We scheduled an 11am start time to see the Arch by kayak. We were driving from Petoskey. We thought we left in plenty of time to park and catch a ferry to get there on time. Well, we missed the 10:15 ferry by a minute, then were too far back in line to catch the 10:30. We ended up on the 10:45 ferry and I called to say we would be late. Our guide, Glen, and the two other kayakers were so gracious as to wait for us. We were so grateful! It helped that the shop is right next to the ferry dock. Glen was a great guide. He was very attentive to a member of our party that was not experienced, and gave clear direction. After we got in a groove, he answered my stream of questions about the island and was a wealth of information. He took our photo in front of the arch, and came to my hangry rescue with a granola bar I desperately needed. We were so glad to get out of the crowds and be on the crystal clear water of Lake Huron. It was so peaceful. The kayaks and life jackets were very comfortable. I highly recommend Great Turtle Kayak. read more

Great Turtle Kayak Tours - Glen - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Mackinac Island, Michigan

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What a great way to spend a few hours on the Island! Don't get me wrong, the Island is great.... transportation choices are walking, bicycling or by horse . Horses are cute, however.... When a horse has to go, a horse has to go and it isn't perfume or roses. Kayaking around the island and seeing the sights is a wonderful addition to the experience. The equipment is an excellent shape and the guides are well trained, informative and funny too. Don't forget to visit their gift shop..... nice shirts at a good price too. read more

This was such an amazing excursion! We had a wonderful tour guide named Claire who was very encouraging and had so much to share about the island. She also got some wonderful pictures of us that will for sure make my holiday card. I would highly recommend this to anyone and even recommended it to other visitors I later met on the island. read more

We had a nice time on a beautiful day kayaking on the lake for a couple of hours. The tour guide was knowledgeable and kept us safe from the ferries crossing our path. read more

Great Turtle Kayak Tours - Proof of life pic - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Mackinac Island, Michigan

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We loved our 2 hr kayak tour with Claire. A beautiful day on the lake and she was very friendly and knowledgeable. Thank you!

This kayak tour company was amazing. Our tour guide was great with info about the island and really made it enjoyable. It was my first kayaking experience and I felt comfortable in it on the water because they take care to make sure you are informed on how to feel that way before even getting in the kayak. Would definitely use them next time I'm on the island. read more

We had a great experience with our time kayaking with our guides Nathan and Will!! They were so knowledgeable and made us feel safe as well! Great job guys!! Thank you so much! read more

Great Turtle Kayak Tours - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Mackinac Island, Michigan

Incredible Guide! Will was patient, knowledgeable and entertaining. Our party had a scheduling error ( our bad), Great Kayak tours was extremely accommodating, bringing down extra kayaks and letting us join a departing tour. Lots of fun. Thanks Will! read more

We decided to splurge on this tour and we were all-around satisfied with our experience. We have a fair amount of kayaking experience, but I still enjoyed the lesson/preface by our guide. [Nick?] We lucked out and had the PERFECT weather [not too hot or cold and gorgeously sunny]. It was really great to see all the touristy sights from a different perspective. Once again I enjoyed our guides talks [and terrible puns] about the different historical places on the island. When we got to Arch Rock, the guide took all of our pictures fornus and put them in a Google Drive so we could retrieve them afterwards and then anyone who was willing waz able to go for a swim. I personally do not enjoy feeling like a beach whale while under the observation of strangers so I chose not to swim for fear of having to get back IN to my kayak but those that did get in described the expericence as [and I'm paraphrasing to edit out cursing], "brisk". I had two issues with the company and the first was that they should have changing facilities. I wasn't staying on the island and the public restrooms around this place are, to put it mildly, crowded. The second issue was pricing. They are currently the only kayak rental company there and I think this monopoly makes their prices a little high. Its $100/person regardless of single or tandem kayak [or age]. They could at least offer a coupon for one free marriage counseling session to those who are secure enough in their relationship to attempt a tandem kayak with their spouse. read more

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Biking on Mackinac Island is what everyone does. BUT - kayaking while visiting the island is something you NEED to do! We booked our 2 hour tour online a day before when we wanted to kayak. The online booking was easy and I did it off my cell phone. There are many kayaking tour options available. We went with Arch Rock because it was a beginner trip. We have gone kayaking before and the Arch Rock trip was perfect for our skill level. Finding Great Turtle Kayak is a bit of a challenge. It is next to the Butterfly House on the main street and across from the Haunted Theater. You go down a tight alley and end up on a tiny beach with tons of kayaks. Gabriel was our kayaking guide and he was great. Nice guy and took the time to make sure we were ready to go for our kayaks. He explained what and where we were going next and how to navigate the straits - along with the crazy ferries and their wakes! He interacted with us personally and shared information about himself and the island. He pointed out cool stuff in the water and on the island that I did not know. You can't get that information when biking! Seeing Arch Rock from the water was neat and Gabriel was nice enough to take a picture of us in front of it. Us fudgies had to get our tourist picture! The tour lasted two hours and Gabriel made sure to give us the full two hours on the water. My only con was the price - $80.00 a person is a bit pricey but the trip and experience was amazing. A neat thing to do when you have biked the island lots of time and want to get away from all the fudgies in town! read more

