Isle Royale Forums

Isle Royale is a sort of promised land for bushwhackers: No (human) ticks, no poison ivy, and no bears.

****Any thoughts on if the Sunset Cruise is worth it? When we're there the Raspberry Island hike isn't a part of it I've done the sunset cruise. It was... OK. The stop at Raspberry Island is nice, but you could also see that from a canoe, and they might cut out Raspberry Island that late in the sea...

This may be off topic for this particular thread, but how possible is it to get a shuttle from Copper Harbor to Houghton? I don't see much identified in terms of public transportation or otherwise listed in the area. Generally, it's hard to get a ride from CH to Houghton. One good place to look for...

ARRC and Ingo give good advice. I'd like to emphasize a few things. Without knowing your level of experience with both backpacking and the island itself, it's hard to recommend May. I'm quite experienced with backpacking in general, and I lived in the Keweenaw for 10 winters, so I have a good sense ...

jpemerick (who hasn't posted here for a long time) did something sort of similar in 10 days, but then again he has like a 20 foot stride and likes hiking a few miles before the sunrises. You might want to see his blog posts about it.

One more vote that an end-to-end isn't the best choice for your first trip to the island. There are some wonderful places to see on along the Superior shore that you'd be missing. McCargoe and Moskey are two of the very best in my book. Also, you might be surprised by the island's terrain. My wife a...

Sounds like a great trip. I'm curious what the "elk call" was! Loon calls are extremely distinctive and nothing like an elk, so you were probably hearing something else.

Your days look mighty long to me too. I spent many years hiking and camping in the Keweenaw and Porcupine Mountains -- very similar to Isle Royale in many ways -- but I still got my butt kicked on my first trip to the island. The terrain is rougher and less "tamed" than most mainland hiking in the m...

Thanks for putting the Potawatomi Trail on my radar -- I don't normally think about backpacking options in the southeast corner of Michigan!

Love the trip report. You're making me island-sick!

What was the diner -- Suomi? Kaleva? Both excellent choices if you haven't been there.

For mapping, I really like Acme Mapper. Click the "layers" button in the top right to change between aerial, maps, and topos. I've used those to figure out hiking topography quite often.

We aren't all online all the time, Fastcat. ;) Midwest Ed is right on. I've stayed in every hotel in downtown Houghton. The Franklin Square Inn (which is a Magnuson) is the nicest, but not that great. Super 8 can be downright wretched depending on who else is staying there. Across the bridge, the Ra...

Moskey is beautiful. It's worth staying there if you can. I've done Moskey to Rock Harbor in one day -- 12 miles. I was dragging at the end, but it was doable. Most of those 12 miles are about as flat as the island gets, but remember that it will still be rocky and rooty. If you're an experienced ba...

Moose come to those who get up early. Look at lakes and swampy areas early in the morning. Of course, we saw two (!!) on the paved trail in Rock Harbor last year, so you never know what will happen.

In my opinion, you'll find the trails on Isle Royale more rugged; more rocks, roots and up & down. If it rains, the IRNP trails can get muddy & slippery. But your route is certainly doable. I like to include a rest day somewhere along the way but that's just me. And you can skip Island Mine CG if y...