A Grand Island Adventure

Just imagine majestic cliffs with raucous waves smashing into their sides. There is complete silence, the only whisper you hear is that of the breeze blowing gently through the trees. You haven’t seen another person in several hours. Now imagine that in between of the cliffs there is a beautiful little river running down to a white sand beach. As you gaze from the beach, all you can see is the deep blue waters that lay before you. It is the perfect place for complete solitude and to take a break after a 10 mile hike. The gorgeous island can make you feel like your on vacation in the Caribbean, yet you haven't even left the Great Lakes State. These thoughts pass through my mind often as I consider where to go on my next adventure. I have always enjoyed a nice long quiet hike. It is one of my favorite activities and I try to partake in it as often as possible with my wife. Many of the locations we like to frequent have lately been overrun with tourists. I absolutely love the fact that others are getting a chance to enjoy the natural wonders of Michigan, but I prefer to take the roads less travelled. We share our adventures so others can also find these beautiful locations, but it also leads us to having to find new and exciting features in order to avoid crowds. This is both a daunting and wonderful task. Each time we decide to get out and find a new location, we can spend hours looking for the perfect spot. Sure we have our go-tos, but we like variety. Everyone should have at least one spot that feels so much like home that you just need to get back there at least once a year. Ours is the island that was described above. It is my favorite place and it is a location that will always be dear to my heart (more on that later).

So you are probably wondering where this location is. It is situated in Lake Superior barely more than a stones throw off the northern shore of the Upper Peninsula. It is called Grand Island. It is a unique island, in that you can only access the entirety of the outside of the island by foot or by bike. It is a little over 20 miles all the way around. A little bit of a workout? Yes, but worth it. We have traversed the island four times now, once in each of the last four years. I have taken a lot of pictures, but none of them will ever do it justice. I am a huge fan of Pictured Rocks and a frequent attendee of the lakeshore, but you can get similar views, possibly without seeing another person your whole trip! Grand Island literally has everything I could want in an adventure. It offers a reasonable challenge, panoramic views of Lake Superior from huge cliffs, beaches upon which you just don’t want to leave, large inland lakes to test your luck fishing, but greatest of all is the fact that it is right here in our backyard. It offers a few small waterfalls, while impressive in their own right, they are minute compared to most Michigan waterfalls. 

When we made our first trip to the island, we didn’t know what to expect. We took the earliest ferry across and hoped to get back by the last one since we didn’t have any camping gear with us. We rode bikes and covered the first three miles easily and quickly because the elevation was constant. We passed our first hiker at about mile 3. We spoke with him for a few minutes and then took some pictures. It was the first time you were overlooking the water and you could see quite a distance for not being very high up. The nice cool breeze off the mighty lake was a welcome feeling because the sun was putting off a ton of heat. It was July 1. 

As we embarked on the second part of the trip, the elevation steadily grew. The trail turned to mud and some of the trail had been washed out. We pushed on, but we had to walk our bikes around some spots because of trail conditions. I really enjoy this type of “technical” riding because it isn’t difficult but it does take some skill to maneuver the roots, mud, and washouts. We had to get off in order to go over fallen trees a few times also. As I said before, this is a relatively rugged trail. I guess that’s what happens when you get off the beaten path. We made our way up to the first cliff. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. It was a panoramic view of Lake Superior. A large cliff just a little farther up dominated the landscape. We stood in awe as the mighty lake threw wave after wave into the side of the island. Looking at the surrounding area, we thought we were at the top of the island already. We were wrong.

We moved along to the next cliff and it had a wonderful view also. It is truly hard to describe. I felt like I was on a deserted island. I guess it kind of was.

