Grand Island National Recreation Area

Protected area of Michigan, United States

Grand Island National Recreation Area

Show map of the United States

Show map of Michigan

Location| Grand Island, Lake Superior, United States
Nearest city| Munising, Michigan
Coordinates| 46°30′25″N 86°39′47″W﻿ / ﻿46.50694°N 86.66306°W﻿ / 46.50694; -86.66306
Area| 13,500 acres (55 km2)
Established| 1990
Governing body| United States Forest Service
Website| Hiwatha National Forest - Grand Island National Recreation Area

The Grand Island National Recreation Area is a national recreation area in Hiawatha National Forest under jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service. Located on Grand Island, Michigan, offshore from Munising, Michigan, the Grand Island National Recreation Area covers approximately 13,500 acres (55 km2) of Lake Superior woodland. Grand Island's glacier-cut lake shoreline measures approximately 35 miles (56 km) in length. The island's maximum dimension is 8 miles (13 km) from north to south. Grand Island was designated a national recreation area by the U.S. Congress in 1990 after the U.S. Forest Service purchased the island from its former owner, Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co.

## Lake Superior

[edit]

Lake Superior dominates the Grand Island biotic environment. Even in high summer, the lake's temperature rarely rises above 48 °F (9 °C).

## Geology

[edit]

Grand Island's geology is an extension of the sandstone strata of the adjacent Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Island sandstone cliffs as tall as 300 feet (91 m) in height plunge down into the lake. A 23-mile (37 km) perimeter trail skirts much of the island's shoreline.

## History

[edit]

Native Americans quickly found the fisheries around Grand Island to be a resource for seasonal and year-round living. Artifacts from as early as 3300 years before the present (1300 BC) have been found.

## Tourism

[edit]

Grand Island National Recreation Area is served during summer months by a tourist ferry and island tour bus. The ferry ride, which is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) long, shuttles between a dock on M-28, northwest of Munising, and Grand Island's Williams Landing. Ticket fees and an admission fee to the island are charged. During the summer months, the ferry makes several trips to the island each day.

The Grand Island East Channel Light in 2007

A small portion of Grand Island, the Thumb, remained privately owned as of 2012. The Thumb contains the historic 1868 Grand Island East Channel Light or 'East Channel Light', on the eastern ship channel from Lake Superior into the port of Munising. The lighthouse remained in operation until 1913. The privately owned lighthouse can be viewed from Sand Point on the mainland, within the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, or may be viewed from the water.

## Recreational opportunities

[edit]

The U.S. Forest Services recommends that visitors enjoy camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, mountain biking, and trapping on Grand Island, subject to state license laws. There are 17 campsites within the Grand Island NRA. The largest animal with a breeding presence on the island is the black bear, from which campers must protect themselves. Rockclimbing is strongly discouraged because the island's dramatic sandstone cliffs are friable and crumbly.

The Grand Island Trail Marathon has been held on the island every July since 2005, with the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event has featured in the past a 2K race for children and a 10K race. In recent years, the event has included half marathon, marathon, and 50 km races.[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Great Lakes Endurance - Grand Island Trail Marathon".

## External links

[edit]

* Hiawatha National Forest - Grand Island Recreation Area

* v
* t
* e

National recreation areas of the United States

National Park Service|

* Amistad
* Bighorn Canyon
* Boston Harbor Islands
* Chattahoochee River
* Chickasaw
* Curecanti
* Delaware Water Gap
* Gateway
* Gauley River
* Glen Canyon
* Golden Gate
* Lake Chelan
* Lake Mead
* Lake Meredith
* Lake Roosevelt
* Ross Lake
* Santa Monica Mountains
* Whiskeytown–Shasta–Trinity

U.S. Forest Service|

* Allegheny
* Arapaho
* Ed Jenkins
* Flaming Gorge
* Grand Island
* Hells Canyon
* Jemez
* Land Between The Lakes
* Moosalamoo
* Mount Baker
* Mount Hood
* Mount Rogers
* Oregon Dunes
* Pine Ridge
* Rattlesnake
* Robert T. Stafford White Rocks
* Sawtooth
* Smith River
* Spring Mountains
* Spruce Knob–Seneca Rocks
* Whiskeytown–Shasta–Trinity
* Winding Stair Mountain

