Charter Excursions to Porphyry Island
Charter boat excursions to Porphyry Island run on Sundays and Thursdays throughout the summer. The charter departs at 9 am and 11 am from Silver Islet (advanced reservations are required).
You will see Archie’s Charter Boat parked at the wooden dock behind the Silver Islet Store. The trip to Porphyry Island takes approximately 30 minutes and can include a moment to glimpse down into the abandoned mine shafts of the Silver Islet mine.Visitors on the 9 am charter will depart Porphyry Island at 2:30 pm, arriving back at Silver Islet around 3 pm. Visitors on the 11:00 am charter will leave Porphyry Island at 3:30 pm, arriving back at Silver Islet around 4 pm.
Children are welcome, but we ask that you please bring a life jacket properly sized for your child. Adult sized life jackets are provided on the Charter.
While at Porphyry Island, you can:
- explore the many black sand beaches originating from 1.1 billion year old volcanos
- catch a ride to the Point on our solar-powered people-mover
- visit our mini-museum in the historic fog alarm building constructed in 1907. The museum has artefacts from over 150 years of the lightstation’s service as a navigational aide
- admire art from our artists in residence in the Gordon Graham Gallery named in honour of the last active lightkeeper at Porphyry Island, who was also an expert photographer
- Savor a leisurely picnic lunch (or pre-order a meal at the light keeper’s table when booking your ticket)
- visit our Artists in Residence who are happy to share information about their creations with guests
- discover regionally rare plants more commonly found in the arctic
- experience the beauty of Lake Superior and scenery of the Sleeping Giant from an entirely different perspective
- make use of our complementary barbecue to share a meal with friends
- warm up in the sauna or by a campfire
- catch up on any important messages with our complementary wifi
Please note that services on the island are limited. We have serveral outhouses but no flush toilets. We ask that you bring your own drinking water and that you take home any trash that you produce while visiting.
