Vermilion Point

The Agatelady

This 1.75-mile stretch of Lake Superior shoreline with an intact lifesaving station is one of those remote places that casts a spell on people. The forested back dunes descend to native cranberry bogs which once supported thriving cranberry production.

Four lifesaving stations were built on the "Shipwreck Coast": at Deer Park, Two Heart, Crisp Point, and here at Vermilion Point—the only remaining station. (The vivid Wikipedia history of the station says it was dubbed the "Alcatraz" of lifesaving stations for its isolation.) The building, abandoned in 1944, had been vandalized for years when Evan Noyes, then of Indianapolis, saw Vermilion Point in the early 1970s, purchased the station and surrounding property, and commenced his campaign to establish an institution to manage it in the future. A snowmobiler who similarly fell in love with the place contributed more preservation funds.

Today Vermilion Point is part of the Little Traverse Nature Conservancy. The Lake Superior State University biology department uses it to study plants, wildlife, and birds. (A century ago, wildlife photographer George Shiras teamed up with the University of Michigan to conduct benchmarking ecological studies here.) Vermilion Point is one of the few nesting sites of the endangered piping plover. For more information and a map, see http//Xlandtrust.org/NaturePreserves/NewWebMap/preservemap.html

Higher-clearance front-wheel drive or 4 wheel drive vehicle is recommended. From Paradise, go north (towards Whitefish Point) on N. Whitefish Rd. for 5.2 miles. Turn left on Vermilion Rd., marked with a sign for the Andrus Lake State Forest Campground. Go 7.3 miles. Continue right when the road curves right, for another 1.3 miles to the end of the road. Look for information kiosk and fenced gravel parking lot.
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