Exploring Grand Island National Recreation Area, Expanded 2nd Edition:

Preview at www.mibsar.com/preview/3 -- 33 detailed, full-color maps; 7 detailed, full-color elevation profiles; 7 cave complexes, 140-plus charted sea caves and wilderness caves; 2 lighthouse essays; 16 shipwreck essays; cemetery survey and essay; 160-plus historical voyageur/explorer journal excerpts, building essays, biographies, etc. Discussion of the Grand Island National Recreation Area's trails, campsites, beaches, overlooks, old growth, waterfalls, caves, shipwrecks,...
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Preview at www.mibsar.com/preview/3 -- 33 detailed, full-color maps; 7 detailed, full-color elevation profiles; 7 cave complexes, 140-plus charted sea caves and wilderness caves; 2 lighthouse essays; 16 shipwreck essays; cemetery survey and essay; 160-plus historical voyageur/explorer journal excerpts, building essays, biographies, etc. Discussion of the Grand Island National Recreation Area's trails, campsites, beaches, overlooks, old growth, waterfalls, caves, shipwrecks, lighthouses, and rich history are trail based -- step by step to the hundredth of a mile, with GPS coordinates -- the most convenient format for serious day hikers, backpackers, cavers, mountain bikers, snowshoers, skiers, and paddlers. First-edition REVIEW BY THE DETROIT FREE PRESS (Detroit, Michigan) A half-mile ferry ride, kayak paddle or snowmobile trip from Munising takes you to Grand Island, a place that offers everything from mountain biking to ice climbing and has as interesting a history as anywhere in Michigan. And everything, including detailed maps of the island complete with associated GPS locations, can be found in Michael Neiger's Exploring Grand Island; a marvelous guide to "the trails, campsites, beaches, overlooks, old growth, waterfalls, historic sites, caves and shipwrecks," as the subtitle says. You can even find the names of the 43 people (mostly Powells, Williamses and DesJardins) who lie under the gravestones in the tiny cemetery. I wish it had been available on my many trips to the island that's among my five favorite outdoors sites in Michigan.....--"Outdoors 'Gotta have it': 'Exploring Grand Island,'" by Eric Sharp, "Detroit Free Press" (Detroit, Michigan), September 23, 2012. First edition REVIEW BY THE MINING JOURNAL (Marquette, Michigan) "Exploring Grand Island" brings a wealth of information to your fingertips for those looking to achieve a deeper visiting experience and historical appreciation of the 22-square-mile island, situated in Lake Superior just northwest of Munising. The guide, produced by longtime wilderness guide and former Michigan State Police trooper Michael Neiger, is a GPS-enabled, U.S. Geological Survey map-based, backcountry guide to the trails, campsites, beaches, overlooks, old growth, waterfalls, historic sites, caves and shipwrecks of the Grand Island National Recreation Area. The laminated 16-page guide is meant to be read before a visit to the island, but it's also light enough and sized right to be able to take along. The detailed maps included in the guide are likely reason enough to bring it with you. "The island's natural features, scenic beauty, rich history and largely undeveloped state have made it one of the Midwest's most attractive backcountry destinations for generations," Neiger wrote in the guide. "Long a summer hunting and gathering area for Native Americans, the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co. operated the island as a public resort and game preserve from 1904 to 1959, along the lines of Mackinac Island, with transportation limited to ponies, saddle horses, horse-drawn carriages and bicycles until the 1920s." Since 1990, the island - which is about eight miles long by roughly five miles wide - has been managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Hiawatha National Forest. In addition to the detailed maps, the guide also provides contact information for ferry services and guided bus tours and kayak and bike rentals.... --"Grand Island exploration made easier," by John Pepin, "Mining Journal," Marquette, Michigan, September 4, 2012