Lake Superior contains hundreds of islands, ranging from large, forested landmasses to small rocky islands and exposed outcrops. They are scattered across the lake, with some close to the mainland and others surrounded by miles of open water. Their size, geology, vegetation, and level of development vary considerably from one island to another.
These islands reflect the diverse geography of Lake Superior. Some rise above the lake with rugged cliffs and forested ridges, while others are low-lying and shaped by wetlands, beaches, dunes, and rocky shorelines. Many also contain inland lakes, sheltered bays, unusual geological features, and historic structures such as lighthouses.
Several Lake Superior islands are protected areas, while others are remote and largely undeveloped. Their isolation has helped preserve important wildlife habitat and distinctive plant communities, making the islands an important part of the lake’s natural and geographic landscape.
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Islands in Lake Superior in the United States
The United States side of Lake Superior contains some of the lake’s most prominent islands and island groups, spread across Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. They range from the vast wilderness of Isle Royale to smaller island groups known for lighthouses, wildlife habitat, rocky shorelines, and remote paddling opportunities.
Among them, Isle Royale is by far the largest and most significant island, while the Apostle Islands form one of the best-known archipelagos along Wisconsin’s northern shore. Other notable islands and groups, including Grand Island, the Susie Islands, and the Huron Islands, add to the remarkable geographic diversity of the U.S. portion of Lake Superior.
Isle Royale
Isle Royale is the largest island in Lake Superior and the centerpiece of Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. Located in the northwestern part of Lake Superior, the main island stretches for about 45 miles from southwest to northeast and is roughly 9 miles wide at its broadest point. The island is part of a much larger archipelago, with more than 400 smaller islands scattered around the main island. Together, they form one of the most remote island landscapes in the Great Lakes.
The island has a long, rugged shape, with its landscape strongly influenced by ancient volcanic rock and glacial activity. The Greenstone Ridge runs along much of the main island and forms its geographic backbone. Mount Desor, rising to 1,394 feet, is the highest point in the park and sits along this ridge. More than 50 inland lakes are also found across the island, including Lake Siskiwit, the largest of them. On the northeastern end, numerous bays, coves, and harbors create a shoreline with a distinctly rugged, almost fjord-like appearance.
Isle Royale’s geology is one of the most important features of its landscape. The Greenstone Ridge exposes ancient volcanic rock associated with a massive lava flow that is about a billion years old. Glaciers later reshaped this older rock, carving parallel ridges and valleys and helping create the island’s inland lakes, wetlands, harbors, and other low-lying areas. The result is a landscape where the underlying geology remains visible in the island’s ridges and rocky shorelines.
Much of Isle Royale remains heavily forested, and the island’s remote location has allowed large areas to remain relatively undisturbed. Forests extend toward the shoreline, while wetlands, bogs, streams, and inland lakes create a variety of habitats across the island. The cool waters of Lake Superior also influence the local climate, producing conditions that support northern forest communities along the island’s shores.
The island is particularly famous for its moose and gray wolves. Their relationship has been the subject of one of the world’s longest-running studies of a wild predator-prey system. Moose provide the principal large-prey species for wolves, and changes in food availability, weather, disease, and the populations of both animals can influence how their numbers rise and fall over time. This long-term ecological research has made Isle Royale important not only as a wilderness destination but also as a natural laboratory for studying wildlife populations.
Other wildlife lives across the island’s forests, wetlands, and shoreline. Beavers, red foxes, river otters, squirrels, loons, ravens, and numerous other birds and mammals are part of the island ecosystem. Because Isle Royale is isolated from the mainland by Lake Superior, it has fewer mammal species than the nearby mainland and provides researchers with an unusual setting for studying how species interact in an isolated environment.
The surrounding smaller islands are also an important part of Isle Royale’s character. Some are large enough to contain forests and wetlands, while others are little more than rocky islands and exposed outcrops. Together with the main island, they create a complex freshwater archipelago rather than a single island destination. The National Park Service considers this combination of size, isolation, geology, wilderness, and surrounding islands one of the defining characteristics of Isle Royale National Park.
Because there is no road connection to Isle Royale, reaching the island requires crossing Lake Superior. Visitors can arrive by ferry, seaplane, or private watercraft, with transportation available from Houghton and Copper Harbor in Michigan and Grand Portage in Minnesota. The main visitor areas include Rock Harbor at the northeastern end of the island and Windigo toward the southwest. Ferry crossings can take several hours, while seaplane travel is much faster.
The crossing is an important part of the Isle Royale experience because the island is genuinely separated from the mainland by open water. Lake Superior weather can affect transportation and conditions around the island, and the National Park Service emphasizes that visitors need to plan for changing weather and lake conditions. The park generally operates seasonally, with ferry and seaplane service typically running from mid-May through September.
Once on the island, visitors explore primarily on foot, by canoe or kayak, or by boat. The park has about 165 miles of hiking trails and numerous backcountry campgrounds, allowing visitors to travel well beyond the developed areas around Rock Harbor and Windigo. The absence of roads and private vehicles across the island helps preserve the remote character that distinguishes Isle Royale from many other accessible islands in the Great Lakes.
Apostle Islands
The Apostle Islands form one of the best-known island groups in Lake Superior, lying off the Bayfield Peninsula in northern Wisconsin. The archipelago consists of 22 islands, although 21 are included within Apostle Islands National Lakeshore; Madeline Island, the largest of the group, lies outside the national lakeshore. The islands and the surrounding mainland shoreline are known for sandstone cliffs, sea caves, beaches, forests, historic lighthouses, and a wide range of wildlife habitats.
The islands are spread across a broad area of southwestern Lake Superior rather than forming a tightly packed cluster. The National Park Service describes the 21-island national lakeshore archipelago as covering roughly 30 miles by 30 miles, with Eagle Island to the west, Devil’s Island to the north, Outer Island to the east, and Long Island to the south. Because the islands are separated by open water, their landscapes and levels of development vary considerably from one island to another.
The geology of the Apostle Islands is one of their defining characteristics. Their bedrock consists largely of Precambrian sandstone deposited hundreds of millions of years ago. Different layers of the sandstone erode at different rates under the repeated effects of waves, freezing, thawing, and weathering. This has produced steep sea cliffs, arches, narrow passages, beaches, and some of the most distinctive sea caves found anywhere along Lake Superior.
The sea caves are particularly associated with the northern shore of Devil’s Island, Swallow Point on Sand Island, and the mainland shoreline near the western part of the national lakeshore. Wave action gradually undercuts the weaker sandstone layers at the base of cliffs, forming openings that can eventually develop into larger caves, arches, and passageways. During calm summer conditions, experienced kayakers can sometimes enter portions of the caves, while boat tours provide another way to view them from the water.
