Isle Royale Forums

We are planning a High Adventure trip with some Boy Scouts this summer and they have decided that rather than committing to one method of travel, they would like to make it a "hybrid trip", with several days of paddling followed by several days of backpacking. We will be starting and ending at Rock Harbor. I believe that you can still rent storage boxes at Rock Harbor for some gear, but does anyone know if it is possible to store a boat there somewhere? If we were to bring our own boats we would need a place to lock them up for the backpacking part of the trip. Renting boats may be the best option, but we are just in the planning stages now. Has anyone done a similar trip on the island? Thanks for any info.

Rock Harbor, and Tobin Harbor have storage racks for canoes and kayaks. I believe most are reserved for the NPS and Rock Harbor Lodge, but I’ve seen private kayaks/canoes stored in these racks too. Maybe inquire with the NPS or concession folks about availability.

There is one public rack with space for 6 canoes/kayaks at Rock Harbor (there is a separate one for the rentals). I believe the rack at Tobin Harbor is for NPS and concessionaire employees, although I've used it before. I don't know if there's supposed to be a time limit on the use of the public rack. In any case it's first come, first serve--I've seen it both full and empty, just depends, and I've left my canoe (overnight) beside the path before.

I've never locked my canoe on I.R., have never seen one locked, and have never heard of any problems. You would need a bicycle cable or similar to either lock it to the rack or a tree. Also, there are not lockers to rent for gear storage. The office at the lodge offers some storage services for a fee--haven't done that so don't know how much you can leave or what the cost is.

Thanks for the info everyone... I think that we have decided it would be easier just to rent since we will be doing 3 nights of backpacking before the couple nights of paddle camping.

One risk of renting......if it's windy the day you plan to get your canoes, they may refuse to rent to you. Anything that warrants a small craft advisory on Lake Superior automatically shuts down the rentals because of liability. I have seen a Boy Scout troop have to switch to backpacking (with canoe packs...) because they couldn't get the rental canoes they had reserved. Bringing your own canoes guarantees that you will have them when you want them, regardless of weather.

bobcat wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2017 12:42 pmOne risk of renting......if it's windy the day you plan to get your canoes, they may refuse to rent to you. Anything that warrants a small craft advisory on Lake Superior automatically shuts down the rentals because of liability.

Slightly off topic, but as a reminder, the conservative "windy weather" restrictions also apply to the small outboard motorized boats they rent.

Also regarding where to store your canoes when you are not using them, there is a public rack that holds 6 canoes, with room on the ground for two more below the rack. Additionally, there is a broad apron of gravelly ground surrounding Snug Harbor between the lodge and the Rock Harbor Ranger Station, and during August when lots of groups of kayakers are coming and going, there are often kayaks stored neatly in the gravel too. If you have canoes and a cable lock, you should be able to lay the canoes out and run the cables through the thwarts of 2-3 boats and lock them together which would make it very very awkward for someone to try to steal them - you could get a chain at a hardware store made to whatever length you need, and just carry that along to lock up your canoes. Locking them is up to you, but if it will give you peace of mind to enjoy your hiking then it's well worth the effort to carry a chain and a padlock.