First time IR canoe trip questions... help a n00b out!!

[luci734]

I plan on making a trip to IR for the first time next year in June. I have 4-5 days to take it all in. I'm wondering what suggested routs you guys have for me if I start from Rock Harbor. I will be using a 16' canoe and have intermediate experience. thanks

[Midwest Ed]

Welcome luci,

You won’t be able to take it “all in” in just 5 days but you can get a very nice sampling. Are you traveling alone? You didn’t make any reference to your desire for or against portaging. Are you coming in from Michigan or Minnesota? The answers to these questions can affect your choices for a 4 to 5 day trip.

Just to get some conversation going here are some options:

You could spend 4 days just canoeing in Lake Superior around the south shore bays in and around Rock Harbor extending all the way to Moskey Basin. There are plenty of campsites on the Big Lake (Superior) with several located on islands. This would also allow you make a couple of day hikes sans canoe from places like Daisy Farm.

If you feel more adventurous you could portage from Moskey Basin into Lake Ritchie, Intermediate Lake, Siskiwit Lake, Wood Lake, Lake Whittlesy and Chippewa Harbor. One of the ferries from Minnesota (Voyager) will make arrangements to pick you up or drop you off in Chippewa Harbor or Malone Bay near this route but scheduling is limited.

A similarly difficult (OK maybe a little more difficult) portage route could be had by crossing to the north shore from Rock Harbor to Tobin Harbor and then to Duncan Bay. This would give you access to Five Finger Bay and Lane Cove and beyond (i.e. Belle Isle).

Unless you are an all out, gotta be on the go all the time kinda guy, my suggestion is to take things a little slower at first. You have plenty of time to get a good map, study up and hang out here for some other good info that I’m sure others will offer.

~Ed

[luci734]

thanks for the info Ed. I will be traveling with 3 other guys, all from Michigan. We are definitely interested in doing a slow paced trip involving lots of camping and fishing. It looks like a lot of people are suggesting portaging Moskey Basin into Lake Ritchie rout.... but it sounds like a painful portage :/

[Keweenaw]

It's not too painful - just long, about 2.5 miles. It's a pretty good trail. Lake Ritchie generally has pretty good fishing and the canoe campground (not the regular one) is very nice and isolated.

Bob

[Midwest Ed]

I agree the Moskey/Ritchie portage trail is not difficult, just long. We normally only made one trip on portages but here we stopped halfway and made a second trip from the half way point.

You might consider making a 2 to 3 day, one way trip ending at Malone Bay, then take the Voyager II to Windigo. Spend the rest of the day there exploring Washington Harbor. The next morning it will take you back to Rock Harbor. This might take 6 days though as you most likely will need to spend the last night at Rock Harbor.

[robin621]

Last year I had the Ranger III drop me off at Mott Island (it stops there on the way to Rock Harbor). Canoe to Moskey Basin then portage to Lake Ritchie. Then portage to Chippewa Harbor. You can portage back through Lake Ritchie and do the 2.5 miles again or paddle back to Rock Harbor from Chip Harbor. The weather and your experience on the big water will help with that decision. Are you fishing?

[luci734]

thanks for the advice gentlemen.

Are you fishing?

yes we plan on doing a lot of fishing. Any suggestions??

[robin621]

Let me know when you decide on an itinerary. What lakes are you going to hit? Ritchie and Chippewa Habor or just Ritchie?

[Ingo]

Assuming you're coming from MI on the Ranger or the Queen, I have 3 general suggestions in no particular order.

(1) The easy trip. Stay in Rock Harbor/Moskey Basin. No portaging. Great campgrounds on Caribou Island and Moskey Basin. Daisey Farm and Three Mile are nice but larger and busier. My daughter and I did 9 unplanned days paddling R.H. due to a sprained ankle on the first day. I was not happy at the prospect, but really enjoyed it. There's the Edison Fishery, lighthouse, and researcher's cabin across from Daisey Farm, all very interesting. You can day hike out of Daisey Farm, Moskey, and Three Mile. If weather's good Merritt Lane is also a possibility. Here's my trip log and pics from the 9 days: http://moskeybasin.com/IR2005/Main.html

(2) The inland lakes. Portage into Lake Richie and then any of Intermediate, Chippewa Harbor, Siskiwit, and/or Whitlesey depending on how you feel. If you do this I would take the Ranger and get off at Mott Island--saves you 5 or so miles of paddling. I actually prefer to portage in 2 trips--the hike back without any gear is always enjoyable and I see things I miss with a canoe or pack on my shoulders. Good yoke pads on the canoe make all the difference in the world, so if you don't have good ones, invest in some. Since you'd be doing the long portage twice I'd plan to come and go a couple days apart. Pike fishing on Richie is the best. But bugs can also be worse. The canoe campground on Richie is great, especially if you get site 1.

