Accessible Features Articles

Accessible features present on this island

Park Headquarters – Mainland

Park Headquarters – Mainland

About this LocationThe main visitor center and headquarters for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is located at 415 Washington Avenue in Bayfield. The historic building, built in 1884 features brownstone harvested from local quarries. It served as Bayfield County Courthouse until 1892 when Washburn became the county seat. The building served at various times as a school, as a community center and even a prisoner of war camp during World War II.The National Park Service started leasing the building in 1976. You can get information about the park, as well as camping permits. You can also...

Basswood Island

Basswood Island

About the IslandBasswood Island is located about 1.5 miles east of the mainland. Because of its location and accessibility, Basswood Island may be the first of the Apostle Islands visited by most novice paddlers.The southerly half of the island was used for several farms. The island has two stone quarries. The northwest corner is the location of a former fish camp. Basswood is the fifth largest island within the national lakeshore with an area of 1,917 acres. Excerpt from Apostle Islands Water Trips by John C. Frank. Buy a copy here. Proceeds benefit Friends of the Apostle Islands National...

Little Sand Bay – Mainland

Little Sand Bay – Mainland

About this LocationLittle Sand Bay is part of the mainland unit of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, 13 miles west of Bayfield. It is the gateway to nearby Sand Island along the park’s western boundary and is within the Red Cliff Reservation. You’ll find interactive exhibits outside of the seasonal visitor center, which offers orientation and information, camping permits, kayak safety guidance, and the America's National Parks bookstore. Camping is available nearby.The historic Hokenson Brothers fishing dock and facilities are currently being restored. If you’re planning a visit to the...

Stockton Island

Stockton Island

About the IslandStockton is the second largest island (after Madeline) in the Apostles. It is about 7.25 miles long and 2 to 2.5 miles wide. Its terrain includes a sandy lake level lagoon and bog along the tombolo. There is also sandstone on the island, producing sea caves and majestic rock ledges and towers.Throughout the 1990s and the first decade in the new millennium, Stockton Island was known as the island with the highest density of black bears. With 14.5 miles of trails, Stockton provides hiking opportunities through the most diverse ecological backgrops in the national lakeshore....

Sand Island

Sand Island

About the IslandSand Island is the most westerly usable island in the National Lakeshore. The southwest corner of Sand Island is a bit over 2 miles northwest of the mainland launch site of Little Sand Bay. The Sand Island Lighthouse is perhaps the most beautiful in the Apostles. The keeper’s house and the tower for the light were built in 1881 using local sandstone.The population of Sand Island, mostly Norwegian immigrant farmers and fishermen, reached one hundred permanent residents in 1918. The Sand Island shoreline has it all - rock shelves, sea caves and long beaches. There are more than...

Michigan Island

Michigan Island

About the IslandMichigan Island stands alone as the southeasterly sentinel of the Apostle Islands. It is about 3 miles east-northeast of Madeline and just under 3 miles southeast of Presque Isle Point on Stockton Island. There are two lighthouses on the southeasterly shore about a mile from the sandpit. Michigan Island’s first lighthouse (and the first in the Apostle Islands) was built in 1856. The second lighthouse, a taller steel structure, was built in Pennsylvania in 1880 and moved to Michigan Island in 1929. The light still flashes at 6 second intervals, 170 feet above the surface of...