Geography 101: Lake Martin’s Canary Islands

Just as Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago off the southern coast of Morocco sees a lot of cruise traffic, so do Lake Martin’s own Canary Islands north of the Chimney Rock recreational area. With GPS coordinates at 32.72549 and -85.89094, the East Central Alabama Canaries include five irregularly shaped islands immediately south of the point where Blue Creek flows into the Tallapoosa River; in fact, the riverbed flows right through them, separating the archipelago’s largest island from the four smaller ones.

The largest of these northern hemisphere Canary Islands is commonly known by the name of Wishbone Island, as its telltale shape is strikingly similar to the forked furcula on a Christmas turkey. Wishbone Island includes 6,318 feet of natural and undeveloped shoreline around 14.81 acres. The cove at Wishbone Island is a popular mooring area for the lake’s cabin cruisers and larger pontoons, as it provides a quiet place to tie up for the afternoon.