Escape to a Deserted Island: Solo Backpacking on Grand Island

A rustic getaway on Grand Island offered the perfect mix of security and solitude on my first solo backpacking trip.

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Just a few miles from the Munising coast, and with the option of a rustic cabin for sleeping, Grand Island seemed like the perfect place to test out my fledgling backpacking skills on my first solo camping trip back in 2019. But as the ferry docked, I was beginning to feel a little apprehensive. Grand Island isn’t technically far from the mainland, but traveling there means cutting oneself off from many of the comforts of “civilization.” There’s no electricity, no showers, no flush toilets—and, for the size of the island, very few people. Especially, it turns out, overnight.

I hoisted my backpack containing a sleeping bag, butane stove and two days’ worth of clothing and food and began the 3.6-mile hike to the aptly named Sunset Cabin, located on the island’s west side. The walk alternated between sunny trails flanked with tall beach grasses and wildflowers, to cool wooded spots and a surprisingly steep cliffside with stunning Lake Superior views.

Finally, a sign from the trail beckoned me down a wooded path to my new home for the weekend, and after emptying my pack and making a cup of tea, I headed out to explore the island’s forests, coves and cliffs—all the while never seeing another human.

That night, hours after the last ferry had departed, I sat on the beach, sipped cocoa from my silicone cup and watched the sun set. How many of us were still on the island, I wondered? There was no way to know, but in that moment, it felt like it belonged to me entirely.

My decision to opt for a cabin over tent camping (Grand Island offers 19 campsites, 2 group sites and backcountry camping) had initially been practical: my too-big tent wouldn’t fit inside my too-small backpack. But as I latched the wooden door and spread out my sleeping bag, I breathed a sigh of relief to have something solid standing between me and all that quiet.

Since that trip, I’ve been back to Grand Island twice, once with my brother and sister, and then the three of us with our spouses. The island seems busier by day now than it did in 2019, but at night, it’s still a pretty solitary experience, allowing us all to reconnect with each other and nature. And while our middle-aged bodies appreciate having a bunk—even a bare-bones one—to sleep on, our still-youthful hearts have appreciated even more the opportunity to play out our deserted island fantasies … just a few miles away from a hot shower on the mainland.

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