Passage Island is a small

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

in the U.S. territory in western

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

. It is the northeasternmost island in

Isle Royale National Park Isle Royale National Park is an American national park consisting of Isle Royale – known as Minong to the native Ojibwe – along with more than 400 small adjacent islands and the surrounding waters of Lake Superior, in the state of Michigan ...

, and the northernmost part of Michigan with any human-made structures, although the Gull Island chain is slightly further north. The island is uninhabited, but has a lighthouse (

Passage Island Light The Passage Island Light Station is a lighthouse located NE of Isle Royale, in NW Lake Superior, Michigan on Passage Island. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. Description The light tower is high, construct ...

) and a short hiking trail. The U.S. National Park Service conducts tours of the island which depart from Rock Harbor on Isle Royale. The name "Passage Island" refers to the fact that ships out of and bound for

Thunder Bay, Ontario Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...

often pass through the gap between Passage Island and Blake Point on the northeastern end of Isle Royale. Although this gap is three and a half miles wide, this passage was often dangerous during late season (early winter) conditions on Lake Superior, especially before the development of modern navigational aids. Great Lakes sailors refer to passing through this gap as "threading the needle."

References

External links

Passage Isle Light Station
{{authority control Protected areas of Keweenaw County, Michigan Islands of Lake Superior in Michigan Uninhabited islands of Michigan Islands of Keweenaw County, Michigan Isle Royale National Park