Great experience, great guide Very helpful, as this was my first kayak experience Highly recommend. Had an excellent experience read more

Such a fun experience!! Absolutely the best part of our trip to the island and we will most definitely take another tour on our next visit! Ella was an amazing guide, she was so helpful and clear in directions and we had such a great time even through so tough winds!! We really really appreciate everyone here, the couple people working in the shop were super kind too! Thanks so much! read more

Great tour guides! Fun for families. Very accommodating of everyone's needs. The guides stop and tell fun stories. If having trouble finding the kayaks, walk down the path between two buildings to saddle up. I highly recommend if looking for a fun adventure on the island. read more

Great Turtle Kayak Tours - Path to adventure! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Mackinac Island, Michigan

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Highly recommend this kayaking tour and company! We did the Arch Rock excursion which was easy enough for beginners and just absolutely beautiful. Our guide was Jacob and he shared with us several folklore stories and made the tour super enjoyable for us. One of the members in our party decided to back out last minute due to extra wind, and Great Turtle refunded us for that tour no questions asked. Five stars for sure! read more

Beautiful way to see the island! Would definitely do it again. Shout out to our tour guide, Will.

This honestly ended up being the highlight of our trip. Our guide, Anthony, was knowledgeable about the island and gave us a lot of options so we set the pace. The sunrise was amazing and we felt safe at all times. read more

Great Turtle Kayak Tours - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Mackinac Island, Michigan

Overall dissatisfied with the experience as our tour was supposed to be for Arch Rock.  We never made it all the way there as there was 2 couple's with their kids who were not strong enough to move into the wind around the final bend to Arch Rock.  Yes it was windy and a little bit harder to move but we shouldnt be punished because of this.  My 11 yr old was by himself and was able to move so it wasnt some impossible task. If there is any doubt about making it to the desired destination this should be communicated before and offered different options of a later time or different day or maybe even the less experienced people should be told of the expected weather. Tour guide was great and gave lots of good information, all the staff was great overall, but when we pay $412 to go to a destination and are forced to turn around only a couple hundred yards away because others in the party couldnt make it there, that is very disappointing.   We ended up taking a carriage tour to Arch Rock which wasnt the same experience as seeing it from the water.  As of now I wouldn't recommend because of the price we paid and not getting the full experience. read more

Pros: -2 hours Kayaking till sunset -our tour guide Kwami Cons: None! Final Verdict: Highly Recommend*** read more

Great Turtle Kayak Tours - Kwami! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Mackinac Island, Michigan

Awesome tour. Bonsey (guide) was well informed and humorous. Great way to see Mackinac Island!

I bought a tour for my finance's birthday. We did the sunrise tour with Anthony yesterday and it was amazing. Anthony was really great and made the trip interesting and fun. He also helped me a lot when I was feeling a little motion sick. We were so happy with everything!! read more

Great Turtle Kayak Tours - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Mackinac Island, Michigan

Getting up early for the sunrise tour was definitely worth it. We met Kwame at the beach at 6 am. Because it was so early, we didn't have access to coffee as the B&B wasn't serving breakfast and the coffee shops were still closed. Kwame disappeared for a couple of minutes and came back with two cups of fresh coffee for us. Once we got our gear, we were off. We got into our boats on land and Kwame pushed our boats into the water so we didn't get wet. We kayaked to the east side of the island, mostly in the dark during which Kwame provided interesting information about the various landmarks we paddled by. We watched the sun break the horizon near Arch Rock - the views were amazing. The paddle back provided a different perspective now that it was light. You could see the rock formations under water as the water is unbelievably clear. Kwame tailored the information he provided to our interests and provided some great tips for things to do and places to eat on the island. It was a very relaxing paddle and was by far the best part of our trip on the island. read more

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Kwamy was an exceptional guide!!! He has such a fun, but calming presence and made us feel like VIPs! He and the rest of the staff were careful about following Covid-19 safety precautions (ex: masks while on shore) and ensured we knew what to expect for our adventure. The water is incredible, even on a cloudy day. We had a blast! read more

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The Arch Rock tour was fantastic! Our tour guide, Anthony, was great. We had 2 adults and a 10th at old. A little choppy on the water, but not difficult. Highly recommend. read more

We are glad we did this, it made our visit to Mackinac Island extra memorable. The paddling wasn't easy, we enjoyed a fairly windy day with some waves. Everyone was very friendly and helpful though. We booked online in advance, but the day before our tour we received a call from the company saying that our tour time needed to be adjusted to accommodate a large group. Fortunately, we were able to shift our schedule slightly and tag along with the group of 19. I was assigned a wider canoe, which I found more cumbersome to paddle than a kayak. The guide took a nice photo of just the two of us in front of Arch Rock that I appreciated. read more

