Eleven of North America's best under-the-radar islands, from paradise beaches to a wilderness at the end of the earth

Independent

a day ago

For a truly great escape, look no further than a visit to one of North America's hidden-gem islands, as revealed below.
They are only a few miles from mainland shorelines, but you'll feel like you've entered another world.
Our list includes a spot in Texas with views of SpaceX launches, an island where wild horses roam, a retreat once frequented by America's wealthiest families and a car-free haven in Mississippi with zero light pollution.
This compelling compendium also includes one of the world's best diving spots and an island that flat-earthers think is located in one of the flat earth's four corners.
Scroll down and prepare for your wanderlust to be ignited.
Assateague Island, Virginia/Maryland
Assateague Island is split between Virginia and Maryland, but is singularly beautiful to behold.
On the 37-mile-long island, just a 20-minute drive from Ocean City, wild horses gallop along beaches and vacationers explore salt marshes in kayaks and wander through maritime forests.
If you want to stay the night, you'll need to camp on one of the 300 sites. If that's not your style, nearby Ocean City offers a variety of lodging.
Jekyll Island, Georgia
One of Georgia's dreamy Golden Isles, Jekyll Island offers an inviting blend of beautiful landscapes, fascinating history and some of the nation's best beaches.
What's more, pay it a visit and you'll be following in the footsteps of some of America's wealthiest families.
In 1886, the island was purchased by a group of elites who used it as an exclusive paradisical retreat. They built magnificent homes on the island that still stand today and established the Jekyll Island Clubhouse, which served as luxury accommodation.
The island gained a reputation as "the richest, most inaccessible club in the world", according to Jekyllisland.com, with regular visitors including the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts.
The Jekyll Island Clubhouse closed in 1947, but reopened as the Jekyll Island Club Resort in 1985.
Today, visitors can book a stay there and step back in time to the Gilded Age.
The hotel is in the island's beautifully preserved historic district, which is home to 34 structures, incredible examples of turn-of-the-century grandeur that vacationers can tour on foot, bike and even trolley.
The island's seven beaches are also hugely inviting, with Driftwood Beach potentially the pick of the bunch, though west-facing St Andrews Beach Park is also a contender thanks to its spellbinding sunsets.
Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island
Just a short ferry ride from mainland Rhode Island, Block Island is a beach-lover's haven, with 17 miles of pristine sand spread over 15 beaches.
Which to choose?
Blockislandinfo.com says that Mansion Beach is one of the island's grandest; Baby Beach is best for children; Surf Beach is the go-to spot for snorkeling; and that if you're after dramatic views of the Atlantic Ocean, head to Mohegan Bluffs beach and ascend to the clifftop.
Visitors can also hop on a bike and take the Block Island Bicycle Tour to uncover hidden coves, scenic roads and beautiful lighthouses.
Accommodation options include rustic cottages and B&Bs, and some impressive hotels, including the Atlantic Inn, which sits amid manicured lawns in the Old Harbor Historic District of New Shoreham and offers eye-opening ocean views.
Horn Island, Mississippi
Along the quiet edge of the American South, just 10 miles off the Mississippi coastline in the Gulf of Mexico, lies one of North America's most unspoiled barrier islands: Horn Island.
If you like your islands car and crowd-free, and accessible only by private boat or charter, this is the place to head to.
There are no developments on Horn Island, which is around 13 miles long, and no roads.
Instead, you'll find dunes, native grasses, pine trees, vibrant birdlife and a complete absence of light pollution.
Entranced by its beauty, this island was the spiritual refuge of American artist Walter Inglis Anderson, who spent years rowing out to the island alone, creating thousands of sketches, watercolors, and writings that now serve as a visual and emotional record of the island's wild essence, coastalmississippi.com notes.
The organization adds that while guided primitive camping trips are offered seasonally by organizations like the Walter Anderson Museum of Art and Ethotera Art Studio's Wild Horizon Expeditions, solo and self-guided trips are entirely permitted, with visitors expected to follow "leave no trace" principles by packing out all waste.
Sanibel Island, Florida
You'll have a shell of a time on Sanibel Island, which is known as the "Seashell Capital of the World" thanks to beaches festooned with hundreds of shell varieties.
