The forum insider's guide to Isle Royale transportation

Questions about how to get to the island and where to stay near points of departure.

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Tom
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The forum insider's guide to Isle Royale transportation

Post by Tom »

Hello, and welcome!
This thread is designed to be a guide to all guests and visitors on the various transportation options available to visit Isle Royale. It's written by the folks that have been there, and hopefully sheds some light on "how things work."
If you have questions and comments, feel free to start a new message thread, as we'll try to keep this on to be as clean and easy to follow as possible.
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Tom
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Posts: 789
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:16 pm
Isle Royale Visits: 16
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
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Re: The forum insider's guide to Isle Royale transportation

Post by Tom »

Name: Sea Hunter III

Description: A 65' aluminum ferry that provides single day round trip service from Grand Portage to Windigo. Service is not 'daily' per se, and changes during season; boat runs between mid-June and end of August.

Capacity: Approximately 60 passengers and gear.

Website: http://www.isleroyaleboats.com

Departure Location: Hat Point, Grand Portage, MN. From the Casino/Lodge, take the road (CR-17) between the Lodge and Trading Post/gas station East. There is limited signage (Brown DOT signage), but will get you there. (There aren't that many roads to turn on.) As you wrap around the bay and out onto Hat Point, there will be a sandwich board like sign indicating your turn off to find the dock.

Departure Times: 8:30am CDT from Grand Portage. Hikers should plan to be there 45 minutes prior to departure. Day trippers should arrive no less than 20 minutes prior.
2:00pm CDT from Windigo (returning). The ferry is scheduled to pull away from the dock at the designated time. Hikers should have packs ready on the dock at 1:45pm. Many hikers gather under the pavilion at the end of the dock to share stories, sightings, and to ensure they don't miss their ride. Even though Isle Royale is in the Eastern Time Zone, THIS BOAT STAYS IN CENTRAL TIME. All times listed will be as such. The Ranger and staff on the Windigo side of the island do a good job in quoting time so folks are not confused.


Parking: After turning off the road, there is couple hundred yard drive up to the grassy parking area. A sign will show you are there. Hikers/Overnighters should stay left, day trippers park in the lot basically straight ahead. You will see the Ferry dock to your right, down a slight slope to the Lake. Parking is approximately 100 yards from the dock. The Grand Portage tribal band owns all of the land in the Grand Portage Reservation, and charges $4/day/vehicle for parking. There will be an envelope placed on your windshield you will see when you return. It will have your date of departure listed. Payment is made at the office like structure near the dock. (It is normally staffed by a tribal member during times that ferries are returning.)

Duration: Dock to dock sailing time is approximately 1.5 hours, each way. About 1 hour of that is the Lake Superior crossing time, the remainder is spent providing the tour elements. The boat travels at approximately 20mph.

Concessions: Limited snacks are available, like candy bars and cans of soda, for a nominal fee. Coffee is free.

Fuel: Have your camping fuel out of your pack when you prepare to board. A crate is kept on the stern for fuel storage. Labelling and otherwise placing identifying markings on your fuel is recommended to ease return.

Where packs go: Packs are stored in the forward hold, accessed via the cabin. However, during transit you will not have access to your pack, so remove items you may wish to have (camera, etc) during the voyage. Daytrip guest can have reasonable carry on packs and keep them on their persons.

How it works: Embarkation - Hikers will assist the crew in loading their packs onto the boat, by carrying them (once instructed) to the forward hold access point. The crew will also work with those with canoes and kayaks. You will assist in getting it loaded toward the boat, and the crew will secure them to the roof of the cabin. When prepared to board, a crew member will call off names on the manifest, and those parties should board. All seating is first come, first served. There is limited bow seating, but ample seating on both the sides, stern, and inside the cabin. All seating is bench style.
Disembarkation - All passengers will disembark, and recieve necessary instruction from NPS staff (if on arrival.) Upon conclusion, hikers should remain on the dock and will form a gang line (not all hikers may be needed) to collectively unload the hold. Packs will be placed on the dock. Don't forget your fuel.

What else you should know: This tour format boat is fairly exposed to the elements, and during rain or heavy seas, passengers could get wet. Rain gear would be advised in those situations. Similarily, remember that Lake Superior in the main body of water rarely gets above the low 40s (F) in late summer. The water crossing can be very cool. No matter how warm it seems on the dock, it will get cold, fast. Having layers available is highly recommended. Provided good weather, the tour outbound will first visit Witch's Tree, a small, sacred cedar beleived to be over 400 years old and growing out from the rocks. It will then take you through the Susie Islands, cross the main body, and pause and float over the wreck of the America, which has a bow at only about 5 feet below water surface. On the return leg, the ferry visits Rock of Ages Light house, coming quite close and allowing some great photos. In all cases the Captain does a good job of rotating the boat so that guest on both sides will have a chance for a view.
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