Amazing time! This was my first kayak trip and I had a great time! The guides, Will and Megan, were so nice and very patient with me as a first-timer. Learned some very interesting history about the island also. They took pictures of us when we stopped at arch rock and sent them in a Google link. I would absolutely do this again when I'm back on the island! Thanks Will and Megan for a great time! You guys are amazing and lots of fun! read more

I went on an Arch Rock tour in 7/2019. This was a great place to do some kayaking. The guides were friendly & awesome, the scenery was outstanding and the water was just beautiful. I'll definitely go again. read more

Just amazing. Bonsey was a fantastic guide. He did such a great job explaining sites but also went the extra mile to ensure everyone was safe. He gave brief overviews of sites we went to as well. He made sure everyone knew what they were doing rather than just sending them on their way. Will definitely be back if we come to the island again! He also offered to take pictures of everyone as well! read more

Great Turtle Kayak Tours - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Mackinac Island, Michigan

We went out even though there was only two of us (me and my brother) will was our tour guide and he was an absolute blast to kayak with and even gave us an extra long trip out we highly recommend going ask for will!!! read more

Amazing. We were greeted and treated very well by everyone involved from the person taking our reservation on the phone and answering questions to the guides on our tour. We were very impressed with the quality of the kayaks and equipment too. A definite thing to do while you are visiting the island. I've visited arch rock several times over the years but this is the first time we saw it from the water. read more

The location is very hidden away. You have to go through a gangway. took a while to find for us but ask around if you cant find it. The instructors were friendly and willing to work with newbies to kayaking. They instructed well, led the group well and my gf and I couldn't have had a better time in the water. They have 2 person and 1 person kayaks for rental and you usually go out in a group of 6-8. One of the workers even was nice enough to take pictures of my gf and I. read more

The kayak your was so much fun. The process was awesome from booking to the actual trip. The guide, Dominic, was a really sweet young man who made the trip really fun for our 9 year old boy. The water here is so clear and the scenery is beautiful, I would take this trip 1,000 times over. Absolutely loved everything about it. read more

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The waves from the ferries are fun to surf. The sunset was great. The water was clear - very comfortable (I was expecting cold). We had a nice calm warm sunny day so everything was set for a memorable event and it was the highlight of our trip. Swami was fun and friendly. As a matter of fact, I wondered down to the shore/launch site between shifts and the entire crew entertained my inquisition and were so inviting and cool I decided to go that night. They told me it was great and I would love it and I did. I am now in the market for a kayak. This is just one of those cool events you either choose to do or spend the rest of your life regretting (or not knowing) what you missed out on. I will remember the kayaking and being part of the water as opposed to a simple spectator thereof for life. read more

Great Turtle Kayak Tours - Sunset Tour - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Mackinac Island, Michigan

Anthony did a great job and was an excellent guide. He was very patient and we appreciated the fact that safety was paramount to the company. The tour was a lot of fun, learned some fun facts along the way! Worth the time and effort! read more

Great experience! My husband and I did the one hour tour which stayed around the marina but we still saw some interesting sights and it was a great beginner experience since neither of us has kayaked before. Reed was super friendly and helpful getting us into our kayaks and Anthony was an excellent guide! He remembeed our first names (all 11 of us!) and he took photos of each group and text them to us, very nice touch. Highly recommend this tour if visiting Mackinac Island!! read more

What can we say. This tour is legit! Our guide, Anthony, was super fun and knowledgeable. We had a group of 9 who were pretty much novices with ages ranging from 12 to 40. Everyone on the trip enjoyed the experience and all said they want to go back. This company is strongly recommended. read more

My daughter, 15; son, 13, and myself signed up a week in advance so we didn't miss out on this exciting opportunity. The water was a bit choppy to use the SUP's and my daughter wanted to use the SUP. The tour guide specialized our tour in order for my daughter to use the SUP. His goal being certainly for us to enjoy our excursion rather than merely staying on task. I did not wear a swimming suit and my shorts got a little wet from our group splashing each other. The guide matched our equipment to our size and ability level. I would highly recommend everyone to go on at least one of these safe, exciting, eye capturing, excursions in order to experience the island from a different viewpoint. We can say now, "we went kayaking on Lake Huron!" read more

Excellent sunset trip. Our guide Olivia was wonderful, energetic, and knowledgeable about the area. We had a great time and would recommend!

I cannot recommend this experience enough. It was my first time in a kayak - although I was nervous at first, Paul was a great instructor and I warmed up quickly to being out on the lake. I took the sunset tour, and it was absolutely incredible to get the view of the bridge and the island from the water. It was definitely my favorite part of my trip to Mackinac! read more

Fun, relaxed environment. Guides are great but wish we could rent kayaks to explore on our own.

6 of us did the 2 hr kayak tour today with Anthony as our guide! The entire group of staff were fabulous, fun, friendly and very professional. Highly recommend for a day of fun. The weather was perfect! Five star fun - from The Boss! read more