[1] It can easily be seen from Fairport, on the southern end of Delta County Road 483, the locally maintained extension of M-183, but is not accessible to the public.

The island is part of the Niagara Escarpment archipelago in northwestern Lake Michigan.

One of its most prominent shoreline features is Gravel Point, a northern headland that stretches toward the Garden Peninsula mainland.

On the island's northeast side, two shallow points protect Summer Harbor, a small maritime shelter and site of a former settlement.

During the 19th century, Summer Harbor was a fishing station for the harvesting of lake trout and whitefish, and served as a place to live for a small corps of loggers who harvested the island's timber.