North Manitou Island
North Manitou Island | ||
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North Manitou Island as seen from Glen Arbor at dusk | ||
Waters | Lake Michigan | |
Archipelago | Manitou Islands | |
Geographical location | 45 ° 6 ′ N , 86 ° 1 ′ W | |
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length | 12 km | |
width | 6 km | |
surface | 57.876 km² | |
Highest elevation | 220 m | |
Residents | uninhabited |
North Manitou Island is an uninhabited island in Lake Michigan , about 19 km west-northwest of Leland , Michigan .
It has a length of 12 km, a width of 6 km and an area of 57.876 km². The smaller South Manitou Island lies to the southwest. Both islands are part of Leelanau County in Michigan and are part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore , although they are over 9 km offshore.
Park passes are required and camping fees apply. The island can be reached by ferry from Leland. Private boats are allowed to head for the island. However, there are a limited number of berths. Visitors are not allowed to bring "wheeled vehicles". No campfires are allowed on the island. Public fire pits near the ranger station are an exception. There is a water point and an outhouse there.
The Manitou Islands are surrounded by more than 50 known shipwrecks.
There is a network of trails on North Manitou Island that lead across the island's former roads. On the west bank of the island the "old grade" leads over the route of a former lumberjack railway. Wild camping is allowed on the island.
There is a lake on the island, Lake Manitou , which is ideal for fishing. There is also Tamarack Lake , which is now a cedar swamp. The island is flanked by dunes in the north-west and south-west.
The following mammals live on the island: coyote , beaver , white-tailed deer and striped chipmunk . The raccoon population perished from an epidemic shortly before 2002.
Numerous songbirds, water birds and various birds of prey can be observed on the island. The threatened yellow-footed plover breeds here. Bald eagles are common on the island during the spring and early summer breeding season. Garter snakes abound on the island. There is an annual hunting season to limit the population.
Web links
- North Manitou Island, Leelanau Michigan Information - http://www.northmanitou.com
- North Manitou Island, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
- Manitou Island Transit
- North Manitou Island maps, photos and history