Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Michigan Mackinac Island Skull Cave

Skull Cave

This shallow cave got its name from copious amount of human bones found inside.

Mackinac Island, Michigan

Added By
Robert Shell
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Skull Cave   Notorious4life on Wikipeida
  eljojoe / Atlas Obscura User
  eljojoe / Atlas Obscura User
  averybumbleybee / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Located on Michigan's Mackinac Island, Skull Cave is not large or particularly showy, but at one point it was filled with human bones. 

The squat natural cave that now goes by the ominous monicker, Skull Cave was originally carved out of the rock by the natural processes of the long-since disappeared Lake Algonquin. The little cavern did not begin to earn its current name until the 18th century when the local Native Americans began using the natural niche as a revered burial spot. Well, not quite burial, so much as just laying them to rest inside the cave. 

Having been used as an inhumation site by countless generations of Native Americans, by the time it was "discovered" by a fur trader it was quite the grisly site. It was a fur trader by the name of Alexander Henry who stumbled upon the cave as he fled the violence of Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763. Looking for somewhere to hide, he took refuge in the cave and later wrote that he had spent the night on "nothing less than a heap of human bones and skulls, which covered the floor!" Whoops!

Today the cave is free of bones, but is still a popular visitor destination on the island. It might not have the terrifying grandeur that its name implies, but Skull Cave's history is grisly enough.

Related Tags

Caves Bones Ecosystems

Know Before You Go

Skull Cave is contained within Mackinac Island State Park. It is located 0.4 miles (0.6 km) north of Fort Mackinac in the island's interior.

Community Contributors

Added By

robertshell22

Edited By

EricGrundhauser, eljojoe, averybumbleybee

  • EricGrundhauser
  • eljojoe
  • averybumbleybee

Published

November 25, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull_Cave_%28Mackinac_Island%29
  • http://www.mackinacislandnews.com/news/2010-07-03/Looking_Back/Skull_Cave_Was_Refuge_for_Englishman_Alexander_Hen.html
Skull Cave
Garrison Road
Mackinac Island, Michigan, 49757
United States
45.859019, -84.622145
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island, Michigan

miles away

The Mackinac Bridge

Mackinac County, Michigan

miles away

The Wacky Taxidermy & Miniatures Museum

Mackinaw City, Michigan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island

Michigan

Places 2
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island, Michigan

miles away

The Mackinac Bridge

Mackinac County, Michigan

miles away

The Wacky Taxidermy & Miniatures Museum

Mackinaw City, Michigan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island

Michigan

Places 2
Stories 1

Related Places

  • Kuza Cave.

    Kusini, Tanzania

    Kuza Cave

    This sacred, circular cave is lined with pools so clear and still that it's hard to tell where the water begins.

  • Inside the Talgua Cave

    Honduras

    The Cave of the Glowing Skulls

    These Honduran caves earned their magical nickname thanks to reflective bone deposits.

  • Unicorn Cave entrance.

    Herzberg am Harz, Germany

    Unicorn Cave

    What was once thought to be a wellspring of unicorn bones is actually just a prehistoric burial site.

  • Al Hoota Cave

    Al Hamra, Oman

    Al Hoota Cave

    The biggest cave system in the Arabian Peninsula is home to a rare variety of blind fish.

  • Cape Flattery

    Neah Bay, Washington

    Cape Flattery

    At the most northwestern point of the contiguous United States lies a trail leading through an ancient forest to stunning cliff-side vistas and massive oceanside caves.

  • From outside the caves

    Penrith, England

    Lacy's Caves

    A series of idealized caves carved to entertain guests.

  • Front view.

    Athens, Greece

    Caves of Filopappou Hill

    These caves secretly held national treasures during World War II.

  • Entrance to the ice cave at Bixby State Preserve.

    Edgewood, Iowa

    Ice Cave of Bixby State Preserve

    Chilly air billows out from the entrance of an abandoned mine on a steep hillside, providing a refuge for Ice Age fauna and flora.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.