Round Island (Michigan)
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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."
The island has an area of only 378 acres (1.53 km²). 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 is a vintage lighthouse built in 1895. Round Island Light was an active lighthouse and fog signal in 1895-1947, and was relit by a private foundation in 1996. Round Island Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in September 1974.
The ship channel between Mackinac Island and Round Island, lighted by Round Island Light, is called "Round Island Channel."
There are also several other islands with the same name elsewhere in Michigan:
- Round Island, Chippewa County, in Lake Superior, has a lighthouse
- Round Island, Chippewa County, in St. Marys River, has a lighthouse
- Round Island, Alpena County in Lake Huron, has a lighthouse
- Round Island, Delta County in Bay of Green Bay of Lake Michigan
- Round Island, Delta County, in Big Bay de Noc in Lake Michigan
- Round Island, Keweenaw County, off Isle Royale in Lake Superior
- Round Island, Presque Isle County, in Grand Lake
- Round Island, Wayne County, at southern tip of Grosse Ile in Lake Erie