The Apostle Islands also have a remarkable concentration of historic lighthouses. Several islands contain lighthouse structures that once helped ships navigate the difficult waters of Lake Superior, and the national lakeshore is known for having the largest collection of lighthouses in the National Park System. These historic structures are part of the cultural landscape of the islands, alongside former fishing sites, logging operations, farms, and brownstone quarries that reflect the area’s long human history.
The islands also provide habitat for a diverse collection of plants and wildlife. Their forests include northern hardwoods, hemlock and white pine, along with elements of boreal forest. Beaches, wetlands, cliffs, offshore waters, and mature forests create different habitats for nesting and migrating birds, mammals, amphibians, and fish. The surrounding Lake Superior waters also play an important role in keeping many island populations isolated from the mainland.
Most of the 21 islands within the national lakeshore have no roads or vehicle access. Visitors normally reach them by private boat, sea kayak, water taxi, shuttle, or other authorized commercial services. The National Park Service notes that public docks are available on several islands, while backcountry camping and hiking opportunities allow visitors to spend more time away from the mainland.
Among the individual islands, Madeline Island, Stockton Island, and Devil’s Island are especially notable for different reasons. Madeline Island is the largest and the only Apostle Island accessible by automobile, while Stockton Island is one of the largest islands within the national lakeshore and is known for its beaches, forests, inland lakes, and camping. Devil’s Island is particularly famous for its dramatic sandstone cliffs and sea caves.
The Apostle Islands are also associated with the famous winter ice caves, although an important distinction is that these formations are on the mainland near Meyers Beach, not on the islands themselves. When Lake Superior develops sufficiently stable ice, frozen water and waves can transform the mainland sea caves into formations of icicles, ice curtains, columns, and crystals. Access is extremely rare and depends on official assessment of lake-ice conditions; from 2000 through 2023, the mainland ice caves were accessible on only about 2% of days.
Madeline Island
Madeline Island is the largest of the 22 Apostle Islands in Lake Superior and the only one that is not part of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. It lies directly east of Bayfield, Wisconsin, and measures about 14 miles long and 3 miles wide. Unlike the more remote islands of the national lakeshore, Madeline Island has permanent communities, roads, private properties, and developed areas, giving it a very different character from the surrounding wilderness islands.
The island’s landscape combines forest, rocky shoreline, sandy beaches, wetlands, bays, and low-lying areas shaped by Lake Superior. Big Bay is one of its most prominent geographic features, forming a large indentation along the eastern part of the island. The shoreline also includes smaller bays and beaches, while much of the interior remains forested. These varied environments make Madeline Island one of the more geographically diverse islands in the Apostle Islands group.
Madeline Island also has a much longer history of human settlement than most of the surrounding islands. The island has been an important place for the Ojibwe people, and the community of La Pointe developed on its western side. The island’s location made it an important point of movement and trade on Lake Superior, and its cultural history remains an important part of the island today.
Unlike the 21 islands within the national lakeshore, Madeline Island can be reached by automobile. A scheduled car ferry connects Bayfield and La Pointe, with service generally operating from spring breakup until winter freeze-up, although schedules depend on lake and weather conditions. Visitors can also reach the island by private boat, making it considerably easier to access than remote islands such as Isle Royale or many of the smaller Apostle Islands.
The island has several developed visitor areas, including restaurants, shops, lodging, marinas, and other services around La Pointe. At the same time, large portions of the island retain a natural character. Big Bay State Park occupies part of the eastern side and protects a scenic stretch of Lake Superior shoreline, forest, wetlands, and recreational areas. The combination of public recreation areas and private development makes Madeline Island more accessible for a conventional vacation than most of the other Apostle Islands.
Madeline Island is also unusual because visitors can explore it without depending entirely on boats or guided water transportation once they arrive. Roads extend across the island, allowing travelers to reach different parts by car or bicycle. This makes it possible to experience Lake Superior beaches, forests, scenic shoreline, and inland areas within a single island visit.
The island’s position within the Apostle Islands also gives it an important geographic role. It sits near the mainland gateway to the archipelago, while the smaller national-lakeshore islands extend farther north and east across Lake Superior. Although Madeline Island is not federally protected as part of the national lakeshore, it remains an essential part of the broader Apostle Islands landscape and is officially recognized as the largest island in the group.
For visitors interested in Lake Superior islands, Madeline Island offers a contrast to the isolated wilderness found elsewhere in the lake. It combines the scenery and geology associated with the Apostle Islands with permanent settlement, roads, cultural history, ferry access, and developed recreation, making it one of the easiest major islands in Lake Superior to visit.
Stockton Island
Stockton Island is one of the largest islands in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and one of the most diverse in terms of landscape. The island covers about 10,054 acres, or 15.7 square miles, and stretches approximately 7.4 miles long and 3.7 miles wide. It has about 22.7 miles of shoreline, giving visitors a large area of Lake Superior coastline to explore.
The island is especially known for its combination of sand beaches, forests, dunes, wetlands, lagoons, and rocky shoreline. Some of the best-known sandy areas are at Julian Bay, Presque Isle Bay, and Quarry Bay. This variety makes Stockton Island different from islands where much of the shoreline consists mainly of cliffs or exposed rock. The National Park Service describes it as having some of the most spectacular and diverse sandy areas in the Apostle Islands.
One of Stockton Island’s most interesting geological features is the tombolo at Presque Isle Point. A tombolo is a sand or gravel landform that connects an island or part of an island to another landmass. On Stockton Island, a bridge of sand connects Presque Isle Point with the main part of the island, creating the distinctive landscape around Presque Isle Bay.
The sandy environments around Stockton Island are also ecologically important. Dunes and beaches support specialized vegetation, while inland areas contain forests, wetlands, and other habitats. Some of the island’s sandy areas are particularly fragile because vegetation helps hold the sand in place. The National Park Service asks visitors to use designated trails and boardwalks where provided because trampling vegetation can accelerate erosion and damage these sensitive landscapes.
Stockton Island also has a long human history. Archaeological evidence indicates that Native people may have fished on the island as far back as 5,000 years ago, while Indigenous communities continued to use the island seasonally for fishing, hunting, gathering berries, and collecting maple sap. Later, during the late 1800s and early 1900s, commercial fishing, logging, and a brownstone quarry became part of the island’s history. Remnants of these activities can still be found within the landscape.