As well as premium shell-collecting opportunities, the island offers 25 miles of bike trails and superb bird-watching at the renowned J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
Accommodation options range from boutique hotels and cosy beachfront rentals to well-equipped campsites.
Access is via a scenic three-mile causeway from Fort Myers, making a trip there a breeze for day-trippers and vacationers.
Anna Maria Island, Florida
"Anna Maria Island is one of those rare places that actually lives up to the hype."
So says James Mannings, CEO and Co-founder of Top Villas, which is one of several companies that offers accommodation there.
He continues: "This barrier island off Florida's coast feels completely different from the theme parks of Orlando or the buzz of Miami - it's somewhere to go when you need to properly switch off but still want the Florida sunshine.
"My favourite thing is that it has seven miles of beautiful, white-sand beach that runs unbroken from end to end, which is pretty spectacular when you see it."
Catalina Island, California
Southwest of Los Angeles lies California's only island resort – Catalina Island.
It's just 22 miles long and eight miles wide and is made up of two settlements, the city of Avalon and the village of Two Harbors, and a "rugged wilderness of majestic beauty", reveals visitcatalinaisland.com.
It's a tranquil escape, with most visitors and residents getting around the island by foot, bike or golf cart.
It's also a world-class diving destination.
The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (Padi) says: "Kelp forests draw in many divers to Catalina every year, with Garibaldi sightings – California's state fish – and the chance to encounter the endangered giant black sea bass, leopard sharks, and sea lions. There are also wrecks, including a plane and sunken ship.
"Many consider Catalina Island to be the best spot in Southern California for diving, with dives for beginner or advanced divers."
Not a diver?
Not a problem, says Padi, which adds: "Snorkeling is also a great way to see Catalina under the surface."
Haida Gwaii, British Columbia
The Haida Gwaii archipelago, home to the ancestral territory of the Haida Nation, is billed as the Canadian Galapagos, and no wonder.
Grey, minke, and humpback whales, along with orca, dolphins, porpoises, harbour seals and Steller sea lions patrol the coast; black bears forage for food along the shoreline; puffins, auklets and murrelets inhabit the cliffs; and eagles soar overhead.
There are also dramatic landscapes and over 500 archaeological sites.
A visit here is like stepping back to a land before time.
And to add to the sense of adventure, you'll need to arrive by boat or seaplane.
Where to stay? The 20-room Ocean House on Graham Island offers luxury in the midst of the wilds.
Visit haidatourism.ca.
South Padre Island, Texas
Yes. Texas.
It turns out that the state best known for barbecues, oil and rodeos, also has a paradise island up its sleeve.
South Padre Island on the Gulf Coast has miles of white sandy beaches, 300-plus days of sunshine a year, the largest sea turtle hospital in the world, Sea Turtle Inc, and RV parking for road-trippers.
There is also the chance to witness a spacecraft taking off, because the SpaceX Boca Chica launch site is just across the bay.
Dark Island, Thousand Islands region, New York State
The Thousand Islands archipelago is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque regions in North America, with 1,864 islets dotted along the Saint Lawrence River on the US-Canada border.
Many of these islets are little more than rocky outcrops, but some can be visited, with our pick of the bunch being Dark Island in New York State, home to one of the very few genuinely historical castles in the United States – Singer Castle.
It was commissioned at the turn of the 20th century by Commodore Frederick G. Bourne, former director of the Singer Sewing Machine Co, with guests able to book a stay there in a wing that sleeps six people in four-poster beds.
For more on how to be a king or queen for the night, visit vladi-private-islands.de.
Fogo Island, Newfoundland
Flat-earthers say that Fogo Island occupies one of the four corners of the flat earth.
And while that's a controversial view, to say the least, Fogo Island is certainly in a location most vacationers would regard as extreme.
Tucked off the coast of Newfoundland in "Iceberg Alley", the island offers a glimpse into life in one of the world's most remote inhabited places.
From here, visitors can watch migrating icebergs, some up to 10,000 years old, hike rugged trails amid ancient rocky outcrops and go whale-watching and ice fishing.
Somewhat incongruously, premium accommodation is available, in the form of the Fogo Island Inn, an architectural gem where guests can view the surrounding wilds in almost surreal luxury.
Visit The Luxury Travel Agency to book.