Grand Island National Recreation Area
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Grand Island National Recreation Area | |
|---|---|
   | |
| 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 |
| 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.
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
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
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.
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.
