Isle Royale Forums

I'm plannig on going to IR tomorrow to hike and camp. I'm in good physical condition, 50+ yrs. old, never been to IR before, have never camped/hiked alone before. There doesn't appear to be any form of transportion off IR once I arrive on Tues., until Sat. It also doesn't appear that the store or welcome center will be open, I'm unable to get a response from the lodge on whether they will be open or not. My question is....does anyone know if there will be other hikers in the Rock Harbor area, during this timeframe. Is it unwise for me to do this hike under the above-mentioned conditions?

If you're going tomorrow there will be other hikers especially around Rock Harbor. The lodge and the store should be open, at least during the boat arrivals. I went Memorial Day last year and there were people with luggage who were staying at the lodge. None of the campsites was over-filled.

You will be just fine.

It appears you are arriving on the first public trip of the Ranger III. The other ferries from Minnesota and Copper Harbor have been active for the past 3 weeks. They are also active this coming week. They won't bring you back to Houghton but you'll be able to get off the Island if needed or desired. Here is a link to their schedules. The seaplane air service is also operating every day now except Wednesdays. The concessions should be just opening up after Memorial Day although I'm not sure of their exact first day. Not hearing back from them is not unusual during any time of the year. As Tortuga stated, you won't be alone. Relax and enjoy yourself. You'll be just fine.

Okay. Thanks for the info.

Let us know how your trip went. I usually solo there. Folks when you see them are usually helpful and friendly.

How was the trip?