We checked our pace to see if we were going to make it. It was going to be close if we kept up our current pace. The views were so spectacular that we just wanted to take them all in. We hurried up to mile 10. It was at this point when we knew we were pretty much at the top of the island. The last several miles had been a little difficult. There was a stretch where it was uphill for probably close to a mile. That is a leg burner! There is a private lighthouse at the point at mile 10. Pictures of it look pretty awesome, but we didn’t go there because of the posted no trespassing signs. Suddenly, the trail starts going downhill. This is an interesting part of the island because you go from one of the highest points on the entire island, right down to a beach. Just before you get to the beach, you must cross a little bridge that passes over the river. This all occurs in about a half mile. The descent is reasonably steep and you pick up speed quick. It was the perfect time for the brakes to go out on my bike! Luckily, the bottom of my shoes were thick because I drug them a lot on the way down. We made it to the beach and found that it was the perfect spot on the island for lunch.

As we ate, a piece of driftwood came close to shore. Not wanting to get that cold Lake Superior water on me with 10 miles still to go, I grabbed a large stick and was able to pull it in. It is still on the beach as of July 2020. After eating our fulfilling lunch of ham and salami sandwiches with a side of Doritos, we decided to forge ahead. In the next half mile, we would have to gain all the elevation we had just lost and then some. Mile 11 is right at the point in the Northeast portion of the island. This point is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

It is memorable to all who set eyes on it, but it is especially memorable for us. This is where I proposed to my wife. Yes I know what everyone is thinking, you made your wife ride 11 miles before you proposed to her?!!! That answer is yes and I can assure you that she enjoyed every second of it too. As I stated before, Grand Island will always hold a special place in our hearts. Well enough about us. I will say that this point is one of the best places to watch the sun set. We have watched the sun sink below the horizon of what appears to be the endless Great Lake.

The only issue with watching the sun set here is that you missed the last ferry to get back for the day! Make sure to bring your camping gear and make a reservation if you plan on doing so. It was a little after one o’clock, so we had about five hours to make the last nine miles. Plenty of time. Little did we know that the back half of the island is by far the easiest portion. Unfortunately with easy riding, came very little for views. We hammered out several miles in a short period of time because of the lack of stopping points. One of the best views on the island is when you come out to an overlook at Trout Bay. You can see Pictured Rocks from here and the water color is spectacular. It really is a must see when you make the trip.

It is about this time when you actually get on a path that a bus tour also traverses. Thus the path is really wide and well packed. It doesn’t take a whole lot of skill to ride this portion, which is not my style! We have yet to make it down the “thumb” of the island. There is another lighthouse there and it is one that many are familiar with since they would have seen it on the Pictured Rocks Boat Tour. The East Channel Light is also in private property, so you can’t visit it either. It is only a small portion of the land in the southeast portion of the island so there is more for us to explore. This portion of the island is foot traffic only and appears to be an out and back style of trail. We stop at Duck Lake every time we pass through. I’ve seen people fishing in it a few times, but I haven’t seen anyone catch anything. I have read that the fishing can be really good there, but I haven’t tried my luck. There is a small pier that you can walk out on the lake. It’s not super far, but you can see it in its entirety. Listening to all the frogs and other marshy creatures harmonizing, is such a beautiful sound. It is the last major stop for us on the island, so we usually hang out here until we only have about 20 minutes till the ferry leaves. The one picture everyone has to take if you make the trip is next to the Mile 20 sign. It feels like quite the achievement when you make it around the first time. We take an annual picture there. After a short ride back to the dock, the ferry picks you up. Every time I get on the ferry, I have been told I rode the island right because I am all muddy. It is an adventure that I think everyone would enjoy if their physical condition allows them to cover that much ground. It usually takes us around 5 to 6 hours to navigate the island, but that is with us stopping a lot to take pictures and of course, a mandatory lunch break on the beach! To wrap up what I think about Grand Island, it makes me feel like I’m at home and in the Caribbean at the same time. There aren’t many places I’ve been that make me feel one of those let alone both. We will continue to make our yearly trip to the island and hope you get a chance to check it out too! 

We welcome feedback on all of our stories. Have you been here before? Do you want to check it out now if you haven’t? Any ideas on where we should travel next in Michigan?