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Isle Royal suggestions

PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 8:35 pm
by emiller1
I may have a chance this fall to squeeze in some owed time off and was thinking about a 2 night backpacking trip at Isle Royal. Any suggestions are welcome. I have never been there before and was looking for some advice.

Isle Royale

PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 12:48 am
by WebTraveler
You may want to contact the Ranger Station as the Island "shuts down" by Labor Day, and there is not much activity during September. You may want to find out if there is a way to get to and off the island after October 1, if thats how far into Fall you are talking about.

PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 3:39 am
by wkriesel
Hi,
My son and I backpacked 5 days (60 miles) at RINP 4 years ago. The boat ride is 4 hours and expensive for your 2 night trip. Why not hike Porcupine Mtn St Park in MI instead? But then, hearing the wolves howl at RINP is ...........

PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 4:45 am
by Tonka
Don't let the boat ride over scare you off. It's part of the adventure. Isle Royale is the least most visited NP because of the logistics. GO! There are many options for you. I've been out there a few times but have always gone with a canoe so I can't recommend a pure backpack route. It will really depend on what boat you are taking. I just say go, it's a beautiful place.

PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 2:12 pm
by bluffview
Logistically, 2 nights could be hard to pull off. Check the NPS web site for IR and the boat schedules. Living in Michigan I'm not familiar with the boats that leave from Minnesota. There is also the seaplane option. Another thing to consider is the late season weather, boat and seaplane schedules can get, umm, flexible. There may be a day or days where the boat/plane might not be able to travel because of storms. Lastly 2 nights is just enough time to scratch the surface, as mentioned IR is the least visited Nat'l Park but I think it is the most re-visited. Two nights is just going to whet your appetite and leave you wanting more.

I don't consider an IR trip expensive, just over $100 for the boat and the $4 per day user fee. Cheap when compared to a flight.

As for hearing wolves howl you sure don't need to go to IR. Michigan U.P. has plenty, I've seen more than usual black bears this year too.

PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 2:33 pm
by Bark Eater
Agree two nights might not be worth the effort. I went years ago for 5 days, 4 nights via ferry from Copper Harbor. That was about perfect and gave us opportunity to explore a good bit of the island. Timing was around Labor Day.

PostPosted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 6:08 am
by emiller1
Thanks for the suggestions. I think i'm going to hold off on this until i can do a 4 or 5 night trip. I think I will head to the porkies instead

PostPosted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 12:41 pm
by Arthur Digbee
emiller1 wrote:Thanks for the suggestions. I think i'm going to hold off on this until i can do a 4 or 5 night trip. I think I will head to the porkies instead


That's a good decision. With two days, you can also backpack along Pictured Rocks in the UP, and on the weekend there's a shuttle making a one-way trip possible. http://www.nps.gov/piro

It's not as soggy as the Porkies.

PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 3:05 pm
by bluffview
Where are you coming from? There are lots of options for a 2 day trip and there may be some close(r) to you to maximize your time out.

Superior Hiking Trail
North Country Trail (Trap Hills)
Porkies
Sylvania Wilderness
Ice Age Trail

Not an all inclusive list by any means

In the mean time you can check out the IR site, lots of info there to help plan a trip. Johnhens, a moderator on those forums is a wealth of knowledge on IR having been there many times. I had the pleasure of sharing a ride on the Ranger with him a couple of years ago.

http://isleroyaleforums.com/index.php?s ... 762eace7f3

Re: Isle Royal suggestions

PostPosted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 4:05 pm
by emiller1
Ok, I hope this will be a go for the end of august or early september. I tenatively plan on taking the Ranger III and depart Tuesday and return Sat. So I would be looking at 4 trail nights. I was thinking Minong ridge or some sort of loop? What are the can't miss stops and places?

Re: Isle Royal suggestions

PostPosted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 9:36 pm
by Arthur Digbee
Well, you have to start and end with Rock Harbor then, unless you want to shell out beaucoup bucks for the water taxi. The obvious thing would be to go out along the shore (to Fourmile and Daisy Farm) and plan to come back down the Greenstone. How far out you go would depend on how fast/far you want to travel -- Indian Portage Trail as a connector would seem to be an obvious choice, maybe popping over to McCargoe Cove for a night. You wouldn't reach the Minong that way except as a day trip from McCargoe.

If memory serves, it's 15 miles from McCargoe back to Rock Harbor. A full day with a full pack.

Re: Isle Royal suggestions

PostPosted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 1:17 am
by emiller1
Yeah, the logistics don't really work out unless i can squeeze in a couple more days and take the voyeagur around the island then walk back to rock harbor. What kind of money does the water taxi cost? maybe take that to Malone or Chippewa bay and then walk back?

Re: Isle Royal suggestions

PostPosted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 1:37 am
by Arthur Digbee
Water taxi: http://foreverlodging.com/foreverinfo.c ... ntKey=2612

It seems steep to me. Of course, you're paying for the boat's round trip.

You could also hike the Greenstone to Windigo and catch the Voyageur to take you back to Rock Harbor, though that wastes a day/night on transportation.

Re: Isle Royal suggestions

PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:27 pm
by bluffview
Possible itinerary given that time frame: Rock Harbor to Lane Cove...Lance Cove to Daisy Farm...Daisy to Moskey Basin...Moskey to 3 Mile...3 Mile to Rock Harbor to catch the Ranger. That was my plan in '07 however, due to the weather the Ranger didn't leave Houghton on time and when we did get to IR I had to skip the trip to Lane Cove and spent my first night at 3 Mile. I was told that the trail up and over the Greenstone Ridge to Lane Cove is the steepest on the island, the north side down to Lane Cove that is.

Moskey Basin is a must see IMHO, having been there. Others from what I've been told and have seen pics of: Lane Cove, McCargoe Cove, Chippewa Harobr, Lookout Louise to name a few.