Isle Royale Forums

We were a little late in making our annual reservations for late August and the schedule is already sold out on the V2 and the Sea Hunter for most dates. This is the first time in 34 years we have to cancel a trip due to available dates sold out for the outbound. Reminder to all - check on dates before making plans as you probably are going to find you are out of luck. Looks like we need a bigger boat......

So...those of us going in late August, WITH boat reservations, will have lots of company! This will be our first trip, so I won't know what to compare it with. But given a choice between MORE people and LESS people...well, we chose Isle Royale for a reason. Thanks for the warning!

August is peak season on the island, so it's as busy as it gets. That doesn't really mean a lot of people by the standards of most parks, but it's still more than any other time on Isle Royale. It's also important because facilities on the island aren't really designed for a large number of people, so in August you are more likely to find full campsites (and so have to share a tent site) and full boats.

The place where the number of people is noticeable is Rock Harbor the waterway. All four shoreline campgrounds are likely to be full each night, so be prepared to double up on the top sites. Canoers and kayakers can usually find room to pitch a tent at Tooker’s Island as there is an open clearing in front of the shelters. McCargoe cCove can get crowded too, but the rest of the backpacking campsites shouldn’t be too bad especially the ones deep in the interior.

I was late deciding to go in September (this month), and when I got around to making reservations three weeks ago, I had to adjust my dates because the outbound date I wanted on VII was full. And so were the second and third choices.

Here's hoping I see only a few of you once I get off the boat.