Gravel Island National Wildlife Refuge

Gravel Island National Wildlife Refuge consists of Gravel Island (4 acres) and Spider Island (23 acres). The islands are located in Lake Michigan, near Washington Island, off the tip of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula. They were set aside by Executive Order in 1913 as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds. Gravel Island National Wildlife Refuge and the nearby Hog Island (part of Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge) make up the Wisconsin Islands Wilderness Area. At twenty-nine acres, it’s one of the smallest wilderness areas in the country. Public use is not allowed due to ground nesting by migratory birds.