Isle Royale National Park

Visited: Aug 2018
Nearby town: ferries to the island leave from Houghton, MI; Copper Harbor, MI; and Grand Portage, MN

"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods:

There is a rapture on the lonely shore:

There is society, where none intrudes.

By the deep sea, and music in its roar:

I love not man the less, but Nature more..."

-Lord Byron

In the far northern reaches of massive Lake Superior, lies a large and lonely island. Covered in a thick forest, it sparkles like an emerald among a vast sea of blue. Here you will find the incredible wilderness paradise of Isle Royale National Park.

The island is a part of the administrative borders of the state of Michigan, but you will hardly find any signs of civilization here. You will simply find nature, nature at its most beautiful and serene. If you want to get away from it all, Isle Royale is the place to be!

Isle Royale is 45 miles long and 9 miles wide. It has no permanent population. In the 1840s, copper was discovered on the island, and some small mines were built on the island. However, the settlements quickly dwindled away, due to the low yield of copper, the harsh winters, and the utter isolation. Some fish hatcheries and resorts were also built on the island, but they proved to be unsuccessful as well. It was as if Mother Nature was determined to not let mankind conquer this special place. In 1940, Isle Royale and the approximately 450 smaller surrounding islands were designated as a National Park.

Due to its isolation and relatively undeveloped state, Isle Royale is the least visited National Park in the Lower 48. Be aware, visiting Isle Royale requires A LOT of planning. The only way to visit is either by ferry, plane or private boat. There are two main Visitor Centers/developed areas on the island: (1) Windigo, on the island's western end; and (2) Rock Harbor, on the eastern end of the island. There are 4 ferries: Ranger III (which operates between Houghton, MI and Rock Harbor); Isle Royale Queen IV (which operates between Copper Harbor, MI and Rock Harbor); SeaHunter III (which operates between Grand Portage, MN and Windigo); and Voyageur II (it operates from Grand Portage and then circles the island and stops at lots of points all around the island, including both visitor centers). There is also a seaplane that operates between Houghton, MI and both visitor centers.

The park is open April 16 - Oct 31. The ferries only operate at certain times and certain days of the week, so make sure to plan ahead. Most visitors exploring Isle Royale spend a couple of days to a week backpacking and camping on the island. Tara and I aren't that experienced of hikers/campers so we opted for the day trip (limited time was also a big factor). Now, as difficult as it may seem, a day trip to Isle Royale is entirely possible and a lot of fun. Two of the ferries offer day trips (1) Isle Royale Queen IV to Rock Harbor and (2) SeaHunter III to Windigo. The Isle Royale Queen IV is a 3 hour ferry ride one-way and visitors will spend 3 hours on the island itself. The SeaHunter III is a 1.5 hour ferry ride one-way and visitors will spend 4 hours on the island. Keep in mind that these two ferries leave from cities that are very far away from each other (a nearly 8 hour drive). Traveling by seaplane will give you a lot more time on the island, but it is much more expensive. We opted to take SeaHunter III leaving from Grand Portage, MN.

Our trip to Minnesota had some uncharacteristic weather. A record heat wave swept through the state (locals told us the days we were there were some of the hottest days they had in decades), and it was incredibly humid. There were also a lot of forest fires up in Canada that blew smoke down into the Lake Superior area, so unfortunately it was quite hazy. However, the lake was very calm and the haze lifted by noon or so. It was an early start at the dock in Grand Portage to board the ferry.

Getting to Isle Royale is an adventure in itself. I was surprised how small the boat was, but we had nice calm water for our ride, so no motion sickness. There was a large scout troop on the ride over that were going to spend a week and a half backpacking around the island. Most everyone else were day-trippers, and, like us, were National Park enthusiasts! We met many other people who also had a goal to visit all the parks. It was fun to talk to everybody and we were all excited to be able to "check-off" this hard to visit park.

Due to the calm waters and the haze, the water looked like glass. Looking out at the horizon, it was very hard to tell when the lake ended and the sky began.

There's a horizon out there, believe me! Our ride continued...

Rock of Ages lighthouse in the distance, we will get closer to it on our way back

Eventually we entered Washington Harbor. Here we saw the shipwreck of the SS America, a packet boat that sunk in these cold waters in 1928. All passengers and crew were rescued and there were no injuries. The hull is still intact and part of the boat is a mere 2 feet below the surface. It is a popular diving spot to scuba dive through the wreckage. We could easily see it from our ferry boat.

We then docked at Windigo Visitor Center. Because you only have four hours on shore, there is not a whole lot of time for any major hiking. There are some short nature trails near the visitors center or you can venture on an out-and-back, but don't go too far! Give yourself enough time so you don't miss the boat.

We took the Feldtmann Lake Trail up to Grace Creek Overlook (1.8 miles one-way, 3.6 miles roundtrip). This was a pleasant hike that ran along Washington Harbor in a heavily wooded area. It then climbs up a ridge and then at the top, the views open up and you can see the Grace Creek and Lake Superior (Washington Harbor).

Nice views at the top (even though it was still quite hazy)

After enjoying some snacks at the top (and chatting with some other National Park trekkers) we made our way back to the Visitor Center and checked out the museum and just enjoyed what nature has to offer. Some day-trippers saw a moose, we were not so lucky.

A lighthouse mirror at the Visitor's Center

On our way back to Grand Portage we cruised along The Rock of Ages Lighthouse. This 117-ft tall lighthouse has been active since 1910. It was beautiful.

Traveling on Lake Superior was amazing. For a couple minutes of the ride, we were in a spot where we could not see land in any direction. It's pretty incredible to be on a lake so massive that it seems you're in the middle of the ocean.

As with all the parks we visit...we want to go back! Isle Royale is a precious jewel of our National Park System. This pristine wilderness needs to be seen to truly be appreciated. It would be a great adventure to take a week or so and hike and backpack across the island...maybe some day. For more info: https://www.nps.gov/isro/index.htm