ST. IGNACE, Mich. — Thousands of Michiganders turned out for one of the state's most well-known annual events Monday.
The Mackinac Bridge Walk has been taking place on Labor Day every year since 1958, with the exception of 2020 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, about 30,000 people showed up for the event, that takes walkers over five miles across the Straits of Mackinac. While it wasn't a record-breaking crowd, the turnout was still on par with recent years.
"While not the largest crowd we’ve seen, 30,000 is on the upper end of the range of 21,000-35,000 participants we’ve had in recent years," said Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) Bridge Director Kim Nowack. "It was an absolutely beautiful day, with cloudless skies giving unobstructed views of the Straits of Mackinac.”
The bridge was closed to traffic at 6:30 a.m. and opened again at 12 p.m., giving all of the walkers plenty of time to make their trip.
Renewing a recent tradition from the last few years, the bridge walk started from both St. Ignace and Mackinaw City, letting walkers decide how they wanted to cross the bridge and eliminating need for additional bussing.
Below are photos of the event provided by the Mackinac Bridge Authority and the Michigan Department of Transportation.
