I.R in the fall!

Questions regarding Weather, Bugs, Northern Lights and other "natural" phenomena.

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k2one
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I.R in the fall!

Post by k2one »

What is the people and weather situation during the end of September?
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Re: I.R in the fall!

Post by johnhens »

Hi Mike, Welcome to the Forums!!!
Unless it is an unusually wet and warm Fall, the bugs by the end of September are gone as are the crowds. We have gone late and had snow then. Also, water is turned off and the store is closed and the Island is in shut down mode. Next to Spring, my favorite time to go as the Fall colors are Peak and birds are heading South!!
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Keweenaw
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Re: I.R in the fall!

Post by Keweenaw »

Fall is great, EXCEPT the days are very short and it can get quite cold after the sun goes down. We went in October a few years and if you are at a campground that has no fire pit you pretty much have to get in the sleeping bag and read after about 7 unless you like sitting out in the dark and cold.

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upnorthjeeper
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Re: I.R in the fall!

Post by upnorthjeeper »

I'm planning on a 4-6 night solo trip at the end of September myself, it will be my first time out there. Seeing that I camp in 2-3 feet of snow in northern Michigan during Jan/Feb I'm pretty sure the weather shouldn't bother me too much. The fall colors should be worth it!

Anyone here know what the peak color timeframe is for IR?
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Tom
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Re: I.R in the fall!

Post by Tom »

Weather can also become a transportation factor, as indicated on Capt Don's http://www.isleroyaleboats.com website:
Sept 12th is the last trip for pickup in Mc Cargoe Cove. Alternate drop points are also required after this date as the weather conditions dictate if outbound trips travel on the north or south side of the island.
Not sure how often things actually get cancelled, but I've heard leaving a spare day just in case the boat can't run is ideal.

As for fall color; it's tremendously difficult to predict since things like temperature, rainfall, etc, all come into play with plant phenology. I'd say second to third week is a pretty good 'likely' time, but that's throwing darts...
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Re: I.R in the fall!

Post by rxgac »

My first trip to IR was last year. My daughter didn't have quite a warm enough bag so we decided to bug out a day early. As it ended up the day the Queen came over the visibility was near zero and high seas. The deceision was made to not risk the crossing so everyone spent the night. This year I am planning on an extra day, just in case. If we don't need it, then there may be a side trip to Ely for the wolf park.
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