Greenstone or Minong?

Questions about trails and campsites on the island.

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wcsalaun
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Greenstone or Minong?

Post by wcsalaun »

Hello all,

I am planning a first time trip to IR in mid august. We (22 year old males, in good shape) all have backpacking experience and really want to get a good feel for the island. Planning on staying for 5-6 days and want to hike the entire length of the island with 10mile ish days. We would love to spend some time up high on a ridge and also time on the edge by lake superior. Would y'all recommend Greestone ridge trail or Minong trail? Which direction? Which trail has better scenery? Should we switch over and spend time on both trails? I guess what we are really looking for is a good overview of the two trails and which direction each is best hiked. Any advise is appreciated.

Thanks,
William
zims
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Re: Greenstone or Minong?

Post by zims »

Hi William, welcome to the forums. Can I first suggest that there a few places you do not want to neglect seeing and spending time. First is a couple places on the west end. At feldtman lake, you dont want to miss hiking out to rainbow cove at sunset. Beautiful!. Siskiwit lake has 2 shelters and is a great place to see otters in the creeks. The last time I hiked thru huginnin cove there were beautiful lady slippers blanketing the boulders at the waters edge along the trail. When you are hiking and get to any of the portages, you may want to explore some of these places. I would suggest hiking west to east on the greenstone and when you get to the far east end make sure you hike tobin trail and come back thru all the rocks at the waters edge. Bring a fishing pole for interior lakes and enjoy fresh fish. Have a safe trip which ever way you travel.
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MikeT
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Re: Greenstone or Minong?

Post by MikeT »

Welcome to the Forums William!
You cannot go wrong with either trail. Here is my overview of both:
- The Greenstone Ridge trail is the longest and perhaps, the most popular trail on the island. It runs almost the entire length of the island on a ridge that forms the backbone of the island. Being that it runs along the highest points on the island, it offers magnificent views of Lake Superior and the island to both the north and south. The time of year you go determines how often, but you can see both shores at various points along the trail.
- The Minong Ridge trail runs along the entire length of the Northern most ridge on the island, called the Minong Ridge. It stretches from McCargoe Cove Campground to Washington Creek Trail, and is considered by most, to be the hardest long trail on the island. It is also the most remote on the island, and has the most wildernesses feel. It can be extremely hard in wet conditions, due to slippery rocks and leaves, and when hot, the sun can be warm due to the height and lack of shade. It has a lot of ascents and descents with exposed rock surfaces in between the two. It passes over a minimum of two major beaver dams, and can be wet throughout the lowland areas. It is usually hiked east to west, starting at McCargoe Cove and ending at Windigo. The two sections nearest Washington Creek are by far, the hardest sections and starting out on the east end, you are lighter and more "in shape" by the time you hit the worst sections. They can also be a killer if you hurt yourself in any way (blisters, pains, etc.), on the first two sections.
Mike T.
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wcsalaun
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Re: Greenstone or Minong?

Post by wcsalaun »

Do most people hike the greenstone ridge trail from windigo to RH or vice versa? Which campgrounds typically have the least amount of people?
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Re: Greenstone or Minong?

Post by Redbad »

The Greenstone is the most traveled long trail on ISRO and the campgrounds tend to be "heavily" used. Most of the traffic is between Windigo and the Daisy Farm or Mt. Ojibway trails, so Lane Cove, which is east of this area would be the Greenstone Ridge trail's least visited campground.

Keep in mind that "heavily used" in the context of ISRO might mean that two dozen people are spread out among the campsites in the campground. All ISRO campsites tend to be intimate and in general you will be out of sight of other campsites at a given campground. Group campsites are separated from individual campsites.

Time of year will also impact the number of people that are on the island.
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Lucky Chicken
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Re: Greenstone or Minong?

Post by Lucky Chicken »

I would suggest Mike's book... I just got it a few weeks ago, and havent finished reading it but it is great for planning, and has loads of informaion in it!!!
http://www.isleroyale.info
Isle Royale Info - A Comprehensive Guide to Isle Royale National Park

I am excited for my first trip also... hope you have a good time!
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Re: Greenstone or Minong?

Post by scout »

Lucky Chicken wrote:I would suggest Mike's book... I just got it a few weeks ago, and havent finished reading it but it is great for planning, and has loads of informaion in it!!!
http://www.isleroyale.info
Isle Royale Info - A Comprehensive Guide to Isle Royale National Park

I am excited for my first trip also... hope you have a good time!

+1 on picking up Mike's book, It's great!! Looking forward to my trip in a few weeks. Hope your trip is a good one.
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Re: Greenstone or Minong?

Post by alecto73 »

My favorite pictures are from the Greenstone/Rock Harbor Trail trip. My favorite memories are from the Minong trip (bird attacks notwithstanding). I would do either one over and over if I could. This year was going to be Feldtmann Loop but wife's schedule killed it. :(
|| Jess ||
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