Good 3day/2 night endurance loop

Questions about trails and campsites on the island.

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HappyFeet47
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Good 3day/2 night endurance loop

Post by HappyFeet47 »

Hey!

Metro Detroit native here, now living in Portland, OR. My boyfriend and I are spending 2 nights on IR in August.

We are mountain/rock climbers, so with that experience and endurance, does anyone have an intinerary recommendation for us? We will be leaving from Houghton on the Queen IV. We'd love to cover most ground on day 2 and use 1st/3rd day as hiking and appreciating days. Trying to savior the island as well as see it.



Appreciate the help.

Happy
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Tom
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Re: Good 3day/2 night endurance loop

Post by Tom »

Welcome to the forum, Happy!

The two night restriction coming in on the Rock Harbor side is probably the largest limiting factor. It means the camps selected need to be within a reasonable day's hike with the boat schedule. If you're looking for something to use that endurance and see the island, you might try the following:

1. Day 1 one, arrive. Start with the packs at Rock Harbor, and take the Stoll Trail for scenic/leg stretching purposes. Upon return, pack up and head to Lane Cove, 6.9mi. You could just go directly to Lane Cove and bypass the first hike, but once you get into Lane Cove, there isn't as much to 'keep the legs moving' and explore as some of the other sites. Enjoy a sunset at this camp.

2. Day 2. Hike out of Lane (it will make you think of a mountain ascent, complete with switch backs) and head down the Greenstone. Stop by the tower at Mt. Ojibway. Head down the Mt. Ojibway Trail for a quick stop at Daisy Farm, then head on to Moskey Basin. 11.1mi. Set camp at Moskey. There is a great dock and cove to enjoy; however if you want to keep the legs moving, you can hike over to Lake Ritchie. If you really have time and are fast on trail, I've known others to do the same to Chippewa - But bring a light pack with water, etc. (Note: If you find the Island has been pushing your limits, stopping at Daisy farm and shortcutting the loop is perfectly fine. Make the choice that allows you to enjoy the trip.)

3. Day 3. Enjoy a famous Moskey Basin sunrise, being mindful of your trail pace and what time you need to be back to Rock Harbor for the boat. Return to Rock Harbor via the Rock Harbor trail. It looks deceivingly flat on a topo map. Don't be fooled, there is plenty of little ups and downs on rock that make the legs burn. 11mi.
HappyFeet47
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Re: Good 3day/2 night endurance loop

Post by HappyFeet47 »

Thanks so much Tom! I actually changed our sail date so we could add one more day, I figured I may not get another shot at coming to the Island so need to dedicate at much time as we could.

With the extra time added, are there any spots in your recommendations that are worthy of lingering for more than one night?
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Re: Good 3day/2 night endurance loop

Post by Tom »

If you have an extra day, you might consider going from Lane Cove, to McCargoe Cove, to Moskey. A solid hike from Lane to McCargoe, but most of it would be up on the ridge and therefore not too much up and down. There would be more of that from McCargoe to Moskey, but the distance is less.
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