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Approximately 34,000 people participated in the 2026 Mackinac Bridge Walk on Labor Day morning.

Approximately 34,000 people participated in the 2026 Mackinac Bridge Walk on Monday, September 7. The Mackinac Bridge Authority and the Michigan Department of Transportation reported the turnout was on the upper end of recent years, with the bridge closing to vehicle traffic at 6:30 a.m. and reopening at noon. Governor Gretchen Whitmer participated in the walk, describing the event as a way to span political parties and show a different way of doing things. The walk began from both St. Ignace and Mackinaw City, which eliminated the need for busing and provided more options for participants. The event was significant for Michigan's 12 federally recognized tribes, who joined together for the first collective call to action by the Three Fires Confederacy. Nearly 1,000 representatives from these tribes stood to protect the water and oppose the continued operation of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline. Whitney Gravelle, Chairperson of the Bay Mills Indian Community, stated that the tribes do not own the waters but are borrowing them from future generations and have a sacred responsibility to return them whole.

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