How to Visit Power Island, Traverse City’s Hidden Island

It’s true. Traverse City really does have an island. (And this isn’t one of those things locals say to mess with tourists, like sure, there are sharks in Lake Michigan.)

So yes, there is an actual island sitting in West Grand Traverse Bay, but it’s six miles offshore, meaning you can’t see it from the city.

I think that’s why a lot of people don’t realize TC has an island.

Power Island is its name, and, as a Grand Traverse County Park, it’s been open to anyone who wants to visit for years. You just needed to find a way to get there.  

Basically, if you didn’t own a boat, you were out of luck.

But now, with the addition of a new pontoon ferry service out of Traverse City, the boatless have another option.

Why Visit Power Island

Other than simply being cool because it’s an island, Power Island has a few more things going for it.

Start with the water.

When the sky is just right, the water is a blue that would make an Instagram filter jealous. 

Plus, there’s a sandy beach, lots of swimming, and a dock people love to launch themselves off of, which has turned into its own little tradition. 

On a nice weekends in the summer this place gets pretty busy. Boaters drop anchor and it kinda turns into a floating sandbar party. 

Then there is the hiking. In from the water, more than five miles of trail circle and cross the island, with a high point that overlooks the whole bay.

You can camp here too, but more on that in a bit. First, you need to get to the island.

Four Ways to Get to Power Island

There are a few ways to make this trip happen.

Not counting buying your own boat, there are several other ways to get there. You can:

1) take the new pontoon ferry

2) sign up for the Power Island jet ski tour

3) rent a boat and drive it yourself 

4) kayak to the island

Here is what each one looks like.

Power Island Jet Ski Tour

The Power Island Jet Ski Tour is for anyone who’d rather speed and splash your way out to the island. 

TC Watersports runs a guided trip on Sea-Doos, with you driving your own out to the island and a guide leading the way. 

The guide does more than keep you on course and get you there safe. Along the way you’ll pick up fun facts and a little history, so you show up feeling like you already know the place.

Once you’re there, the usual island time to swim and explore before you head back. Drivers need to be 18 with a license on them, and kids as young as six can ride along.

Rent a Boat

Renting a boat and navigating your own way out and back is your third option, and it’s a good fit if you’re comfortable on the water. It is also the option with the most flexibility.

TC Watersports, the same crew that runs the jet ski tour, also rents boats you can take out on your own as long as you meet their requirements. 

From there it’s a short trip across to the island, and the day runs on your schedule. Other places in Traverse City rent boats too, but that’s a list for another article.

Wind Dancer Pontoon Ferry

Wind Dancer Sailing Adventures, the company operating the ferry, is best known for its sailboat tours, but this year they added pontoon ferry service running out to Power Island. 

The ferry carries up to six people, you book your spot ahead by phone, and a captain handles the crossing while you ride along. 

The pontoon ferry is offered daily at 9AM and 1PM and is a 3-hour excursion.

If you want more time on the island to play, you can upgrade to a private ride or they will even arrange transportation out if you want to camp on the island. 

The pontoon ferry leaves from downtown Traverse City, out of the The Delamar Hotel, which is worth knowing for its own sake. 

The Delamar has a great patio, a lakeside restaurant, and one of the best swimming pools in town. 

Kayaking

Kayaking to Power Island is a big commitment. Sure, it’s a gorgeous paddle across open water, but it’s an intermediate‑level trip that requires careful attention to weather and the right equipment.

Kayakers typically push off from the DNR boat launch at Bowers Harbor.

It’s 3.5 miles one way from the Bower’s Harbor Boat Launch.

If you’re really ambitious, you might consider joining in the RAPA NUI – Power Island 2026.

It’s a combo paddle-run-paddle race from Bowers Harbor to Power Island every year.

In 2026 it’s scheduled for August 15.

Bonus Idea: Go by Seaplane

Probably not available to most of us, but still pretty cool!

Hiking on the Island

Hike the island and you can cover five miles of trail. Most of it is easy going. 

