Round Island (Michigan)

Round Island is an uninhabited island in Mackinac County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The Native Americans called the island "Nissawinagong."

Round Island Lighthouse

Round Island

Round Island
Geography
Location	Lake Huron near the Straits of Mackinac
Coordinates	45°49′47″N 84°36′05″W
Area	1.53 km2 (0.59 sq mi)
Administration
United States
State	Michigan
County	Mackinac County
City	Mackinac Island
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited

The island has an area of only 378 acres (153 ha). Almost the entire island comprises the Round Island Wilderness Area within the Hiawatha National Forest. The island is nominally part of the City of Mackinac Island, Michigan, but is in fact overseen by the U.S. Forest Service.

Round Island is adjacent to, and to some extent protects the harbor of, nearby Mackinac Island, and the estimated 900,000 tourists who visit Mackinac Island annually by ferryboat pass close by Round Island on their journeys. To Round Island's southeast lies the inhabited island of Bois Blanc.

The sole building on the island (and sole land parcel that is not designated wilderness) is the Round Island Light, a lighthouse constructed in 1895 and currently under restoration. The ship channel between Mackinac Island and Round Island, lighted by Round Island Light, is called Round Island Channel.

Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour can be seen sitting near the lighthouse in the 1980 movie Somewhere in Time which was filmed primarily on Mackinac Island. The lighthouse is off-limits to anyone who may visit the island. While it is rare for Round Island to see any visitors, there is a small harbor on the north shore that attracts occasional inhabitants of Mackinac Island who sail to the harbor's sandy beach for a secluded, quiet visit. (The beaches of Mackinac Island are generally rocky.)