Today, Stockton Island is one of the most important camping destinations within Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The island has numerous individual campsites, group campsites, and areas where primitive camping is permitted under park regulations. Presque Isle and Quarry Bay are important access areas, and visitors can explore the island’s trails after arriving by boat or other water transportation.
Stockton Island is also accessible to day visitors who want to experience its beaches and trails without spending the night. Its protected bays provide opportunities for boaters and paddlers to reach the island, although Lake Superior weather can change quickly and conditions on the open water need to be taken seriously. The island’s remote setting means visitors should plan transportation, food, water, weather conditions, and camping arrangements before leaving the mainland.
What makes Stockton Island particularly notable is the way its different environments occur together. A single visit can include white sand beaches, forest trails, dunes, lagoons, rocky shoreline, historic sites, and views across Lake Superior. That combination, along with its size and extensive camping opportunities, makes Stockton Island one of the most representative and rewarding islands within Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
Devil’s Island
Devil’s Island is the northernmost of the Apostle Islands and lies about 20 miles from Bayfield, Wisconsin, at the far northern edge of the archipelago. The island covers approximately 318 acres, making it much smaller than islands such as Madeline Island and Stockton Island. Despite its small size, Devil’s Island has some of the most dramatic scenery in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, including sandstone sea caves, steep shoreline cliffs, a historic lighthouse, and a short trail connecting the northern and southern ends of the island.
The island’s sandstone shoreline is its most striking natural feature. Centuries of wave action, freezing, thawing, and erosion have carved the relatively soft sandstone into arches, vaulted chambers, narrow openings, and honeycombed passageways. The sea caves are particularly prominent along the north shore, where the cliffs have been repeatedly attacked by waves from Lake Superior. Their appearance changes with lake conditions, with calm water allowing closer exploration by experienced kayakers and rough weather producing powerful waves and spray around the cliffs.
The geology behind these caves is closely connected to the Devils Island Formation, a layer of sandstone within the Bayfield Group. The sandstone was deposited hundreds of millions of years ago in ancient environments that included broad sand flats and shallow ponds. Because parts of the Devils Island Formation consist of thinner, more easily eroded layers, waves can gradually undercut the shoreline and create recesses in the cliffs. As these openings enlarge and connect, they can develop into the distinctive sea caves seen around the island.
Devil’s Island is also closely associated with one of the historic lighthouses of the Apostle Islands. The first light station was established on the island in 1891, and the permanent steel lighthouse tower was placed in service in 1901. The light became an important landmark for ships traveling through the northern part of Lake Superior, where storms, fog, rocky shorelines, and difficult navigation could make the waters around the islands hazardous.
The lighthouse complex developed into much more than a single tower. It included keeper’s residences, oil houses, a fog-signal building, a boathouse, a dock, and other structures needed to maintain an isolated navigation station. A tramway was also built to move supplies and equipment between the dock and the lighthouse area. The station remained continuously inhabited for decades, and the Coast Guard eventually automated the light in 1978, ending more than 80 years of lighthouse-keeper operations on the island.
One of the most unusual features of the Devil’s Island lighthouse is its Fresnel lens. It is the only lighthouse in the Apostle Islands whose original Fresnel lens has been retained. The U.S. Coast Guard removed the lens in 1989 and replaced it with a smaller plastic beacon, but the National Park Service repaired the original lens and returned it to the tower for display in 1992. The lighthouse therefore represents not only the maritime history of Lake Superior but also the technological changes that transformed navigation over the twentieth century.
Visitors who reach Devil’s Island can follow a roughly one-mile hiking trail connecting the northern and southern ends of the island. A dock and the island’s single campsite are located near the southern end, while the lighthouse and dramatic sea caves are farther north. Because the island is remote and tour boats do not usually stop there, reaching it is generally more practical for experienced boaters and sea kayakers. The National Park Service notes that the best landing area is near the southern dock.
The island’s remote location also means that visitors need to take Lake Superior conditions seriously. The sea caves can be dangerous when waves are high, and changing weather can make a previously calm route difficult. The National Park Service recommends that boaters avoid the caves during rough conditions and check the marine weather forecast before heading onto the lake. For visitors who cannot safely land on the island, boat tours can still provide views of the lighthouse and shoreline from the water.
Devil’s Island combines several of the features that make the Apostle Islands distinctive: ancient sandstone geology, sea caves, exposed Lake Superior shoreline, remote wilderness, and a historic lighthouse built to guide ships through dangerous waters. Its small size contrasts sharply with the scale of the lake around it, making Devil’s Island one of the most recognizable and visually striking islands within Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
Grand Island
Grand Island lies in Lake Superior just off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, about half a mile from the mainland community of Munising. The island covers approximately 13,500 acres, making it one of the larger individual islands in the U.S. portion of Lake Superior. It was designated Grand Island National Recreation Area in 1990 and is managed as part of Hiawatha National Forest by the U.S. Forest Service, rather than by the National Park Service.
The island has a rugged shoreline shaped by Lake Superior, with sandstone cliffs, sandy beaches, sheltered coves, rocky formations, and forested stretches. Some cliffs reach roughly 300 feet above the lake, particularly along portions of the northern and western shoreline. The contrast between high sandstone walls and beaches creates some of the most distinctive scenery around this part of Lake Superior.
Grand Island’s interior is heavily forested and contains several inland lakes and wetlands. The landscape is crossed by hiking and mountain-biking trails, while the shoreline provides opportunities to see the island’s cliffs and beaches from the water. Because the island sits so close to Munising, it offers a combination of wilderness scenery and relatively easy access that is unusual among the larger Lake Superior islands.
The island also has a long human history. Native peoples used Grand Island and the surrounding waters for fishing, hunting, and seasonal settlement long before European settlement. Later, the island became associated with fur trading, logging, fishing, and other activities. Evidence of earlier settlement and historic structures remains part of the island’s cultural landscape, and the federal legislation establishing the recreation area specifically recognized its historical and cultural resources along with its natural features.
One of Grand Island’s most recognizable historic features is the Grand Island North Lighthouse, also known as the Old North Light. The light station dates to 1867 and reflects the importance of this part of Lake Superior to shipping. Other historic lighthouse structures are associated with the nearby mainland entrance to the harbor, adding to the maritime history of the area.
Grand Island is well suited to outdoor recreation. Visitors can hike, mountain bike, kayak, canoe, fish, swim, boat, and camp across the recreation area. There are numerous backcountry campsites, while trails allow visitors to travel through the island’s forests and along sections of its shoreline. A narrated island bus tour also provides a way to see several scenic and historic locations without hiking the entire island.
