Chippewa Harbor via Lake Superior by canoe

[bergman]

Part I: The boat taxi doesn't run until late May (around May 27th), and then ends sometime in the first week of September.

I plan to take the Voyager from Daisy Farm to Chippewa Harbor, and am thinking about paddling the big lake on the return trip. Can anybody share what it's like canoeing that stretch of shoreline? It appears to be nearly 6 miles back to Rock Harbor waters. I am interested in knowing whether/where there are landing possibilities (or protective coves) along the way in the event that the going gets rough? Are there many "soft" landing areas? I have two very good off-shore lifevests, with 25 lb. buoyancy to keep your chest a bit higher in the water (should give us an extra 5-8 minutes in the water).

Part II: Is it true that the lake will be calmest at dawn?

[johnhens]

Welcome to the forums!!

In may, the water is in the high 30's. If you go in, it will not take long before you are numb. This past May, I waded in to mid calf. 30 seconds was alll I could take. That said, there are places to pull out. Will you scratch your boat if it is rough, probably. The places are few along the way to get into.
The weather patterns in September are late summer. As the day warms up, the winds increase, though calming as the sun goes down. You could paddle that section at night or leave in the early AM before the winds pick up. When planning your trip allow extra time built in if you choose to paddle that stretch as it can be rough if the winds are out of the South, SE or SW. I would highly recommend a VHF if you have one, or a good Weather Radio to keep you up on the Marine Forecasts.

[Nick]

I agree with JohnH (it's rare, but sometimes he does have something of value to say ). The water in May is bitter cold. Going into Superior at 38 degrees, you'll be fatally hypothermic in a couple of minutes. The only thing that the extra buoyant vests will do is make it easier to locate the body. I've seen people out there in only PFDs paddling in the spring and (I hope I don't step on any toes here) I think that is very unwise.

I live on northern Lake Huron in the summer and I see the weather change dramatically in a short time. The same holds true on IR. If you do decide to do the paddle, invest in a good dry suit. At least that will give you a few extra minutes.

Also, don't "plan" on being able to make that paddle. The weather has a tendency to not cooperate. For example, I wanted to take my daughter around to Chippewa from Daisy Farm in May. For the most part, the weather did not cooperate and I chose to not chance it even though we both had full dry suits.

That's my 2 cents.

Nick

[potato sausage]

mmmmmmm.... not sure I would atempt this one in a open canoe, that's just me. That's a lot of open water with very little protection if any and very few places to land if you have to. The weather would have to be just about perfect.

[moss13]

Not sure if I understand this right so will give my 2 cents.

If you are saying you want to paddle from Daisy Farm to Rock Harbor in a canoe then that should be a nice paddle as I was planning on doing that too and will next year. I have a Wenonah Escape so I have a pretty good idea of what you have.

If you are saying you want to paddle from Daisy Farm to Chippewa Harbor in that Wenonah I would say to not even think about it. That is way too risky and should only be made in a sea kayak. I stayed at Chippewa harbor 2 years ago and we paddled my Wenonah in the protected harbor and that was nice. We even paddled over by the old schoolhouse but as we got closer to the mouth of the harbor that opens up to the big lake, the waves were crashing in pretty good. No way I would risk that in a kevlar canoe. That is asking for trouble in my opinion.
Be safe!

[boks]

I talked to a guy on Isle Royale last week that paddled from Caribou Island to Chippewa Harbor and back in an open canoe. He made it but in my opinion was very lucky. After seeing some of the weather that L. Superior can turn up, it's not worth the risk. So yes, it can be done but it's very risky.

Boks

[bergman]

From Caribou Island I would think that you could see the conditions on Superior, and decide when to paddle to Chippewa Harbor, most likely near or after sunset, or at first light at dawn. Perhaps get the forecast info from boaters that may be at Caribou Island.
. I could see where a party might end up "stuck" at Lea Cove (going in either direction), and have to pitch a tent there to wait on the lake, and I wonder if the park staff would insist that such a party be approved for backcountry camping, when the backcountry camping is not really planned. Any thoughts? Thanks for your input and insights. To stay safe out there, it really helps to benefit from others' experiences.

[johnhens]

Part II: Is it true that the lake will be calmest at dawn?

Generally speaking, the winds pick up in the late morning and calm as evening approaches. That being said, the morning usually will provide the calmest water of the day. You really need to pay attention to weather forecasts as many a calm morning has turned stormy with big waves by late morning. The time of year will also dictate the potential for strong winds ie ealry season and late season are known for being more stormy/windy than say July or August.
Hope that helps!!

[bergman]

Thanks for the advice and words of wisdom. I did get a VHF marine radio several years back. Kind of heavy but it provides a level of safety well worth it. I did make the roundtrip paddle from Rock Harbor to Chippewa Harbor solo (kneeling behind the center thwart) in my 17.5' Bell northwoods carbon/kevlar canoe, purchased specifically as life insurance for this particular paddling route. If i ever do it again solo, the forecast would have to be perfect. As it was (on the return leg) there was a strong north/nw wind forecast so i figured being on the south shore of the island, i would be "in like flint". The offshore wind proved to be somewhat challenging, and by the time i rounded Saginaw Point i was tired; that's when the going got tough/dangerous. I was able to "claw" my way (in the waves that were trying to hurl me into shore) to the south side of Mine Point, where i landed and had my first substantial meal of the day. After nearly an hour rest, i paddled out around mine point, crossed the mouth of conglomerate bay and made it to the lighthouse. It was bad. I got caught in a washtub for 50 yards or so in front of conglomerate bay, during which time i couldn't tell if i was making any headway, but felt i had no choice but to forge on. The water came within an inch or two of the top of the bow. It was mid-september, and i didnt see a single boat that day until i got to the lighthouse and 2 kayakers had landed there. One of a handful of times when i was in fear of losing my boat and all of my gear. I guess it would be silly to say that my life wasn't in jeopardy, as there wasn't a very good chance of other boats happening by on sept 15.