(3) The north side. Starts with a portage from the dock to Tobin Harbor, then paddle across Tobin Harbor and then portage up and over the ridge to Duncan Bay. Personally I'd rather do this portage than Moskey/Richie. It's 0.8 miles and 180 ft up and down, and particularly steep on the Duncan side. But I break it up by taking the 1st load to the top of the ridge, go back for the rest, then take it down the other side. Lunch at the top is nice too. But once you're across you're in what I think is the prettiest paddling on the island. All the campgrounds are great and the remaining 2 portages short/easy. There's a couple of places where the conditions can get a little nasty in windy weather, but generally it's pretty protected and you have options--if paddling from Lane Cove to Belle Isle is bad, stay at Lane Cove. I'm not much of a fisherman, but I know there's big pike back up in the long bays, and lake trout in the deeper waters--I've eaten what others have caught before.

If you take the Voyageur out MN, then I would do one of 2 trips, both which are pretty relaxed 5 day trips. If leaving from that side is not an issue, then I definitely would.

(1) Get off at McCargoe Cove. Paddle across the island through the inland lakes. Get picked up at Chippewa Harbor. Quite a few portages, but none of them too bad. You will miss what "civilization" there is on the island at Rock Harbor (and the showers), whether that's a plus or minus for you. Here's a trip log and pics: http://moskeybasin.com/IR2002/Main.html

(2) Get off at McCargoe Cove. Paddle the north side to Rock Harbor. It does end with the Duncan/Tobin portage, but worth it to me. The stretch from McCargoe to Pickeral Cove is a couple miles of open water, so you do need to be careful there. Here's a trip log and pics: http://moskeybasin.com/IR2009/Main.html

Just remember that there's no bad trip or route! You're not on a fixed itinerary, so you can always go a little farther, or take it easier as you go. If you're prepared and flexible then it doesn't really matter where you go.

John I.

[luci734]

Thank you all for your suggestions! After much consulting with the group we have decided to go to the North side of the island from Rock Harbor. Tobin harbor, duncan, five fingers, lane cove, and maybe out to belle isle area. Two questions for you guys: 1.How long should we expect these portages to take and 2. Will there be visible paths for portaging from lake to lake or should we expect to blaze our own trails?
Thanks again guys. The trip is planed for June and we can hardly wait!

[luci734]

ohh, and any suggestion on what/where to get a good map of Isle Royal ?

[Keweenaw]

Hi Luci,

The portage trails are all very obvious, well-worn trails and are marked with a brown 4x4 post with a "P" on it that you can see from the water. The portage up and over the Greenstone from Tobin Harbor is considered pretty epic due to steepness, but is not very long. The others in that area are very short.

Map - the National Geographic Trails Illustrated map:

http://www.irkpa.org/images/trailsillustratedmap.jpg


Bob

[luci734]

Thank u kind sir

Hi Luci,

The portage trails are all very obvious, well-worn trails and are marked with a brown 4x4 post with a "P" on it that you can see from the water. The portage up and over the Greenstone from Tobin Harbor is considered pretty epic due to steepness, but is not very long. The others in that area are very short.

Map - the National Geographic Trails Illustrated map:

http://www.irkpa.org/images/trailsillustratedmap.jpg


Bob

[Ingo]

1.How long should we expect these portages to take

The Tobin Harbor/Duncan Bay portage took me and my daughter 2 hrs, with a rest at the top of the ridge. An earlier trip with the family of 4 (daughters were 13 & 15) took about 3 hrs. For the other 2 portages, just add 5-10 mins to the time it takes to unload/reload the canoes.

Do get the Trails Illustrated map and take a compass. When we left Belle Isle on the family trip the fog was thick enough that we needed to navigate by compass to cross the bay. As Bob said, the portages are well marked and not too hard to find.