Grand Island Series LbNA #4071
Map
Nearby Boxes
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | May 26, 2003 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Munising |
| County: | Alger |
| State: | Michigan |
| Boxes: | 3 |
| Planted by: | pink trillium  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | 4eyesmcgee (2) |
| Last found: | Aug 8, 2019 |
| Status: | FFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | May 26, 2003 |
Terrain: easy to moderate. Easy to get to if you are biking. Double to triple your times if you’re hiking. No motorized vehicles are allowed by the public. You must take a ferry to get to Grand Island.
Grand Island is a jewel in Lake Superior! Located only ½ mile offshore from Munising, it’s easy to get to and enjoy. Sandy beaches and sheer cliffs rim the island and cattail /cedar swamps, hemlock stands, and northern hardwood forest cover the gently rolling terrain of the island's interior. Bald eagles, black bear, and the common loon are some of the animals that live on Grand Island. Grand Island is a delightful spot for hiking, biking, picnicking, nature study and letterboxing. But, remember that once the boat drops you off, it will not pick you up until its next scheduled trip. You're on your own. The unpredictable weather of Lake Superior adds to the wild character of the island.
In the past, the Ojibwa People made Grand Island their home. In the early 1800's, the first white settler, Abraham H. Williams, homesteaded there. He and his family moved from Illinois to Grand Island in 1840 to "farm in the wilderness". Since that time, maple syrup production and timber harvesting have occurred. Careful observers will see traces of these activities.
Grand Island is now a National Recreation Area, managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Campsites, trails and roads are designated across the island to protect the resources. Private residences are located on the island. Please respect the islanders privacy. Be careful while enjoying your trip, the mosquitoes and black flies can be very bad from mid-May to mid-July. Be sure to bring plenty of insect repellent and even a head net during those months. Don't feed the bears, they are plentiful here and have caused problems because of overzealous feeding by visitors.
Getting to Grand Island: Take the ferry. The ferry has a limited travel schedule based time of the year. There is a passenger fee and a separate fee if you take your own bike over. You can also rent a bike at the ferry dock which is west of Munising off M-28 and very well marked. Get a map of the islands trails and roads.
Clues: After unboarding at William’s Landing take a few minutes to check out the quaint visitors center and info kiosks. Jump on your bikes and starting clocking your time! To get to the Duck Lake and Grand Island boxes, take the road that leads north which is to the west of the visitor center and in front of the potties. After about 5 minutes or less you’ll come to a fork in the road. Go right! It’s about 1.8 miles to Duck Lake or about 20 minutes of a leisurely family tour. On the way you can stop and see the Stone Quarry which is Abraham Williams homestead. You can also stop to see the old historic cemetery where Williams and his family are buried. Allow yourself a few minutes for these stops! The view from the Stone Quarry on the rocks is great!
Duck Lake box: You’ll come to small sign and a boardwalk which will tell you that you’ve arrived! Park here. You will see a cut stump to the right of the boardwalk - it used to be an graceful arch over the trail. Look behind its base and you will find the treasure which you seek. Its covered by wood and debris. There may be others about enjoying the lake or fishing, so keep your treasure a secret!
Grand Island box: Jump on the bikes again from the Duck Lake box and continue heading north to Trout Bay. After about 5-10 minutes of easy peddling, stop at the Trout Bay boardwalk and kiosk. Leave your bikes here. There’s also a real potty here so take advantage of that! Take the boardwalk toward Trout Bay. This is an amazing place. If you’ve got the time and the bugs aren’t bad, take your shoes off and walk the beach.
To find the box after you explore the beach get back to the boardwalk where it ends at the beach and look for the gravel path heading east from the main boardwalk. From the end of the gravel path (where the wooden sideboards are) go 19 paces. There should be a trio of trees to your left and a faint trail on your right heading south. Go 6 paces south on this faint trail. On your right is a small diameter white pine and a larger diameter red pine surrounded by a cluster of baby conifers. On the south side of this cluster, look beneath the branches and litter of pine needles and such, near the white pine. Here you find the treasure you seek. Once again, if folks are around, be discreet!
Mather Lodge box: THIS BOX HAS BEEN PULLED. Will relocate some day. Check back to this site.
To get back to Williams Landing to catch the ferry, you can either head back the way you came to the Center road and head south on the Center road, or, you can take the west rim trail south along the shore the 3 miles back to the landing. Great berry bushes here if you time it right in July and August!
North Light Letterbox: This box is way at the north end of the island which can be accessed up the center road or by either of the rim trails from the east or west. Its a long way up there - no less than 8 miles, so pack water and food! Although North Light (the lighthouse) is a privately owned and is not open to the public, north light beach is the most fabulous remote beach you'll ever come across!
Take any of the routes to get you to the old cement bridge over north light creek. This bridge is officially closed and users must cross knowing there may be a risk. The bridge was built in the early 1900's by William Mather to help navigate the rim more easily by his island guests. From the east side of the bridge, walk east down the rim trail a little ways past the signs pointing to the beach. Quickly, you'll come to a wide spot/ opening on the south side of the trail - if you look carefully, you will see a faint path heading south through this opening. Look for the gracefully arching tree at the far side of this opening. The faint path will appear to pass below it. At the base of this arch you will find the treasure you seek.
