Isle Royale

[LavaFalls]

I know this is not a High Peaks or Whites question but...Has anyone hiked on Isle Royale N.P. I am planning on getting out there this summer. Any bits of info appreciated.

LavaFalls

 

[IndianChris]

Check out the "astronomy picture of the day" on NASA's website from yesterday or the day before I think it was...

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/209554main_isleroyale_l7_2001268_lrg_428-321.jpg

Wonder if it would be possible to paddle TO the island.

 

[michaelb]

I grew up in MI and have done several trips on Lake Superior, but never got all the way out to Isle Royale. I would like to go back and it is on my short list of trips I want to do. From here though, it is really a 3 day expedition to get there and a 3 day expedition to get back.

My memory is that you have a choice of a float plane (expensive) or a ferry, either a 6 hour ferry from the tip of MI or a much shorter ferry from Thunder Bay on the north. I have done ferrys on the great lakes before, I have to say I am a bit apprehensive about what a 6 hour ferry across lake superior would be like. Sure it could be nice; but it might also be a sea sick life and death nightmare in huge rolling seas and feel like a passage through the Drake crossing.

Once you are on the island (and you can get dropped on either end I believe), my impression is that the hiking and scenery is great. Lake Superior is gorgeous; cold, wild, and beautiful. Hiking end to end is the obvious choice, but there are also some loop trips.

I can't imagine rational people doing the open water crossing to IR in a kayak. I would guess that is far too dangerous. The paddlers at the canadian canoe routes forum (myccr.com) take paddling on LS very conservatively, recognizing that conditions can change very quickly and be extremely dangerous on what is really an arctic inland sea.

Should be a great trip, once you get there. Enjoy.

 

[daxs]

Its been a few years since I've been to Isle Royale. I took the ferry out of Copper Harbor MI on the way over and took the ferry to Houghton-Hancock MI on the return. I have a tendency to get a bit nauseous with rough seas but did not have a problem with the ferry. The ferries out of MI put you into Rock Harbor. There was a ferry out of WI? that put you into Windigo, the oppisite end of the Island. I did not hike the entire island due to time restraints but did a multi day loop in and out of Rock Harbor. You could hike all day without seeing anybody on the trails. The camping areas though did have alot of folks. Some of the camping areas had screened in leans to's , a nice change from the tent. Obviously, getting to the camping area early was necessary to snag a lean to. Saw alot of moose. Some of the bays had warmer water than the main lake and were nice for swimming. They also had leeches which were not nice for swimming. I was a bit grossed out getting out of the water covered with the nasty little buggers. No leeches in the main lake though which was very cold. Some of the lakeside camping areas also had docks for boats to pull into so don't be surprised to see some larger recreational fishing boats. We met some guys who were out fishing for a week and they gave us a meal of fresh lake trout and cold beer. A nice change from the dehydrated stufff we were eating. There was some nice ridge hiking looking out over the lake too. Wish I could tell you more. That trip was my first major backpacking trip and I have lots of good memories. After you do Isle Royale, you need to plan a trip over to Canada to Pukaswa Park where you hike long the lake too.

 

[IndianChris]

First come first serve with the camping sites/leentoos, right?
What if you get there and there's none left?

 

[jniehof]

My memory is that you have a choice of a float plane (expensive) or a ferry, either a 6 hour ferry from the tip of MI or a much shorter ferry from Thunder Bay on the north.

I don't think you can ferry from the Canadian side; there was never one offered while I lived there and the NPS site doesn't list it as an option. The short ride would be from Sibley, which is ~90 minutes from Thunder Bay.

(Pukasaw's a fantastic place, but tends to be very rainy from lake effect.)

 

[sardog1]

The Grand Portage Isle Royale Transportation Line Inc. provides ferry service from Grand Portage, MN. (Do not confuse this with Grand Marais, MN, which is also on the lake but farther south.) There is no ferry service from Canada or Wisconsin; the boats from Copper Harbor and Houghton in Michigan are the only other alternatives. Low water levels in Lake Superior affected service last year, so check with the ferry operators on this point.

You can paddle the approximately twenty miles from the Minnesota North Shore, but it's very cold water, often very foggy, often very windy if not violently stormy, and not for novices. The ferry will carry your boat for a fee.