I know you're not going to camp, but there are regulations for cross-country camping. Maybe helpful to review these: https://www.nps.gov/isro/planyourvisit/cross-country-camping.htm No, definitely not planning to cross-country camp. I'm a fan of those shelters at Moskey! But of course I'll be prepa...

Since I travel solo like yourself, I leave a note in my tent/shelter indicating the approximate route I plan to take. Good idea. I plan to talk with a ranger at check-in too, both to get more on-the-ground info and to let more people know what I'm about to do. (Plus of course leaving a general plan...

Thanks for the input. I actually have a lot of hiking experience and quite a bit in the UP. Been in the Porkies twice, once for 5 days, Pictured Rocks twice including a 5 day and Grand Island twice, including a 2 day circumvention last year. I'll turn 67 during my planned hike, am carrying about 30...

Thanks all for some excellent advice. The vegetation map is good, but be aware that it shows overstory, not understory. All that balsam fir understory won't show on that map. But you can assume that if you find a aspen/birch overstory, it will have a balsam fir understory. Ed's suggestion of startin...

Thanks, treeplanter and Ed. This is what I was afraid of. That boreal forest area looks like it "lines" the swampy areas, so I'm double worried about them. Is the shoreline walkable around the end of the harbor? Aerials don't help much with that. I could imagine a relatively clear, rocky shore -- or...

I'm planning a late May solo trip, and I'd like to bushwhack from Moskey to the Mt. Saginaw / Newt Lake area on foot. This would be a day trip from Moskey. Background: This is my 3rd trip to the island, and my first in the spring (the rest have been August). I have years of bushwhacking experience i...

I agree, it's a nice plan. I'm a big fan of zero days, so I'd encourage you to make one of them happen -- I'd vote Moskey or McCargo, but you have options and can decide on the fly. What is your hiking experience, especially in the UP or north shore? If you're not prepared for the ups-and-downs of I...

I would strongly recommend late July, especially if you have some first-time backpackers. Remember that late May/early June IS spring on Isle Royale, with all of the mud and possibly even snow that implies. Isle Royale in late July/early August is a joy. The lakes might even be swimmable then. No ma...

Name: Dave Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI Arrival Date: May 27, 2019 Departure Date: May 31, 2019 Coming From/Via: Copper Harbor/Queen Itinerary: Probably RH - DF - Moskey - rest - TM - RH Notes/Other: My first spring trip (3rd trip total). This will be a solo hike with lots of time for side-trips and e...

This is very helpful, thank you. Are the skies usually clear that time of year? This brings up a good thing to mention -- you should count on at least one day of rain. It's pretty much inevitable in Isle Royale. Otherwise, the skies can be clear, or totally cloudy, or anywhere in between. Probably ...

Not really familiar with black flies. Are they like house flies that are attracted to fecal matter? Do they bite or are just annoying? Black flies (stable flies I think is their real name?) are vicious buggers. They swarm and bite quite painfully. They're a particular terror of the Lake Superior re...

Not much of a dividend for me this year. But REI is just about to open its first store in West Michigan, and it's awfully close to my house. I foresee huge dividends (and smaller bank accounts) in my future.

Daisy Farm has a nice dock with a fairly protected swimming area, and a beach-ish area your kid could walk in from (if it's warm enough -- probably OK in August and September). There will be lots more people around at Daisy, hanging out at the dock and probably being sociable. There's also a stream ...

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...