Can You Live on a Deserted Michigan Island?

It's often the south tropical seas one thinks of when contemplating a deserted island. Think Tom Hanks in Castaway or Gillian's Island.

But would it be possible to survive if you were marooned on an island in Michigan's Great Lakes?

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There are many inhabited islands around Michigan, so for our consideration of deserted Michigan island living, we'll need to leave off well known dots on the map like Mackinac, Bois Blanc, Beaver, Fox and Manitou Islands.

You would be surrounded by the world's largest available pool of fresh water, so thirst should never be an issue like on a deserted ocean island.

The waters would provide fish and fruits and vegetable grow abundantly in the region, so food scarcity seems unlikely as well.

You'd need winter survival gear without a doubt.

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As for the legality? Let's just say, check locally. An Off the Grid Facebook group discussion consensus is that while there appears to be no statewide law banning the practice, many counties and townships through zoning ordinances may have requirements.

So could you pull it off? There are without hyperbole thousands of islands across the state. Not just in each Great Lake, but also Lake St Clair, the Detroit and St Marys Rivers.

And think inland lakes and rivers. The St Joe, Saginaw and Grand rivers are home to islands as well.

Many are privately owned, of course, while others are part of wildlife refuges and park land.

Even consider a place like Turnip Rock. The popular natural site at the tip of Michigan's thumb is private with no access to land viewing by vigorously enforced property rights making landing there and homesteading impossible.

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So while you would likely be able to survive alone on a Michigan island, what you may not be able to count on is solitude and privacy with landowners and ship traffic potentially interfering with your deserted island dreams.

Editor's Notes: This article inspired by a thread on r/Geography. The image accompanying this article is an island in Lake Superior off shore from Marquette.