The Year the Fishtown Ferry Didn't Sail: Leland's Fall, and What Comes Back in 2027

"The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park Service have closed both South and North Manitou Islands docks for the whole 2026 season. Manitou Island Transit will not be running any trips."

That notice sits at the top of the Manitou Island Transit website. It explains the empty slip at the Fishtown dock better than any rumor at the coffee counter. The ferry is a Grosvenor family operation that traces its origins to a federal mail contract awarded in 1917. It has carried passengers from Leland to the islands for generations. In 2026 it canceled every regular trip because neither island had a usable public dock.

The quiet at the dock was the most visible part of a larger rebuild. Work is underway on the islands and on the mainland in the same year. This fall the mainland side mostly finishes, while the island side runs into 2027.

Why the docks came out

The cause is sand. The National Park Service says sediment kept piling up around the old crib docks on North and South Manitou, which forced repeated, expensive dredging. In 2020 the ferry couldn't dock at either island because the sand wasn't dredged in time. Manitou Island Transit won a breach-of-contract case against the park service over that season in 2023.

The fix is a relocation. Crews are building new docks on both islands at sites the park says are better protected from storms, high water and shifting sand. The new docks are flow-through, pile-supported designs, so sand can pass underneath instead of building up. The same project rehabilitates historic buildings and replaces failing drinking water, wastewater and electrical systems on the islands.

The price has grown with the design work. An early park service estimate put construction at $31.86 million. An April 2026 Department of the Interior fact sheet lists project funding at $52.73 million, an increase of about 66 percent. Park superintendent Tucker told MLive the scope did not change, and that the higher figure reflects "a more detailed design and updated construction estimates."

During construction, private boats cannot tie up at either island either. The NPS South Manitou page, last updated September 25, 2026, says boaters must anchor offshore and take a smaller vessel to shore. It also notes there are no mooring buoys or protected anchoring areas.

What a summer without the boat cost Fishtown

The ferry usually brings a summer crowd through Fishtown on its way to the boat. Leelanau News reported in May that the islands usually draw 10,000 to 11,000 summer visitors, and that the number could fall to the hundreds without regular ferry service. Nels Carlson told the paper he expected the lost foot traffic to hurt sales at other Fishtown businesses, the T-shirt and ice cream purchases that come from people waiting to board. He said his main worry was not his own shop. No one has published a measured dollar figure for the season, so the real impact will be clearer when the shops reopen in spring.

The legal side has been settled. The federal government agreed to pay Manitou Island Transit $101,417 to resolve a lawsuit over dock access, with no admission of liability. The parties dismissed the case on July 9. The release covers claims tied to North Manitou docks and closures. MLive noted it does not expressly mention South Manitou.

The mainland half finishes first

While the island work went on, Leland ran a construction season of its own. The first project is already done. The Leelanau Historical Society held its September 12 Leelanau Maritime History Festival on the newly built Leland River boardwalk at 203 E. Cedar Street. This year its wooden boat show was renamed the Jim Wenstrup Wooden Boat Show.

The second project is the one drivers deal with every day. The Michigan Department of Transportation is repaving nearly a mile of M-22 through the village, from Hill Street to Reynolds Street. The work runs from September 8 through November 11 and includes new concrete curb and gutter, sidewalk improvements and fresh pavement markings. Expect single-lane closures with traffic regulators, periodic parking lane closures and possible Saturday work, according to the Leelanau Ticker.

That November 11 end date falls between the village's two biggest late-season weekends. The Halloween events come during the repaving window. Light Up Leland comes two weeks after it ends.

The calendar runs through the work zone

Here is how the dated events line up against the construction schedule:

1. October 12, Indigenous People's Day, 12:45 to 7 p.m. in the Leland Cultural District on E. Cedar Street, the same block as the new boardwalk. The Leelanau Historical Society lists dance and drumming, films, food and exhibits, with an evening program by James Vukelich.
2. October 23, Broomsticks and Bubbles, 4 to 7 p.m., per the Leland Chamber listing.
3. October 24, Leland Fall Frenzy, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
4. November 11, scheduled end of the M-22 repaving.
5. November 25, Light Up Leland, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
6. November 27, Black Friday in Leland, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

If the MDOT schedule holds, the village lights its holiday season on a freshly repaved Main Street with new sidewalks.

Where the kitchens stand after October

October 24 is also the last big day in Fishtown for the season. Fishtown Preservation says the shops generally operate from early May through the end of October, and each tenant sets its own hours. Calling ahead is the safe move in November. The dates that are confirmed:

• Village Cheese Shanty serves its last sandwiches on Friday, October 23. It holds its annual cheese sale on October 24 and closes for the season October 25.
• Morning on Main, at 101 S. Main Street in the former Early Bird space, opened April 10, 2026. Owner Ryan Marek told the Ticker he plans to stay open "year-round, or close to it." Long-term hours are 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends. He left room for a four-to-five-week annual break but hasn't said when. That makes this its first winter.
• The Leland Lodge describes itself as Leland's only year-round hotel, restaurant and bar. Its Bogey's 19th Hole lists dinner Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 8 p.m., with the bar opening at 4. The Lodge's summer spot, the Wine Cellar, is closed until June 2027. Both pages are a few years old, so confirm hours before you go.
• The Bluebird reopened May 1, 2026, after pausing in January to finish work inside and outside the building. It hasn't posted a winter schedule yet, so check before planning around it.

What 2027 looks like from here

Superintendent Tucker told MLive in September that the island docks should be finished by the end of 2026. The overall construction contract has been extended to July 15, 2027, replacing an earlier completion date of December 31, 2026. North Manitou is about 90 percent complete and South Manitou about 40 percent. The park expects both island villages to reopen sometime in 2027 but has not announced a date for regular ferry service.

Those numbers set expectations for next year. North Manitou was originally supposed to be done in fall 2025, with crews moving to South Manitou in 2026. Instead, both islands stayed closed this year. With South Manitou less than halfway done and a contract that runs into mid-July, the ferry's return depends on progress on the islands, not on anything in Leland. When the boat does come back to the Fishtown dock, it will be heading to docks built to stop the sand problems that kept it from landing in 2020.

The ferry's return date will also shape the 2027 season for property along the Leland waterfront. If you're weighing a purchase or a sale near Fishtown, Angela DiLorenzo follows the island schedule as closely as the market data. Request a Private Consultation to talk through timing.