What Do You Do If the Mackinac Bridge Is Closed for Bad Weather and You’re Stuck in the Wrong Michigan Peninsula?

The Mackinac Bridge is a vital link in Michigan's transportation system. The roadway links Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas and carries Interstate 75 across the Straits of Mackinac.

It also happens to sit in a location very vulnerable to weather. So what happens when the bridge closes?

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It's a situation that faces drivers several times a year, particularly in winter. The straits can see intense winds and blizzard-like conditions in rough winter storms churned up by the inland seas that are the Great Lakes.

A closed Mackinac Bridge was the situation faced by drivers on a winter night in January 2025 when one Michigander lamented on social media:

The bridge is closed and we're stuck on the wrong side. Hotels are all booked up...this is gonna be a long night.

Consider that while you may have encountered the Mackinac Bridge as a tourist, there are those who live in the Straits area and beyond in Northern Lower and Eastern Upper Peninsulas who use the bridge as a regular part of a commute.

READ MORE: Many People Are Surprised To Learn How Long the Mackinac Bridge Actually Is

Unlike you who could find an alternate route should a highway you take be closed, there is no alternate route across the Straits. You're stuck.

What would that mean as nightfall approaches? It would be a likely pricey hotel room in Mackinaw City or St. Ignace depending on the side of the bridge you're on. Or sitting idle in your car as traffic backs up on the I-75 approaches.

Where to Go And Stay When the Mackinac Bridge Closes

Beyond the hotels in the Straits area, savvy travelers suggest that churches and schools in the region have opened as warming shelters should the bridge be closed for an expected long duration.

READ MORE: There Are Two Spots You Can Actually Drive Under the Mackinac Bridge

Commenters on social media offered sage advice:

Been there, done that. Spent the night in the Odawa Casino parking lot so I had a bathroom. What fun!

Why i carry sleeping bag in my truck at all times. With the bridge you just never know