Isle royale national park // michigan, usa

General // For starters, ignore the final ‘e’ in Isle Royale when you pronounce it. It’s not fancy. It’s just “ROY-ul.” Anyways, this national park is an island park in northern Lake Superior. It's remote location makes it one of the least visited national park sites in the USA, seeing less visitors in an entire year than many national parks see on an average day. It is only open during the summer months and the only way to get there is by ferry, private boat, or float plane. You won't encounter many crowds here, and the people you will see are likely seasoned backpackers or paddlers. What you will encounter is unspoiled nature with an excellent network of trails and campgrounds granting you access to it. You will walk or paddle among moose and wolves (maybe you'll see one) and fall asleep to the sound of loons. This is north-woods wilderness at it's best.

Best Season // Isle Royale is technically opened April through October, but public transportation options don’t operate until May and they generally shut down by mid-September. Going early or late in the season will help to avoid the bugs and the crowds, but the tradeoff will be colder temperatures and varying weather. I thought our mid-May timing was perfect - a little cold, but few people and zero bugs.

Weather // We were surprised how cold it was for the middle of May, and there were still patches of snow remaining from winter. Daytime highs were in the 50's, and nighttime lows were in the 30's and 40's and even dipped below freezing a couple of nights. The conditions were foggy and overcast until about three days in when the skies finally cleared. It rained a couple of evenings and even snowed early one morning. June, July, and August will bring warmer temperatures - 60s and 70s - while still cooling down significantly at night.

Transportation // We drove from Indiana to Copper Harbor and took the Isle Royale Queen IV ferry from there to Rock Harbor - www.isleroyale.com. This was only the second sailing of the year for the Queen. Fortunately it was quite a calm day, but apparently it can be a bit rough sometimes, so bring some medication if you're prone to seasickness. There is a small shop close to where the ferry docks where you can get coffee and pastries, and there are snacks and drinks for sale on the boat. They will take your pack and it will be inaccessible during the 3+ hour crossing, so make sure you remove everything you need. The NPS also operates their own ferry, the Ranger III, between Houghton, MI, and Rock Harbor.

If you’re coming from Minnesota, Grand Portage - Isle Royale Transportation Lines operates the Sea Hunter III between Grand Portage, MN, and Windigo. Additionally, they operate the Voyageur II, which travels around the perimeter of Isle Royale and makes stops at various trailheads and campgrounds.

Another option to get to the island is by seaplane. Isle Royale Seaplanes operates flights from Hancock, MI, and Grand Marais, MN, to both Windigo and Rock Harbor, as well as intra-island flights between Windigo and Rock Harbor.

With these options, it’s easy to create a variety of different itineraries from day trips to Rock Harbor to 40-mile traverses from Rock Harbor to Windigo and anything in between.

Lodging before and after the ferry ride // The ferry leaves early in the morning, so the night before catching the ferry we stayed at the King Copper Motel: www.kingcoppermotel.com, which is right next to where the ferry departs from. We did not make reservations, we just showed up around 11:00 PM and there were plenty of rooms available (you will probably want reservations if you're going later in the year when it's busier). We paid $85 for a room with two queen beds and an awesome view of Lake Superior. If you’re taking the Ranger from Houghton, you’ll have plenty of lodging options in the area.

Entrance Fees // As of February 2021, the NPS charges a fee of $7 per day per person (includes the day you arrive and the day you leave). This fee is waived for you and up to three others traveling with you if you have a Federal Recreation Pass such as the National Parks Annual Pass. You can submit payment before your trip at pay.gov.

Arriving on the Island // When you reach the island, you’ll be greeted by a park ranger who will give a short informative talk. Basically they will tell you not to have fires and not to do anything stupid because help is a long way away. Before you start hiking, you must also submit a rough itinerary of what campgrounds you plan to stay at each night. This is not a permanent plan and you are free to deviate from your itinerary as much as you want, just be sure to fill them in on your changes when you leave the island so they have an accurate usage record.

Rock Harbor Store // There is a small store at Rock Harbor that sells quite a variety of camping equipment and food. If you forgot anything, they probably have it. Be aware, however, that the store might not be open early in the season, so don't count on it for necessary supplies depending on the timing. When we arrived on May 15th, it was not open.

Camping // There are two options for camping on the island - shelters or tent camping. We planned on staying in shelters, but since all shelters and campsites are first come first serve, we brought tents just in case we encountered a situation where all the shelters were taken. Luckily, we never had any trouble securing a shelter each night, but during the busier months, you may not be as lucky. If you're counting on staying in shelters when it's busy, wake up early and get to your next campground as soon as possible to have the best chance of finding an open shelter.

The shelters will protect you from the rain and snow, but because the front is simply covered with a screen and they are built on platforms off the ground, they will not provide much warmth like a tent would. Be sure to bring a good sleeping bag and ground pad even if you are 100% certain you will sleep in a shelter each night.

In general, the campgrounds along Lake Superior have a combination of shelters and tent sites, while campgrounds in the interior of the island only have tent sites. Look at the table on page six of the park newsletter to see more details.

Water Filtration // There is no running water except at Rock Harbor and Windigo, and don’t expect that to be turned on early or late in the season (it was not operating when we arrived on May 15). Across the rest of the island, you have to get water from Lake Superior or the interior lakes and filter or boil it to remove anything harmful. Chemical purification tablets and systems like the UV SteriPen will not remove tapeworm eggs found in the water here. Either boil all water for a few minutes, or use a minimum .4 micron filtration device. I used a Sawyer water filter and it worked great. I carried a 1-liter water bottle and a 2-liter CamelBak.

Clothing // The goal is always to pack as light as possible, but make sure you bring enough clothing to cover the wide range of temperatures and weather conditions that you’ll likely encounter. I carried everything from a down jacket and pants to shorts and t-shirts. As always, make sure your clothing is made of moisture-wicking fabric so it can dry quickly. Cotton is your enemy.

Footwear // The trails across the island are well maintained but they are extremely rocky and strenuous. Make sure you wear a good pair of waterproof hiking boots that go above the ankle to avoid any injuries. I also brought a pair of sandals to wear around camp in the evenings.

Bathrooms // Every campground has an outhouse with no running water.

Fires // Fires are only allowed at a few campgrounds. To see the specific campgrounds, look at page six of the park's newsletter.

Phone Service // Our phones worked surprisingly well on the ferry, but I never once had service after arriving on the island. One person in our group managed to get a few text messages out around Rock Harbor, but don't count on having any service. I still brought my phone, however. I used it to track our mileage each day and to take photos. I kept it charged all week with a couple of USB battery chargers.

Links and Additional information

National Park Service site for Isle Royale
Isle Royale Seaplanes (Float plane from Hancock, MI, and Grand Marais, MN, to Windigo/Rock Harbor)
Grand Portage - Isle Royale Transportation Lines (Ferry from Grand Portage, MN, and intra-island transportation)
Isle Royale Line (Ferry from Copper Harbor, MI to Rock Harbor)
Annual NPS Newsletter for Isle Royale (Very helpful info about mileage and campgrounds, this one is from November 2020)