McKinley is a rural community in Oscoda County in Northern Michigan about 45 miles (72 km) directly east of Grayling.

[2] The community is located in northeast Mentor Township and sits at an elevation of 922 feet (281 m) above the sea level.

In addition to Mio, the nearest unincorporated communities include Kneeland, Fairview, and Comins to the northwest; Curtisville to the southeast; and Curran to the northeast.

[4][5] The Michigan Department of Natural Resources manages a public boat launch along the river at Evans Road in McKinley.

[14] McKinley was developed as a lumber and mining community along the Au Sable River about 12.0 miles (19.3 km) east of Mio.

In 1886, the company built a 50-mile (80 km) narrow-gauge railway that ran from the Tong Station in northwest Oscoda County to Luzerne in the southwest.

They were forced to sell some of their assets to the competing H. M. Loud & Sons Lumber Company from Oscoda in 1888, which purchased their railroad equipment, machinery, and land.

[17] In 1891, all of the Potts assets were absorbed by the H. M. Loud & Sons Lumber Company, and the railway formed as the Au Sable and Northwestern Railroad under the management of George A.

[14] After the lumber industry ended and the isolated community became abandoned, the land was sold and redeveloped as a resort destination by the 1940s.

[14] In 1982, the roadway passing through McKinley became part of the newly-designated F-32, which is one of the state's longest county highways, running from Grayling to Curran.

[20] In 1984, the U.S. Forest Service under President Ronald Reagan designated the stretch of the Au Sable River running through McKinley as the Au Sable National Scenic River, which flows eastward for 23 miles (37 km) from Mio to the Alcona Dam Pond as part of the Huron National Forest.

[4] The community of McKinley continues to exist as a tourist destination centered around fishing, boating, camping, and off-road vehicle trails.