Itinerary Help

Questions about trails and campsites on the island.

Moderator: MikeT

Post Reply
perseus287
NewbieCake
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2013 9:21 am

Itinerary Help

Post by perseus287 »

Hello!
I'm planning my first trip to the Island for the beginning of September this year (been planning for a while but only recently had things fall into place that allowed me to actually go). Just looking for some input on the itinerary I've picked out!

I'm a very experienced backpacker in pretty decent shape and will be hiking solo (as the plan currently stands, anyway).

Day 1 - Tue - 2.70 - Rock Harbor to Three mile
Day 2 - Wed - 8.30 - Three Mile to Moskey Basin
Day 3 - Thu - 6.20 - Moskey Basin to Chippewa Harbor
Day 4 - Fri - 0.00 - Rest at Chippewa Harbor
Day 5 - Sat - 10.6 - Chippewa Harbor to McCargo Cove
Day 6 - Sun - 8.00 - McCargo Cove to Daisy Farm
Day 7 - Mon - 7.10 - Daisy Farm to Rock Harbor

42.9 Miles total

I was originally planning to hike the length of the island and back, but although I'm looking for some challenging hiking I'm not interested in killing myself to tick off miles. My main concern is Day 5- ten miles won't be a problem on its own, and I've read that the terrain on that particular route is challenging, but I was hoping someone would have some more specific information about what to expect. Being tired and sore at the end of the day is not an issue, just wanted to have a better idea of what I'm in for. :D

Thanks for your help!
User avatar
MikeT
IR Pro
Posts: 362
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 1:32 pm
Isle Royale Visits: 23
Location: Port Sanilac, Michigan
Been thanked: 2 times
Contact:

Re: Itinerary Help

Post by MikeT »

Welcome to the forums!
I have attached the profile of the Indian Portage Trail (McCargoe to Chippewa) from my book. I describe it north to south, but you can see the reverse route. It is possible to do it a day no problem. However, it will be a long day. But, you have the a day off before it. Chippewa is a nice place to spend the day.
Attachments
Indian Portage Trail profiles
Indian Portage Trail profiles
Mike T.
"Isle Royale Info - A Comprehensive Guide to Isle Royale National Park" available at: http://www.isleroyale.info
"Isle Royale Itinerary Generator" an intuitive program to create and manage itineraries. Description at: http://www.isleroyale.info/ig_description.html
"Half the fun is in the planning"
perseus287
NewbieCake
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2013 9:21 am

Re: Itinerary Help

Post by perseus287 »

Thanks! That's EXACTLY what I was looking for, in much more detail than I expected to find.
Also, would you recommend taking my day off at Chippewa or McCargo?
User avatar
Ingo
Forum Moderator
Posts: 1951
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:11 pm
Isle Royale Visits: 14
Location: Hillsborough, NC
Has thanked: 270 times
Been thanked: 167 times

Re: Itinerary Help

Post by Ingo »

Personally, I'd give Chippewa the edge, but both are great. Chippewa offers the Superior shoreline to explore, McCargoe has a neat mine to hike to. I'd plan on Chippewa, but if you're ready to head on to McCargoe at that point in the trip, there's no reason not to.
22: BI-PC-BI-RH, 21: RH-ML-DF-MB-DF, 18: MC-PC-BI-DB-RH-DF, 17: WI-IM-SB-FL-WC, 16: RH-CI-TI-RH, 14: BI-ML-CI-CH-MB, 13: RH-PI, 12: MC-CB-HL-TH, 11: WC-HC-WC, 09: MC-BI-DN-RH, 05: MI-CI-MB-DF-RH-TM-RH, 02: MC-LR-WL-CH, 01: BI-DB-RH, 79: worked RH
Post Reply