Isle Royale Forums

Is there a chart somewhere of the transit times for the water taxi service? I've checked their website and searched here but could not find any. I'm interested specifically in Rock Harbor to Chippewa Harbor, but if there is a timetable that would be great too!

It depends on the waves and weather (like everything). In good weather, less than 30 mins I'd say. I'm guessing those boats can cruise at 30 and it's 12 miles. But say if there are 3 foot waves, that will slow it down significantly--which is probably why they don't publish times.

I am sure no timetable exists, as in a departure arrival timetable you might find for bus, train, or ferry service. You might call to see if they will give an approximate transit time with some upper and lower values. They can be hard to reach this time of year but I also suspect the "Winter" person you eventually get through to might not have these kinds of details.

I have never taken the water taxi and would be curious how tightly they might give you an approximate departure time and transit. Their boats are what you would expect for a 25 to 30 foot high freeboard fishing boat, probably capable of a top speed of 40+ mph but a maximum efficiency cruising speed closer to 25 mph. The boat in the picture on the left is a water taxi. The boat on the right is the tour boat, M.V. Sandy. Their departure can infrequently be affected by weather but their speed could be affected more often. If the seas are rough they might need to slow down a bit. I suppose there is also a very slight chance they might be making another stop for other passengers on the way to Chippewa Harbor. Optimally, hope for a 30 minute/12 mile trip, but don't be disappointed if it stretches to an hour or more. Once you arrive, everything runs on "Island Time" which is always more laid back.

Thanks for the responses. From the reading I've done on this forum I certainly know to plan for weather delays. Right now I'm just trying to plan out an east side "loop" for my backpacking group and taking the water taxi to chippewa seemed a good way to see more of the island with our limited time. If we're talking about 30-90 min ballpark that still leaves plenty of hiking time for day 1.