaning and disinfecting touched items and surfaces.
-When our trips begin, we will sanitize all of the high contact areas including but not limited to seats, handrails, doorknobs, countertops, and also ticket selling counters and waiting areas throughout the day and between all trips.
We will continue to monitor this situation very closely, and make updates as needed to ensure we are doing everything we can for our customers, employees, and communities.
Manitou Island Transit