I did the same paddle this past september, but in a wilderness systems Tsunami 145. The wind was e/ne and once again when i rounded saginaw on the return leg, it got rough again. There are a lot of shallows along that stretch; once again, i holed up on the lee side of mine point to rest(and put my sprayskirt on). When i got going again, as soon as i rounded Mine Point it got rough & incredibly the crossing of the mouth of conglomerate bay was dicey again. Only this time the kayak gave me a level of confidence i hadnt experienced before on the water until that day. No fear or panic, but instead a steady focus and conscious respect for the lake and its power.

[rglorenz]

It's awesome reading everyone's story. I haven't canoed that stretch or canoed at all on or around Isle Royale. While there 2 summers ago I did rent a boat at Rock Harbor to pick up our gear we left at 3 mile and bring back to town. It was a small 14 foot fishing boat with a 15 hp outboard. The wind was coming straight into Rock Harbor the whole length of Rock Harbor. It was a good breeze kicking up some 1 - 1 1/2 ft waves by the time they got to town. The guy was minutes away from not renting any boats because the water was getting to rough.

Having said that it would be great to travel from Tonkin Bay to Chippewa Harbor via Lake Superior. The reality of doing something like that is that most people don't have unlimited time on the island and there isn't much of a time window for a trip there and back. Lake Superior could be smooth as glass on one day and the next rolling in 3 - 30 foot waves. Sometimes it can change that fast in a few hours. On a Lake Superior smooth as glass morning a little trip out there carries little risk for an experienced boater. If you keep moving and are quick before the weather changes it would be awesome out there I'm sure. I would not try to traverse that area with anything, even a 30 foot powerboat and plan on staying a night or two and coming back. If someone got away with doing it they were very lucky.

[Tampico]

I'm confused, if you've already made this paddle, why are you asking about if it can be done?

When you say "Rock Harbor" are you referring to the body of water that Lone Tree and Center Islands are in, or Snug Harbor where the Rock Harbor Lodge and Marina are?

[bergman]

I'm confused, if you've already made this paddle, why are you asking about if it can be done?

My original post was 2008, if that helps.

[bergman]

When you say "Rock Harbor" are you referring to the body of water that Lone Tree and Center Islands are in, or Snug Harbor where the Rock Harbor Lodge and Marina are?

Snug who??? Where in heavens is that? I specified "Rock Harbor waters" in an attempt to distinguish it from the Rock Harbor boat marina, known to most as Rock Harbor and really only known as Snug Harbor to boaters, park staff and some paddlers.

So the original post basically queried the wisdom of paddling the 6 miles of open/unprotected Superior shoreline from the Chippewa Harbor outpost to the Rock Harbor Lighthouse. Not a bad idea, though, to clarify what i meant by "RH waters", as that term is imprecise. I guess as a boater, u learn pretty quickly that imprecision can spell danger, so u gotta be technical with the jargon.

[Tampico]

Got it. I didn't realize the original post was that old.

[bergman]

Lake Superior could be smooth as glass on one day and the next rolling in 3 - 30 foot waves. Sometimes it can change that fast in a few hours.

It was early September 2011. I was on the Ranger III (headed to the island) and we were getting close to the Middle Island Passage (about 1:45 PM EDT). The lake was glass. Paul (the boat purser) and I were gazing up the entire length of Conglomerate Bay in amazement, as with the bay running a mile deep or so into the island's shoreline, it looked like a picture postcard. Paul commented that he had never before seen "glass conditions" that late in the season.

I was getting off at Mott and if the "gettin' was good", planned to paddle my canoe solo to Chippewa Harbor that same afternoon. In preparing for the paddle at home, I had noticed that if I could cut straight across the big lake from the SW corner of Mott Island to Saginaw Point, I would save about 1/2 mile or so in travel. So when I saw the "glass" conditions, I thought to myself: "Hey, I can take the shortcut!", which is what I did. In my at-home preparations, i didn't measure the maximum distance at any one point that this shortcut would take me from either shore - over a mile.

Disembarking at Mott (2:00 PM), I made sure not to dilly-dally before I got underway, paddled to and under the walkway bridge that connects Mott to East Caribou, and within minutes I was out on the big lake, though it was difficult to make out Saginaw Point from such a distance. To my disappointment, the lake was no longer glass, but instead slow rollers coming at me ("shucks!"), and 15 minutes later, akin to a mild roller coaster ("oh shit"). Of course, by this time I had already committed to my shortcut and I continued on. It was a very uneasy feeling being that far from shore. I never saw another boat. I did adjust my "aim" however, so that I would reach the shoreline (headed toward Saginaw Pt.) sooner than later. In the end, I didn't save much distance, and actually expended a lot more energy than if I had just stayed in the harbor all the way to the Rock Harbor Lighthouse. I will never venture out that far away from shore in a canoe again, solo or tandem.

The ironic part of the story is that on the return paddle (a week later), as I travelled from Saginaw Point to the Rock Harbor Lighthouse, it was the mouth of Conglomerate Bay that nearly capsized me. The last thing I expected was that the "picture perfect postcard" spot was going to give me the most trouble!