MDOT keeping most rest areas open year-round

Fast facts:

• MDOT maintains a network of 61 rest areas across the state for the convenience and safety of travelers.
• Most MDOT rest areas remain open year-round.
• Five rest areas are closed each winter for a 20-week period due to safety concerns.

GAYLORD, Mich. - The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will keep nearly all of the state's 61 rest areas open this winter to maintain the convenience and safety they provide to motorists but will again close five seasonal areas beginning Dec. 1.

"Many travelers look to our network of rest areas for a safe stopping point on their travels, which is why we keep as many open as possible year-round," said MDOT Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) Division Administrator Kim Zimmer.

Only five rest areas are closed each year for a 20-week period, which will be this winter from Dec. 1, 2025, to April 20, 2026. The seasonal closures are due to reduced use during winter months and safety concerns, such as steep entrance and exit drives and potentially slippery conditions on stairways between parking lots and buildings.

The following five rest areas will close Dec. 1 and reopen in April:

• St. Ignace Rest Area on southbound I-75 in Mackinac County
• Ludington Rest Area on northbound US-31 in Mason County
• Topinabee Rest Area on northbound I-75 in Cheboygan County
• Hebron Rest Area on southbound I-75 in Cheboygan County
• Hart Rest Area on southbound US-31 in Oceana County

Closed rest areas are locked and winterized, with exit and entrance ramps barricaded. Designated rest areas will have "Closed Until Spring" signs posted and will have the mileage to the next open rest area listed.

Closed rest areas will be listed on MDOT's website at https://www.Michigan.gov/RestAreas.