The trails run through a working nature preserve, where the old maple and beech forest has been left to do its thing. If you’re lucky you might see a few cool birds out there, even a Bald Eagle.

The main loop is about three miles along the shoreline, with the bay in view most of the way. It’s gentle and well marked, and clocks in at about hour or so at an easy pace.

It is a little overgrown on the west side.

This interactive map is helpful.

If you want to work a little harder, find the trail that cuts inland, climbs the bluffs and gives a (somewhat obstructed) view of the bay. 

The trail system is a network, so you can build the hike up or keep it short she flat depending on your mood.

One heads-up for you: it gets buggy, especially inland around the overlook, so bring bug spray. 

More Notes: The park is a nature preserve. 

• Take care to tread lightly, leave the plants and animals alone
• Carry out whatever you carry in.
• If you bring a dog, keep it on leash at all times.
• Keep the island exactly this good for whoever visits next. 

Camping on Power Island

If sleeping under the stars is your thing, Power Island’s campsites might be worth a look. 

To be clear, they are rustic. 

There’s potable water on the island, but past the fire rings you won’t find many other amenities. 

Pit toilets at the trailhead are about it, so no showers and no running water. 

You pack everything in and pack everything out, including your trash, and you can’t bring your own firewood. You buy it on the island instead. 

The main island has ten spots you can reserve through the Grand Traverse County website, plus a few more over on Bassett Island when conditions allow. (Bassett is its own little island just off the north tip, tied to Power Island by a sandy isthmus only when the water levels are low.)

If you want to camp you have to reserve your spot online in advance. This is not one you can show up and wing it.

A few practical notes. 

Water. The drinking water comes from a hand pump, so bring something to carry and store it in, and some campers pack a filter as backup in case the pump’s down. 

Many people bring their own water from the mainland.

Cell Phones. Don’t count on a cell signal once you’re out there. Download maps before you arrive. 

Parking. If you’re launching your own boat from Bowers Harbor, the county can issue you a permit to park overnight while you’re camped. Taking the pontoon ferry out instead? You’ll just park downtown where it leaves from.

The Story Behind the Island

Let’s start with a Fun fact: Power Island is the largest undeveloped island on the Great Lakes. And it’s open to the public.

You might be wondering why something this big, sitting this close to Traverse City, isn’t a private playground for some rich person.  

That’s a fair question. I wondered that too. Here’s the story.

It actually was private, and it was owned by wealthy people for some of its modern history.

It was also Hog Island once, back when farmers shipped pigs out to root around and eat the brush. 

But the name that really sticks out belongs to Henry Ford, who bought the place in 1917 for around a hundred grand and made it his own Up North retreat. 

He hauled famous friends out there, the likes of Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone (the tire guy), and by some accounts a few presidents and Babe Ruth. 

Local lore says Ford, who didn’t drink, kicked Babe Ruth off the island after a night that got out of hand.

Ford kept the island as his entertainment haven for years, til he sold it in 1944 age 81, and the island changed hands and names again. Over the years, Power Island has had at least 10 different names.

What finally pried it loose for the rest of us came in the 1970s, when a push to carve it into private cottages ran into a preservation effort instead. 

Eugene and Sayde Power gave a major gift toward saving it, the Nature Conservancy helped lock it down, and in 1975 it passed to Grand Traverse County as a public park, all two hundred acres of it.

The county renamed it Power Island in their honor in 1987. 

One last bit of trivia. The real party back in the day wasn’t even on Power Island. Little Bassett Island next door had a two-story dance hall, and steamships would run people out from Traverse City for Saturday-night dances that went late. It’s long gone now, but pretty fun to imagine.

Add Power Island to Your TC List

So that’s the island most Traverse City visitors don’t even know about when they’re in town for Cherry Festival or up north vacation. 

It’s been a Henry Ford hideaway and a Saturday-night dance destination, and now it’s yours for the cost of a boat ride. 

Pick your way across, whether that’s the ferry, the jet ski tour, or a rental of your own, and go discover the version of Traverse City that is just offshore. 

Bring your water, mind the bugs, and leave it every bit as good as you found it. And have fun!