Huron

Plan Your Visit

National wildlife refuges offer us all a chance to unplug from the stresses of daily life and reconnect with our natural surroundings. Huron National Wildlife Refuge is a series of granite islands emerging from the waters of Lake Superior. Visitors will need a boat to get to the island that is open to the public, Lighthouse Island. Visitors are strongly encouraged to monitor the weather forecast. There are no restrooms or trash facilities on the island. Leave no trace practices are required. Proper trip planning and preparation is critical for ensuring a safe and enjoyable visit. Upon arrival, visitors can disembark at the dock and take the trail to the lighthouse which has been walked by lighthouse keepers, shipwreck survivors and visitors alike since the late 1860s.

You are welcome to explore. The buildings are closed to the public but there is still a lot to see. Near the dock, visitors can see the boathouse and the winch used to pull the boats out of the lake. As you walk up the trail you will come to an old bridge over a ravine. During the summer, the ravine is filled with flowers that escaped the lighthouse keepers gardens mixed with wildflowers native to the island. It is a great place to look for butterflies. The lighthouse, assistant keeper’s quarters, historic privy and oil house are just up the trail. The lighthouse, which was constructed in 1868, is made of granite blocks mined on the islands.

Even the ground is interesting. Look down, do you notice those grooves in the rocks? Those are glacial striations made by glaciers which covered the landscape more than 10,000 years ago. As the glaciers moved over the rocks smaller rocks that were stuck to the bottom of the glaciers plowed grooves in the rock like miniature bulldozers creating the striations.

The trail continues to the northwest end of the island where the old fog signal building and barracks are located. The hike offers stunning views of the lake. If you watch closely on the west side of the trail, you will pass nearly eye to eye with a bald eagles’ nest. On the trail, you will encounter old cement staircases built by the light station staff more than 100 years ago.

When you reach the north end of the island, explore the outside of the buildings. Imagine what it would have been like to stand in that sight 100 years ago and listen to the steam whistles blasting to warn ships of the rocky shoals near the islands during fog. Some years, the whistles blew for more than 350 hours. If you were on the crew that stoked the whistles you would have had to shovel coal into boilers which powered the whistles and the pumps used to bring the water up from the lake.

Take some time to admire the beauty of the granite and the ways life seems to exploit every nook and cranny available. Notice small trees growing in cracks and crevices in the rocks. Small calderas filled with water have multiple plants growing out of them and, if you look closely and know what to look for, you may even find insect larvae in the pools.

On your way back to the mainland, enjoy birding by boating past the other islands. Herring gulls, mallards, bald eagles and other birds can be seen using the granite outcroppings.