Grand Island is a jewel in Lake Superior! Located only ½ mile offshore from Munising, it’s easy to get to and enjoy. Sandy beaches and sheer cliffs rim the island and cattail /cedar swamps, hemlock stands, and northern hardwood forest cover the gently rolling terrain of the island's interior. Bald eagles, black bear, and the common loon are some of the animals that live on Grand Island. Grand Island is a delightful spot for hiking, biking, picnicking, nature study and letterboxing. But, remember that once the boat drops you off, it will not pick you up until its next scheduled trip. You're on your own. The unpredictable weather of Lake Superior adds to the wild character of the island.
In the past, the Ojibwa People made Grand Island their home. In the early 1800's, the first white settler, Abraham H. Williams, homesteaded there. He and his family moved from Illinois to Grand Island in 1840 to "farm in the wilderness". Since that time, maple syrup production and timber harvesting have occurred. Careful observers will see traces of these activities.
Grand Island is now a National Recreation Area, managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Campsites, trails and roads are designated across the island to protect the resources. Private residences are located on the island. Please respect the islanders privacy. Be careful while enjoying your trip, the mosquitoes and black flies can be very bad from mid-May to mid-July. Be sure to bring plenty of insect repellent and even a head net during those months. Don't feed the bears, they are plentiful here and have caused problems because of overzealous feeding by visitors.
Getting to Grand Island: Take the ferry. The ferry has a limited travel schedule based time of the year. There is a passenger fee and a separate fee if you take your own bike over. You can also rent a bike at the ferry dock which is west of Munising off M-28 and very well marked. Get a map of the islands trails and roads.
Clues: After unboarding at William’s Landing take a few minutes to check out the quaint visitors center and info kiosks. Jump on your bikes and starting clocking your time! To get to the Duck Lake and Grand Island boxes, take the road that leads north which is to the west of the visitor center and in front of the potties. After about 5 minutes or less you’ll come to a fork in the road. Go right! It’s about 1.8 miles to Duck Lake or about 20 minutes of a leisurely family tour. On the way you can stop and see the Stone Quarry which is Abraham Williams homestead. You can also stop to see the old historic cemetery where Williams and his family are buried. Allow yourself a few minutes for these stops! The view from the Stone Quarry on the rocks is great!
Duck Lake box: You’ll come to small sign and a boardwalk which will tell you that you’ve arrived! Park here. You will see a cut stump to the right of the boardwalk - it used to be an graceful arch over the trail. Look behind its base and you will find the treasure which you seek. Its covered by wood and debris. There may be others about enjoying the lake or fishing, so keep your treasure a secret!
Grand Island box: Jump on the bikes again from the Duck Lake box and continue heading north to Trout Bay. After about 5-10 minutes of easy peddling, stop at the Trout Bay boardwalk and kiosk. Leave your bikes here. There’s also a real potty here so take advantage of that! Take the boardwalk toward Trout Bay. This is an amazing place. If you’ve got the time and the bugs aren’t bad, take your shoes off and walk the beach.
To find the box after you explore the beach get back to the boardwalk where it ends at the beach and look for the gravel path heading east from the main boardwalk. From the end of the gravel path (where the wooden sideboards are) go 19 paces. There should be a trio of trees to your left and a faint trail on your right heading south. Go 6 paces south on this faint trail. On your right is a small diameter white pine and a larger diameter red pine surrounded by a cluster of baby conifers. On the south side of this cluster, look beneath the branches and litter of pine needles and such, near the white pine. Here you find the treasure you seek. Once again, if folks are around, be discreet!
Mather Lodge box: THIS BOX HAS BEEN PULLED. Will relocate some day. Check back to this site.
To get back to Williams Landing to catch the ferry, you can either head back the way you came to the Center road and head south on the Center road, or, you can take the west rim trail south along the shore the 3 miles back to the landing. Great berry bushes here if you time it right in July and August!
North Light Letterbox: This box is way at the north end of the island which can be accessed up the center road or by either of the rim trails from the east or west. Its a long way up there - no less than 8 miles, so pack water and food! Although North Light (the lighthouse) is a privately owned and is not open to the public, north light beach is the most fabulous remote beach you'll ever come across!
Take any of the routes to get you to the old cement bridge over north light creek. This bridge is officially closed and users must cross knowing there may be a risk. The bridge was built in the early 1900's by William Mather to help navigate the rim more easily by his island guests. From the east side of the bridge, walk east down the rim trail a little ways past the signs pointing to the beach. Quickly, you'll come to a wide spot/ opening on the south side of the trail - if you look carefully, you will see a faint path heading south through this opening. Look for the gracefully arching tree at the far side of this opening. The faint path will appear to pass below it. At the base of this arch you will find the treasure you seek.