The island is especially attractive to paddlers, but its proximity to the mainland should not give the impression that Lake Superior conditions are always easy. Much of the northern shoreline consists of high sandstone cliffs, with some sections offering few or no safe places to land. Strong winds and rapidly changing lake conditions can make paddling around the exposed northern side challenging, so visitors need to plan their route and weather conditions carefully.
Reaching Grand Island is considerably easier than reaching remote islands such as Isle Royale. Visitors can take a passenger ferry from the mainland near Munising or travel by private watercraft. Once on the island, however, there are no paved roads and vehicles are not permitted for ordinary visitors, helping preserve its rustic and relatively undeveloped character.
Grand Island therefore offers a different Lake Superior island experience from the more isolated wilderness of Isle Royale. Its 300-foot sandstone cliffs, beaches, forests, inland lakes, historic sites, and proximity to Munising make it one of the most accessible major islands in Lake Superior while still retaining a strong sense of wilderness.
Susie Islands
The Susie Islands are a group of 13 small islands in Lake Superior off Minnesota’s North Shore, near the community of Grand Portage in Cook County. The archipelago lies close to the mainland but has a distinctly remote character, with rocky shorelines, forested areas, exposed bedrock, and small islands scattered across the lake. The three principal islands are Susie Island, Francis Island, and Lucille Island, with Susie Island being the largest of the group.
The islands are especially interesting because of their unusual plant communities. Their exposed location in Lake Superior creates a cool, moist environment that can support species and plant communities uncommon along the surrounding mainland. Earlier conservation studies have documented an exceptionally rich lichen flora on Susie Island, while the rocky islands as a whole are recognized for rare and unusual vegetation.
The islands also have a strong connection with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The Susie Islands lie within the traditional landscape associated with Grand Portage, and the islands were historically part of canoe routes connecting the Grand Portage area with other parts of Lake Superior. Fishing, hunting, gathering, and other traditional activities have long connected the islands with the surrounding community.
Susie Island, sometimes called Big Susie Island, is the largest island in the archipelago. It covers about 145 acres and was once divided between different ownership interests. Conservation efforts eventually helped protect the island from private development, and in 2017 Susie Island was returned to the Grand Portage Band through a transfer involving The Nature Conservancy. This helped bring the archipelago under unified tribal ownership and conservation management.
The surrounding islands are similarly small and largely undeveloped. Francis Island is another of the named islands in the group and remains connected to the traditional canoe routes around Grand Portage. In 2026, the Grand Portage Band also announced the return of approximately 1.8 acres on Francis Island, continuing the restoration of tribal ownership within the Susie Islands archipelago.
Because of their protected status and remote character, the Susie Islands are not a conventional sightseeing destination with developed trails, visitor centers, or public facilities. The islands are best viewed from the water or from viewpoints along Minnesota’s North Shore. Permission is required to visit Susie Island from the Grand Portage Reservation.
From the mainland, the islands form a distinctive part of the Lake Superior landscape. Their low, rocky profiles contrast with the larger forested islands farther offshore, while their proximity to Grand Portage makes them an easily recognizable feature of the North Shore. The combination of rare plant communities, cultural importance, conservation history, and undeveloped shoreline makes the Susie Islands one of the more unusual island groups in the U.S. portion of Lake Superior.
Huron Islands
The Huron Islands are a group of eight small granite islands in Lake Superior, about three miles off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in Marquette County. Together, the islands cover only about 147 acres, but their exposed granite terrain, old-growth boreal vegetation, historic lighthouse, and importance as a bird refuge give them a significance far greater than their size. The islands form Huron National Wildlife Refuge, which was established in 1905 to protect migratory birds and other wildlife.
The islands are built on extremely old granite bedrock that dates back more than a billion years. During the last Ice Age, glaciers covered the islands and scraped across the exposed rock, leaving visible glacial striations in places. When the glaciers retreated roughly 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, the islands were largely bare rock with thin soils, and plants and animals gradually colonized them. This combination of ancient bedrock and relatively recent post-glacial ecosystems gives the Huron Islands an unusual geological and ecological history.
The islands are small but not identical in character. McIntyre Island, also known as East Huron Island, is the largest at about 77 acres and supports the most diverse habitats in the refuge, including boreal forest and small patches of sphagnum bog. Lighthouse Island, the second-largest at about 40 acres, rises roughly 160 feet above Lake Superior. Several of the remaining islands are little more than exposed granite outcrops, with some rising only 10 to 50 feet above the water.
The Huron Islands are particularly important for birds. The refuge was originally established partly because large colonies of herring gulls nested on the islands, at a time when plume hunting and egg collecting had severely reduced some bird populations. Today, the protected islands continue to provide nesting and resting habitat for birds, while the surrounding waters and rocky shoreline support a broader range of wildlife. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service records 79 bird species, eight mammal species, six reptile and amphibian species, and 157 plant species on the refuge.
The most recognizable feature of the group is the Huron Island Lighthouse on Lighthouse Island. The lighthouse was built in 1868 from granite quarried on the island itself and was placed on the highest part of the island to help guide vessels through the waters around the Huron Islands. Its location became especially important after shipwrecks in the area highlighted the hazards created by fog, rocky waters, and Lake Superior’s difficult navigation conditions.
The historic light station eventually included more than the lighthouse itself. A fog-signal system was added in 1881, while other structures included an oil house, boathouse, tramway, turntable, keeper’s facilities, and pathways connecting different parts of the station. The lighthouse was automated in 1972, ending the need for a permanent keeper, and the historic lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Although the lighthouse remains an active navigation aid, the Huron Islands are primarily protected as a wilderness and wildlife area rather than developed as a conventional tourist destination. Lighthouse Island is the only one of the eight islands open to the public; the other islands are closed to protect sensitive wildlife habitat. There are no permanent facilities such as restrooms or trash services on the island, and visitors are expected to follow Leave No Trace practices.
Access is entirely by boat, with launching opportunities available from places including Big Bay and L’Anse. Visitors who make the crossing to Lighthouse Island can walk from the dock toward the historic light station and explore the surrounding landscape during permitted daytime hours. Because the islands are exposed to Lake Superior, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends checking weather conditions and planning carefully before making the trip.
The Huron Islands therefore represent a very different type of Lake Superior island from large destinations such as Isle Royale or Grand Island. Their importance comes from their ancient granite geology, protected bird habitat, wilderness character, and historic lighthouse rather than their size. With eight small islands rising from Lake Superior just offshore from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, they form a compact but historically and ecologically important island group.