Bureau of Land
Management|

* White Mountains

* v
* t
* e

Protected areas of Michigan

See also: Important Bird Areas and State game and wildlife areas

National|

| Parks|

* Isle Royale
* Keweenaw (Historical)
* River Raisin (Battlefield)

|

Lakeshores|

* Pictured Rocks
* Sleeping Bear Dunes

Landmarks|

* Au Sable State Forest
* Dukes Research Natural Area
* Grand Mere State Park
* Haven Hill State Natural Area
* Newton Woods
* Porcupine Mountains
* Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand
* Strangmoor Bog
* Tobico Marsh
* Toumey Woods
* Warren Woods State Park
* Waterloo State Recreation Area

Forests|

* Hiawatha
* Huron–Manistee
* Ottawa

Wildlife Refuges|

* Detroit River
* Harbor Island
* Huron
* Kirtlands Warbler Wildlife Management Area
* Michigan Islands
* Michigan Wetland Management District
* Seney
* Shiawassee

Wild and Scenic Rivers|

* Au Sable
* Bear Creek
* Black
* Carp
* Indian
* Manistee
* Ontonagon
* Paint
* Pere Marquette
* Pine
* Presque Isle
* Sturgeon (Delta County)
* Sturgeon (Houghton County)
* Tahquamenon
* Whitefish
* Yellow Dog

Other Protected Areas|

* Father Marquette National Memorial
* Grand Island National Recreation Area
* Saint Helena Island National Scenic Area
* Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

State|

| Parks|

* Albert E. Sleeper
* Algonac
* Aloha
* Baraga
* Bay City
* Belle Isle
* Bewabic
* Brimley
* Burt Lake
* Cambridge Junction
* Cheboygan
* Clear Lake
* Coldwater Lake
* Craig Lake
* Dodge No.4
* Duck Lake
* Fayette
* Fisherman's Island
* Fort Michilimackinac
* Fort Wilkins
* Fred Meijer White Pine Trail
* Gete Mino Mshkiigan
* Grand Haven
* Grand Mere
* Harrisville
* Hart–Montague Trail
* Hartwick Pines
* W.J. Hayes
* P.H. Hoeft
* P.J. Hoffmaster
* Holland
* Indian Lake
* Interlochen
* Kal-Haven Trail
* Lake Gogebic
* Lakelands Trail
* Lakeport
* Laughing Whitefish Falls
* Leelanau
* Ludington
* Mackinac Island
* Maybury
* F.J. McLain
* Charles Mears
* Meridian-Baseline
* Mill Creek
* Wm. Mitchell
* Muskallonge Lake
* Muskegon
* Negwegon
* Newaygo
* North Higgins Lake
* Onaway
* Orchard Beach
* Old Mission
* Otsego Lake
* Palms Book
* Petoskey
* Porcupine Mountains
* Port Crescent
* Sanilac Petroglyphs
* Saugatuck Dunes
* Seven Lakes
* Silver Lake
* Sleepy Hollow
* South Higgins Lake
* Wm. C. Sterling
* Straits
* Sturgeon Point
* Tahquamenon Falls
* Tawas Point
* Thompson's Harbor
* Traverse City
* Twin Lakes
* Van Buren
* Van Buren Trail
* Van Riper
* Warren Dunes
* Warren Woods
* Watkins Lake and County Preserve
* J.W. Wells
* Wilderness
* William G. Milliken
* Wilson
* Young

|

Recreation Areas|

* Bald Mountain
* Bass River
* Brighton
* Fort Custer
* Highland
* Holly
* Ionia
* Island Lake
* Lake Hudson
* Lime Island
* Menominee River
* Metamora-Hadley
* Ortonville
* Pinckney
* Pontiac Lake
* Proud Lake
* Rifle River
* Rockport
* Tippy Dam
* Waterloo
* W.C. Wetzel
* Yankee Springs

Forests|

* Au Sable
* Copper Country
* Escanaba River
* Lake Superior
* Mackinaw
* Pere Marquette

Underwater Preserves|

* Alger
* De Tour Passage
* Grand Traverse Bay
* Keweenaw
* Manitou Passage
* Marquette
* Sanilac Shores
* Southwest Michigan
* Straits of Mackinac
* Thumb Area
* Whitefish Point

Other|

* Agate Falls Scenic Site
* Bond Falls Scenic Site
* Douglass Houghton Falls Scenic Site
* Michigan Islands Wilderness Area
* Ocqueoc Falls
* Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center
* Wagner Falls Scenic Site

* Category
* Commons
* Detroit
* Grand Rapids
* Michigan Department of Natural Resources

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template