Located 3 miles off the south shore of Lake Superior and 18 miles east of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The refuge is comprised of eight islands totaling 147 acres. A lighthouse was built on the West Huron Island in 1868 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Habitat of this refuge varies from a sparse covering of red pines and white birch with ground-level vegetation to barren granite with scattered lichen growth. The refuge was established for the protection of migratory birds, specifically, a large nesting colony of herring gulls. All the islands are designated Wilderness.