Islands in Lake Superior in Canada
The Canadian side of Lake Superior contains a vast collection of remote islands stretching along the northern and eastern shores of the lake in Ontario. Many of these islands remain largely undeveloped, with rugged shorelines, dense forests, exposed rock, wetlands, and sheltered bays. Some are protected through provincial parks or conservation areas, while others form part of the extensive wilderness along Ontario’s Lake Superior coast.
The largest Canadian islands include St. Ignace Island and Michipicoten Island, which rank second and third overall in size among the islands of Lake Superior after Isle Royale. Farther east and west are distinctive island groups such as the Slate Islands, along with smaller wilderness islands including Simpson Island, Fluor Island, Batchawana Island, and Caribou Island.
These islands also show the geological and ecological diversity of northern Lake Superior. Some are associated with ancient Precambrian rocks, while the Slate Islands have globally significant geological features linked to a major meteorite impact. Their isolation has also created unusual habitats for wildlife, including woodland caribou and Arctic-alpine plant communities.
St. Ignace Island
St. Ignace Island is the second-largest island in Lake Superior, after Isle Royale, and one of the largest islands on the Canadian side of the lake. It covers about 106 square miles and lies in northern Lake Superior near the entrance to Nipigon Bay in Ontario. The island is uninhabited and remains largely undeveloped, giving it a distinctly remote character compared with more accessible islands such as Madeline Island or Grand Island.
The island has a broad, rugged landscape shaped by ancient bedrock and glacial erosion. Much of St. Ignace rises several hundred feet above Lake Superior, while its eastern-central portion has particularly rugged terrain. Mount St. Ignace, the island’s highest point, reaches about 1,854 feet. The interior also contains numerous lakes, including King Lake, while elongated lakes and valleys reflect the underlying geological structure of the island.
St. Ignace Island’s shoreline is equally varied. Parts of the coast are marked by steep rock faces and cliffs, while other sections contain sheltered bays, coves, points, islands, and shoals. The southern side of the island opens toward a large bay with numerous smaller islands and shallow areas, creating a complicated shoreline for boats navigating these waters. Several natural harbors and protected coves provide sheltered water, although access remains dependent on Lake Superior conditions.
The island’s forests are typical of the northern Lake Superior region, with white and black spruce, white birch, balsam, and poplar among the dominant trees. Its combination of forest, rocky terrain, inland lakes, wetlands, and isolated shoreline creates habitat for a variety of northern wildlife. Moose are found on the island, and the surrounding waters support fish and other aquatic species. Limited sport fishing and seasonal moose hunting have historically taken place in the area.
St. Ignace Island also has a long Indigenous and European history. Its name comes from the French Île Saint-Ignace, given by Jesuit missionaries in honor of Saint Ignatius. Long before European mapping and exploration, the island and surrounding waters formed part of the traditional landscape of Indigenous peoples of the Lake Superior region. Its isolated location later attracted interest from explorers, surveyors, fishers, and others using the waterways around Nipigon Bay.
Despite its size, St. Ignace Island has very little modern infrastructure. There are no permanent communities, conventional roads, or developed tourist facilities on the island. Its remote character means that visitors generally need to travel by boat, kayak, or other watercraft and be prepared to carry their own supplies. The island’s surrounding waters and nearby channels are complex enough that careful navigation and knowledge of Lake Superior conditions are important.
The island is particularly interesting to paddlers and wilderness travelers because of its combination of open Lake Superior shoreline, sheltered bays, inland lakes, and rugged terrain. However, it is not an easy recreational destination. Lake Superior can produce strong winds and rapidly changing conditions, and the island’s undeveloped nature means there are few services available once visitors leave the mainland. Parks Canada identifies the broader Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area as an area where visitors can paddle to islands and experience remote coastal landscapes, but St. Ignace itself remains a largely wild island.
With its 106 square miles of land, 1,854-foot Mount St. Ignace, numerous inland lakes, rugged shoreline, and complete lack of permanent settlement, St. Ignace Island is one of the most substantial wilderness islands in Lake Superior. Its combination of size and isolation makes it an important part of the Canadian side of the lake and a striking contrast to the more developed islands farther south.
Michipicoten Island
Michipicoten Island is the third-largest island in Lake Superior, after Isle Royale and St. Ignace Island. It lies in the northeastern part of the lake, about 40 miles southwest of Wawa, Ontario, and about 10 miles from the mainland at its closest point. The island covers approximately 71 square miles and is about 16 to 17 miles long and 6 miles wide. Most of the island and the surrounding waters and smaller islands are protected as Michipicoten Island Provincial Park, a natural environment provincial park established in 1985.
The island has a rugged interior shaped by ancient volcanic activity, glaciation, and erosion. Much of its bedrock consists of old lava flows and intrusive rocks associated with the Midcontinent Rift System, and some formations found on the island are not found elsewhere along mainland Lake Superior in Ontario. Long east-west ridges run through the interior, with steeper slopes in some areas and numerous small lakes occupying the valleys between them. The highest parts of the island rise to nearly 1,000 feet above Lake Superior.
Michipicoten’s shoreline is just as varied as its interior. Rocky cliffs, exposed bedrock, beaches, offshore rocks, shoals, and sheltered bays occur around the island, while several small streams drain the interior lakes toward Lake Superior. The island also contains unusual coastal landforms, including sea caves, flowerpots, and postglacial beaches. One of its most sheltered natural harbors is Quebec Harbour, which has historically been important for fishing and other activity around the island.
The island’s forests contain a mixture of Boreal and Great Lakes–St. Lawrence forest types. Ontario Parks notes that the island includes interior lakes, sand beaches, and sugar maple forests, while the remote shoreline and cliffs support some arctic-alpine plant species. Its isolation has also helped maintain habitats that are uncommon on the nearby mainland.
One of Michipicoten Island’s most distinctive wildlife features is its woodland caribou population. Woodland caribou historically lived on the island but were eliminated by overhunting during the 1800s. In 1982, Ontario reintroduced caribou to Michipicoten Island using animals from the Slate Islands, creating one of the southernmost woodland caribou populations in Ontario. The island’s lack of wolves and bears is particularly important because the remote, roadless environment provides conditions that are very different from mainland habitats.
Beavers are also abundant on the island, and red foxes are among its larger predators. The surrounding waters, inland lakes, and offshore areas support a variety of fish and bird species as well. The island’s isolation is important ecologically because it limits the movement of many mainland mammals and allows researchers and conservationists to study how wildlife populations develop in an island environment.
