5 Days In Isle Royale National Park

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Posted on: May 27, 2008

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5 Days In Isle Royale National Park

Have you ever wanted to go backpacking in a National Park, only to find hundreds of people have the same idea as you? Well, if you are looking to have a real backpacking adventure, look to Isle Royale, Michigan and start planning your hike. It is the least visited National Park next to Alaska in the Country. And yes, it’s an Island!

Isle Royale, MI offers both backpacking experience, rugged trails, and a wildlife experience second to none. Isle Royale is currently a wilderness preserve first, a sanctuary for those seeking to experience it second, and a travel destination third. Although it accommodates all of these uses, that’s the order of priority they take. So wildlife gets the run of the island, and human visitors are generally restricted to established trails and accessible lakes, with leave-no-trace camping protocols in effect.

When I traveled to the Island, I never expected to see the trifecta, Wolves, Moose, and Fox, but I did. In fact, two Wolves came into the camp my second night. (see video) But I think seeing a huge Bull Moose in full rut, coming out of the woods chasing a female moose, was the highlight of the trip.

You have two choices to get to the Island. One is by Sea Plane, the other by Ferry. Most people choose the Ferry option. Or, I guess if you had your own boat, go for it.

A 165-mile network of groomed trails connects most areas of the island. When crossing “bald” areas of exposed solid rock, small cairns of stones are piled periodically to mark the route. The interconnected trails and the portage-linked lakes and bays make it easy for you to devise your own itinerary among the island’s campgrounds. The amazing thing about this Island, were how clean all the campsites were. The Shelters were all in good condition and the privy’s were all in excellent condition. (they even had toilet paper on a hanger).

I hiked on the “3 mile trail” to 3 Mile Campground. Then hiked the 7 or so miles on the Rock Harbor Trail to Moskey Basin. From Moskey Basin, I hiked up to the Greenridge Trail to McCargove Campground. From there I hiked back down to Daisy Farm, and then back to Rock Harbor to catch the Ferry back. Don’t underestimate the ruggedness of the trails. Remember, you are hiking on a Rock. Although the elevations are not extreame, proper footwear is critical. Bring proper raingear also, the weather is unpredictable at best. You can expect cool nights even in the Summer months.

Isle Royale is a spectacular place to go backpacking. I took the Ranger III and it was worth every minute of the 6 hour trip. I would suggest getting the National Geographic Map. A fee of $4 per calendar day on the island is charged for visitors 12 years and older.

See more pictures from Isle Royale here

Ranger III - National Park Service, Houghton, Michigan +1 906-482-0984. [2] 165 ft vessel. Travel time: 6 hours.

Isle Royale Queen IV - Isle Royale Ferry Service, Copper Harbor, Michigan +1 906-289-4437. [3] 100 ft vessel. Travel time: 3.0-3.5 hours.

Wenonah – Grand Portage Isle Royale Transportation Line, Grand Portage, Minnesota +1 651-653-5872, toll-free: +1 888-746-2305 Travel time: 2.5-3.0 hours.

Voyageur II - The only vessel providing pick-up&drop-off service around the entire island Travel time: 2.0-2.5 hours.

Visitor Information
(906) 482-0984

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6 Responses to “5 Days In Isle Royale National Park”

  1. Steph K Says:
    May 27th, 2008 at 1:43 am

    Great article! I’m interested to read more about your thoughts of each of the trails you hiked though, which you liked best, what was difficult what wasn’t…more personal narrative would make it even more interesting.

  2. tijo Says:
    May 27th, 2008 at 2:26 am

    Isn’t that what the video is for? How much more of a “narrative” do you want? Awesome pics by the way.

  3. samh Says:
    May 28th, 2008 at 4:44 am

    The best resource of Isle Royale information on the Web is the Isle Royale Forums which are located at http://www.isleroyaleforums.com/

  4. thebackpacker Says:
    May 28th, 2008 at 2:52 pm

    samh – Thanks for that link. Great resource. I’ll make sure I link to it.

  5. houghton mi Says:
    June 19th, 2008 at 9:51 am

    [...] backpacking adventure, look to Isle Royale, Michigan and start planning your hike. It is the leahttp://thebackpacker.tv/2008/05/27/5-days-in-isle-royale-national-park/Break-in suspects arraigned WLUC MarquetteThey allegedly broke into the Citgo in Houghton. Posted: [...]

  6. Brisbin Says:
    December 21st, 2009 at 11:39 am

    cool pics

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