Canada has more islands than any other country on earth — and some of the most extraordinary abandoned places in the country are found on them. A Halifax harbour island where a fishing community lived beside a lighthouse until the 1940s. A Newfoundland outport where saltbox houses still stand above the Atlantic with no one left. A BC Gulf Islands brick factory accessible by ferry. An Ontario quarantine island in the St. Lawrence where Typhoid Mary's era began. Here are the 5 best abandoned islands in Canada, selected from our Abandoned Places Map Canada — 2,500+ GPS locations across Canada.
1. Devil's Island – Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia — Abandoned Lighthouse, Evacuated Fishing Community, Granite Island at the Harbour Entrance, Accessible by Private Boat (Known Location)
Devil's Island guards the outer entrance to Halifax Harbour — a small granite island where a lighthouse and a fishing community of several dozen families coexisted for generations. The community was evacuated in the 1940s; the lighthouse was automated and eventually decommissioned. The lighthouse structure, the keeper's dwelling and the ruins of the fishing community buildings now decay on the granite island above the North Atlantic swell. One of the most atmospherically isolated and most dramatically situated abandoned island sites in Atlantic Canada.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Devil's Island Nova Scotia
2. Sidney Island Brick Factory – Sidney Island, BC — Early 20th-Century Island Brickworks, Original Kilns Still Standing, Gulf Islands Ferry Access (Known Location)
Sidney Island in the BC Gulf Islands hosted a brick manufacturing operation in the early 20th century — clay deposits on the island supported a brickworks that supplied Victoria and the surrounding region before cheaper mainland production made the island operation uneconomic. The original brick kilns, processing buildings and the industrial waterfront infrastructure still stand on Sidney Island, now part of a BC provincial park and accessible by ferry from Sidney. One of the most atmospherically beautiful and most easily accessible abandoned industrial island sites in Canada.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in Canada →
3. Grosse Île Quarantine Station – St. Lawrence River, Quebec — 1832 Federal Immigration Quarantine Island, Hospital Buildings and Celtic Cross Memorial, National Historic Site (Known Location)
Grosse Île in the St. Lawrence River served as Canada's primary immigration quarantine station from 1832 to 1937 — the island where arriving immigrants were inspected and if necessary isolated before being permitted to enter Canada. The Irish Famine migration of 1847-1848 saw over 5,000 immigrants die on the island; a massive Celtic Cross memorial and the original hospital buildings, disinfection chambers and quarantine infrastructure survive as a National Historic Site. One of the most historically profound and most emotionally charged abandoned island sites in Canada. GPS coordinates available with our map.
4. Abandoned Great Lakes Lighthouse Island – 1870s-1890s Complete Keeper Station, Stone Keeper's Dwelling, Fog Signal Building with Period Machinery, Fresnel Lens Housing Intact, Lake Huron or Superior (Exclusively on Our Map)
A complete 1870s-1890s Great Lakes lighthouse keeper station on a Lake Huron or Superior island — the stone keeper's dwelling with period architectural details, the fog signal building with original steam whistle machinery still in place, the lighthouse tower with its Fresnel lens housing intact and the boathouse above the island's natural harbour. When lighthouse automation made the resident keeper redundant, the entire station was simply abandoned with all infrastructure in place — one of the most completely preserved and most atmospherically isolated abandoned island sites in Canada. Available on our Canada Urbex Map.
5. Abandoned Newfoundland Outport Island Settlement – 1800s Atlantic Fishing Community, Saltbox Houses and Fish Stage Frames Still Standing Above the Cove, Northern Newfoundland Coast (Exclusively on Our Map)
A resettled Newfoundland outport island community — original saltbox houses with their distinctive steep-pitched rooflines still standing on the island shore above a sheltered Atlantic cove, the fish stage where cod was split and salted still partially intact, the community wharf pilings in the tidal water and the community church with its original steeple still rising above the settlement. Accessible only by boat from the nearest mainland community; the island's isolation has preserved the settlement in extraordinary atmospheric completeness. One of the most emotionally powerful and most uniquely Canadian abandoned island places in the country. Included in our exclusive Canada map.
Safety Tips
- Water access: always wear a life jacket when accessing island sites by boat or kayak — check tidal conditions and marine weather forecasts before departure
- Atlantic coastal conditions: Canadian coastal and Great Lakes weather can change from calm to dangerous within minutes — never leave shore without checking marine forecasts
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and always tell someone your exact destination before departure
❓ FAQ
What is the most famous abandoned island in Canada?
Grosse Île in the St. Lawrence River — a 1832-1937 federal immigration quarantine station where over 5,000 Irish Famine immigrants died in 1847-1848. The original hospital buildings, disinfection chambers and Celtic Cross memorial survive as a National Historic Site.
What was Grosse Île used for?
Canada's primary immigration quarantine station from 1832 to 1937 — the island where arriving immigrants were medically inspected and if necessary isolated before entering Canada. The Irish Famine migration of 1847-1848 overwhelmed the station; over 5,000 immigrants died on the island and are buried in mass graves.
How do you get to Devil's Island Halifax?
By private boat or kayak from the Eastern Passage area of Dartmouth — the island is not served by a regular ferry. Always check Halifax Harbour marine forecasts and tidal conditions before attempting the crossing; the outer harbour can be rough even in settled weather.
🎯 Summary
Canada's abandoned islands range from a Halifax harbour lighthouse island evacuated in the 1940s, to a St. Lawrence quarantine station where thousands of Irish Famine immigrants died and a Newfoundland outport island where saltbox houses still stand above the Atlantic with no one left. Each of these 5 abandoned islands in Canada is surrounded by water — and by history.
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