Michipicoten Island also has a long cultural and maritime history. Indigenous peoples used the island and surrounding Lake Superior waters long before European arrival, and the name Michipicoten comes from an Ojibwe term associated with “big bluffs.” The broader Michipicoten region was an important network of travel, fishing, hunting, and trade routes connecting Lake Superior with the interior of northern Ontario.
European maps recorded the island by the 17th century, and later visitors were drawn by its copper-bearing rocks and other natural resources. Small-scale copper mining was attempted during the 19th century, while commercial fishing became another important activity. Historic fishing stations operated around Quebec Harbour, and the island’s waters became part of the wider commercial fishery of eastern Lake Superior. Shipwrecks and the remains of historic fishing operations are still part of the island’s maritime history.
Lighthouse operations also became part of the island’s history. A lighthouse was established on the island in the early 20th century to assist vessels navigating the remote waters of eastern Lake Superior. These navigation facilities, together with fishing camps, mining activity, and shipwrecks, reflect the challenges of operating around an island that is far removed from major population centers.
Today, Michipicoten Island remains largely wild and undeveloped. There are no visitor facilities in the provincial park, and there are no conventional roads or developed tourist services on the island. A small number of private seasonal properties and commercial fishing or outpost activities have existed, but most of the island remains wilderness. During winter, its remoteness and difficult access mean that the island is generally uninhabited.
For experienced paddlers and wilderness travelers, Michipicoten Island offers a particularly remote Lake Superior experience. Its combination of long stretches of undeveloped shoreline, inland lakes, rugged volcanic terrain, beaches, wildlife habitat, and historical sites makes it much more than simply the lake’s third-largest island. Its isolation is precisely what has allowed so much of its natural character to survive.
Slate Islands
The Slate Islands are a remote archipelago in northern Lake Superior, about 8 miles offshore from Terrace Bay, Ontario. The islands are protected as Slate Islands Provincial Park, a 6,570-hectare natural environment park established in 1985. The park protects a group of rugged islands surrounded by the open waters of Lake Superior, with no conventional road connection to the mainland.
The archipelago contains 15 islands, divided into two main groups. The larger group includes Patterson, Mortimer, McColl, Edmonds, Bowes, Delaute, and Dupuis islands, while the smaller Leadman group includes Leadman, Cape, Spar, and Fish islands, along with other smaller islands within the park boundary. Patterson and Mortimer are the two principal islands and form the core of the archipelago.
The geology of the Slate Islands is one of their most remarkable features. The islands are composed largely of ancient Precambrian volcanic and sedimentary rocks, and their exposed bedrock records a complex geological history. One of their most unusual features is the presence of shatter cones, distinctive cone-shaped fractures in rock that form under the extreme pressures generated by major impacts. The Slate Islands are considered globally significant for these geological formations.
The origin of the islands has also attracted considerable geological interest. Their unusual rock structures have led scientists to investigate whether a major ancient meteorite impact played a role in shaping the archipelago. The impact hypothesis has been discussed alongside volcanic explanations for the islands’ geological development, making the Slate Islands an important site for geological research rather than simply a scenic island destination.
The islands also have a distinctive ecosystem created partly by their isolation and the cooling influence of Lake Superior. Woodland caribou and beavers occur in notable numbers, while the islands support a mixture of southern boreal vegetation and relatively rare arctic-alpine plant species. The absence of some mainland predators has contributed to the unusual wildlife community, making the Slate Islands an important natural laboratory for studying island ecosystems.
Woodland caribou are particularly important to the identity of the Slate Islands. The islands provide one of the places in Ontario where these animals continue to live in an isolated island environment. Their presence, combined with the unusual vegetation and geology, is one of the principal reasons the provincial park was established and continues to be protected.
The islands also contain evidence of human occupation and use. Ontario’s park management documents identify remnants of two Indigenous settlements as well as the remains of a former timber operation. These cultural features add another layer to the history of the archipelago, showing that the islands have been used by people long before they became a protected provincial park.
A historic lighthouse also stands on the southern side of Patterson Island, at Sunday Harbour. The lighthouse dates to 1903 and reflects the importance of navigation through this exposed section of Lake Superior. The lighthouse property itself is federally owned and is separate from the provincial park boundary.
Despite their protected status, the Slate Islands are not developed like conventional provincial parks. There is no visitor center, no car camping, no road system, and no regular mainland-style park infrastructure. Ontario Parks currently lists backcountry campsites, boating, canoeing, hiking, and fishing among the available activities, while the park remains a remote destination requiring visitors to be self-sufficient.
Access is primarily by boat, with experienced paddlers and boaters traveling across Lake Superior from the mainland. The exposed crossing means that weather and lake conditions are important considerations, particularly for kayakers. The park’s remote setting is part of its appeal, but it also means that visitors need to plan transportation, camping, navigation, food, and emergency contingencies before making the journey.
Simpson Island
Simpson Island lies in the northwestern part of Lake Superior, off the north shore of Ontario near the entrance to Nipigon Bay. It covers approximately 28 square miles and measures about 10 miles from north to south and 6 miles across at its widest points. The island is largely uninhabited and remains a rugged wilderness landscape, separated from the mainland by open Lake Superior waters.
The island’s landscape is dominated by exposed rock, forest, steep shoreline sections, and numerous small bays and coves. Its bedrock reflects the complex geology of the Lake Superior region, with much of the island underlain by Mesoproterozoic Keweenawan volcanic rocks and sediments. Older Sibley Group sedimentary rocks also occur along parts of the shoreline, creating a noticeable contrast between the volcanic and sedimentary formations found across the island.
Simpson Island’s remote setting has helped preserve much of its natural character. There are no permanent communities or conventional tourist facilities, and reaching the island requires travel across Lake Superior by boat. Its distance from major population centers and exposure to changing lake conditions make it more suited to experienced boaters and paddlers than to casual visitors.
The island is also connected to the history of commercial fishing on Lake Superior. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Simpson Island was among the offshore islands used by fishermen working out of the Rossport area. Historical records mention a fishing station on Simpson Island as early as 1877, reflecting the importance of the surrounding waters to the developing commercial fishery along Ontario’s north shore.
Another important part of Simpson Island’s history is its sandstone quarrying. A sandstone deposit was discovered on the island in 1904, and quarry operations began the following year. The buff-colored sandstone was extracted as building material and transported by barge to mainland communities, including the developing cities of Fort William and Port Arthur, now part of Thunder Bay.
The quarry operated for several years before being abandoned in the early 20th century. Geological records indicate that remnants of derricks and machinery were still present at the old quarry site when it was documented by provincial geologists. The quarry face itself is on the island’s north shore, and the site can be reached by boat from either Nipigon or Rossport.
Today, the old quarry provides an unusual connection between Simpson Island’s wilderness and its industrial past. Instead of being simply an untouched island, Simpson preserves evidence of a period when Lake Superior’s remote islands supplied stone for construction on the mainland. The combination of old quarry workings, rugged rock formations, forests, and open lake views gives the island a distinctive character.
For paddlers, Simpson Island’s shoreline offers the type of remote Lake Superior environment that is difficult to find near larger communities. The surrounding waters contain numerous offshore islands, coves, rocky shorelines, and other places of interest around Nipigon Bay. However, the island’s exposed position means that kayaking and boating require careful attention to weather, waves, navigation, and the ability to deal with rapidly changing conditions.
Batchawana Island
Batchawana Island lies off the eastern shore of Lake Superior in Ontario, near Batchawana Bay and north of Sault Ste. Marie. It covers approximately 5,130 acres, with roughly 17 miles of shoreline. The island remains largely undeveloped, with extensive forests, wetlands, rocky shoreline, and beaches.
Much of Batchawana Island’s natural character comes from its intact forests and wetlands. The shoreline includes rocky sections as well as sandy and cobble beaches, while wetlands occur in low-lying parts of the island. These habitats provide important areas for wildlife and migratory birds and make the island one of the significant conservation areas along this part of Lake Superior.
The island is also important because of its surrounding waters. Conservation assessments have identified the area around the eastern end of Batchawana Island as biologically significant, while the nearby Batchawana Bay supports important fish habitat. Lake sturgeon and other native fish use the surrounding waters, linking the island’s terrestrial habitats with the broader Lake Superior ecosystem.
Wildlife on and around the island includes mammals such as moose and black bears, along with a variety of smaller mammals and birds. The mature forests and wetlands are particularly valuable for migratory birds, giving the island importance beyond its relatively small land area. Its undeveloped condition also provides a large continuous block of habitat along a shoreline where much of the surrounding region has experienced human use.
Batchawana Island also has an important Indigenous connection. It lies within the traditional territory associated with the Batchewana First Nation, whose community is located on the mainland near Batchawana Bay. The island and surrounding waters form part of a much older cultural landscape in which Lake Superior provided transportation routes, fishing grounds, and access to natural resources.
For much of its modern history, the island was privately owned and there were proposals for different forms of development. Its combination of shoreline, forest, and relatively accessible location made it attractive for recreational and resort-related ideas. Ultimately, however, conservation became the priority, helping prevent large-scale development from transforming the island.
In 2022–23, the Nature Conservancy of Canada acquired and protected Batchawana Island, securing the largest privately owned island in Lake Superior at the time. The conservation project protected the island’s forests, wetlands, shoreline, and wildlife habitat while keeping this large undeveloped landscape intact.
Today, Batchawana Island is best understood as a conservation landscape rather than a conventional tourist destination. There are no major roads, resort complexes, or developed visitor facilities covering the island, and its value comes largely from the intact habitats and surrounding waters that have remained relatively undisturbed.
Caribou Island
Caribou Island lies in the eastern part of Lake Superior, about 25 miles south of Michipicoten Island. It is an uninhabited island approximately 1,600 acres in area, measuring about 3.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. Although it is relatively close to the international border, the island lies entirely within Canadian waters and remains one of the most isolated islands in this part of Lake Superior.
The island’s landscape is low and relatively undeveloped compared with the larger, more rugged islands farther west. Its interior contains scrub, bogs, and several small lakes, including Little Italy, Hambone, and Deer Lake. Beaver activity has altered some of these inland waters, while wetlands and coastal habitats provide important areas for wildlife.
Caribou Island also has a sensitive shoreline environment. Several dune systems occur along the coast, particularly near the southern end, while wetland areas are found along parts of the western and northwestern shore. These dunes are relatively low, generally ranging from about 3 to 16 feet high, and are vulnerable to disturbance. The island also provides an important resting area for migratory shorebirds, with gull nesting colonies recorded in the surrounding coastal habitat.
The island’s position near major Lake Superior shipping routes made navigation around it particularly important. Reefs and shallow areas extend around parts of the island, creating hazards for vessels approaching the shoreline. Because of these conditions and the island’s isolation, a lighthouse was established here in the late 19th century to help guide ships through the surrounding waters.
Interestingly, the main lighthouse was not built directly on Caribou Island. Instead, the light station occupies a much smaller nearby island known as Lighthouse Island, separated from Caribou Island by a short stretch of water. The original lighthouse was established in 1886, while the present reinforced-concrete tower was built in 1911–1912.
The present lighthouse is one of the most distinctive light towers on Lake Superior. Its tall, tapered concrete structure is surrounded by six flying buttresses, giving it an unusual appearance compared with conventional lighthouse towers. Parks Canada recognizes the structure as a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of its architectural and engineering importance, particularly its place in the early development of reinforced-concrete lighthouse construction in Canada.
The remote lighthouse station also reflects how difficult life could be for lighthouse keepers on Lake Superior. Before automation, reaching the island meant traveling across exposed lake waters, and winter conditions could make the journey particularly dangerous. The lighthouse was eventually automated, eliminating the need for a permanent keeper on the isolated station.
Caribou Island itself has very little development. Historical records indicate a small amount of private use, but there are no roads or conventional tourist facilities. Access is by boat or aircraft, and the combination of remoteness, reefs, exposed water, and sensitive shoreline makes the island better suited to experienced wilderness travelers than ordinary sightseeing.
Fluor Island
Fluor Island lies in Nipigon Strait on the northern side of Lake Superior, where the narrow waterway connects Nipigon Bay with the waters farther south. The island forms the eastern side of the southern portion of the strait, placing it within a particularly rugged and geographically important part of the Canadian Lake Superior coastline.
The shoreline of Fluor Island is notably rocky, especially along its southwestern side, where steep cliffs rise directly from deep water in places. This gives the island a much more rugged appearance than many of the lower coastal islands farther east. The combination of exposed rock, cliffs, and narrow channels makes the area visually striking but also demanding for small boats.
Fluor Island is also important because of its position within the complicated network of islands, rocks, and shoals that forms the entrance to Nipigon Strait. The strait becomes extremely narrow near the island, with rocks, islets, and shallow water restricting the navigable passage. Canadian hydrographic information specifically notes that local knowledge is advisable when navigating this section.
The surrounding landscape reflects the ancient geology of the Lake Superior region. The broader Nipigon area contains rocks associated with the Midcontinent Rift, a major geological feature that developed more than a billion years ago. Ontario’s geological records also document mineral occurrences and extensive geological mapping around Fluor Island, showing the island’s importance to understanding the complex bedrock of this part of Ontario.
Fluor Island is surrounded by several smaller islands and exposed rocks. Cedar Island and Dacres Rock lie to the southeast of Starke Point, while other rocks and islets further narrow parts of the strait. These features create a maze-like landscape of channels and sheltered sections, making the island part of a much larger geographic system rather than an isolated landmass.
The island has no major community or conventional tourist development. Its appeal comes primarily from its remote setting, rocky shoreline, and position within the waterways leading toward Nipigon Bay. Travelers approaching by kayak or small boat can experience a distinctly wilderness-oriented section of Lake Superior, but the narrow channels and submerged hazards require careful navigation.
Fluor Island’s location also gives it an important role in regional navigation. Nipigon Strait is one of the routes connecting Lake Superior with the mainland communities around Nipigon and Red Rock, but the passage around Fluor Island is among its more difficult sections. Navigation lights and marked channels help vessels through the narrowest areas, while several locations around the island have deep water close to the cliffs.
Unlike the larger islands such as Michipicoten or St. Ignace, Fluor Island is not known for a large permanent population or extensive historical settlement. Instead, its significance comes from its geography, geology, and strategic position within Nipigon Strait. It is one of the smaller Canadian islands where the rugged character of Lake Superior is especially visible.
For experienced paddlers and boaters, Fluor Island can be viewed as part of the remote island landscape surrounding Nipigon Bay. Its cliffs, offshore rocks, narrow passages, and deep water create a dramatic setting, while its location within one of Lake Superior’s most constricted waterways makes it particularly distinctive among the Canadian islands.
Pie Island
Pie Island is located in Lake Superior about 6 miles south of Thunder Bay, Ontario, and roughly 15 miles north of Isle Royale. The island covers approximately 17.8 square miles and stretches about 7.5 miles from end to end. It is clearly visible from Thunder Bay and is one of the more prominent islands along the western Canadian shore of Lake Superior.
The island has a rugged landscape shaped by exposed bedrock, forests, cliffs, and elevated terrain. Its most distinctive feature is Le Pâté, a flat-topped mesa on the western part of the island that rises to about 1,440 feet above sea level. Steep cliffs surround much of the mesa, while its difficult terrain and limited accessibility have allowed vegetation to develop with relatively little disturbance.
Pie Island has a long history of human use. During the late 19th century, the island was extensively prospected for silver, and several mining ventures operated there. Agriculture was also attempted, with historical records showing that hay was being grown on the island by the late 1880s. Features such as Dawson Bay and Keefer Point still preserve connections to people involved in the island’s early development.
The island also has a strong connection to the traditional fishing grounds of the Fort William First Nation. Historical records from the First Nation describe the waters and islands around Pie Island as part of an important fishing area known as the Grand Fishery. Pie Island itself was an important fishing station, with species such as walleye and northern pike among the fish traditionally caught in the surrounding waters.
Pie Island’s land history is also closely connected to the Fort William First Nation’s long-running boundary claim. The original 1853 government survey recommended that Pie Island be included within the First Nation’s reserve, but that recommendation was never implemented. Following decades of negotiations, the 2011 settlement transferred approximately 4,311 hectares of Crown land on Pie Island to Canada to be set apart as reserve land for the Fort William First Nation. Some privately owned land on the southern end of the island was not included in the transfer.
Navigation has been another important part of Pie Island’s history. A lighthouse was established at the western end of the island in 1895 to help mark the entrance to the Thunder Bay area. The light station was moved to the north point in 1904 so that the light could be seen from a greater distance. The original wooden lighthouse was eventually removed, and a skeletal tower now serves as the navigational light.
Today, Pie Island remains largely undeveloped. There are some summer cottages near the southern end, but there are no roads or conventional tourist facilities covering the island. The lighthouse and much of the island are best viewed from the water, making boating the most practical way to experience its shoreline and distinctive landscape.
With its prominent mesa, mining history, lighthouse, traditional fishing grounds, and connection to the Fort William First Nation, Pie Island has a much richer history than its relatively modest size might suggest. At approximately 17.8 square miles, it is also one of the larger islands in Lake Superior and ranks among the notable Canadian islands by land area.
Largest Islands in Lake Superior
Lake Superior’s largest islands vary greatly in size, from the vast Isle Royale to much smaller islands scattered along the lake’s U.S. and Canadian shores. The largest are concentrated around the northern and western parts of the lake, while several other important islands are considerably smaller but still significant for their wildlife, landscapes, or history.
| Rank | Island | Location | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isle Royale | Michigan, USA | 206.7 sq mi |
| 2 | St. Ignace Island | Ontario, Canada | 106 sq mi |
| 3 | Michipicoten Island | Ontario, Canada | 71 sq mi |
| 4 | Simpson Island | Ontario, Canada | 28.2 sq mi |
| 5 | Madeline Island | Wisconsin, USA | 24.0 sq mi |
| 6 | Grand Island | Michigan, USA | 21.1 sq mi |
| 7 | Pie Island | Ontario, Canada | 17.8 sq mi |
| 8 | Stockton Island | Wisconsin, USA | 15.7 sq mi |
| 9 | Outer Island | Wisconsin, USA | 12.3 sq mi |
| 10 | Oak Island | Wisconsin, USA | 7.9 sq mi |
The size difference between the largest islands is substantial. Isle Royale covers more than twice the area of St. Ignace Island and nearly three times the area of Michipicoten Island. Isle Royale alone covers more than 200 square miles, while many of the other islands in Lake Superior are only a few square miles or less.
Among the Canadian islands, St. Ignace Island is the largest, followed by Michipicoten Island. Simpson Island is considerably smaller at about 28 square miles, while the Slate Islands together cover roughly 14 square miles of land. Batchawana Island covers about 8 square miles and is notable for its intact forests and wetlands, while Caribou Island is much smaller and better known for its isolation and historic lighthouse.
On the U.S. side, Isle Royale is by far the largest individual island in Lake Superior. Madeline Island, Grand Island, and Stockton Island follow at a much smaller scale. The Apostle Islands are not included as a single entry in the table because they are an archipelago of separate islands rather than one island; Madeline, Stockton, and Devil’s Island are therefore considered individually.