Moskey to 3 mile

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Hamsa
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Moskey to 3 mile

Post by Hamsa »

Hi, I am wondering about the hike from Moskey to 3 mile, via the route of Moskey-Daisy- Mt. Ojibway-Greenstone- down Mt. Frankin. Is that about 10 grueling miles? I will be with my husband and 11 year old, my husband and I will be fine, not sure if it's too ambitious for my 11 year old.

We have an add itinerary because we are only there for 3 nights, and after my research became determined to go to Moskey. To make it more complicated, the water taxi is not available on the day we arrive. So it looks like this, after Queen IV:
Day 1: Camp at Rock Harbor (day hike stoll trail and around the area)
Day 2: Water taxi at 8am to Moskey, day hike around the area
Day 3: Moskey to 3 mile, via greenstone so we see Mt. Ojibway and hike the Greenstone to mt franklin, then down to 3 mile.
Day 4: 3 mile to RH and catch ferry.

OR: we could do Day 3: Moskey to Daisy, and day hike to Mt. Ojibway, and Day 4: Daisy to RH; but that last 7 miles makes me nervous- I will feel anxious about catching the ferry. But maybe this would be much easier! Would appreciate your thoughts, thanks!!
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Midwest Ed
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Re: Moskey to 3 mile

Post by Midwest Ed »

Hello Hamsa,

Welcome to the forums. You have many options available, but I agree that Moskey Basin to Three Mile via the "long way" might be a bit much. After the Stoll trail you will have a bit of a better feel for how your son is handling things. The trail from Moskey to Daisy Farm is not much elevation change but it is a fair amount of stepping up a few feet then stepping back down a few feet so your thighs can get a work out. The Stoll trail is actually a figure 8 with one trail along Lake Superior and another one along Tobin Harbor. They meet in the middle about half way. There are short sections of the Lake Superior side whose difficulty resembles the Moskey to Daisy Farm trail. Just picture those harder sections extending for 3 or 4 miles. I always encourage people to get up to The Greenstone Ridge, especially first timers as the perspective from up there is far different from only walking along the shorelines.

Some options to consider.
1) Proceed to Moskey Basin and then to set your mind more at ease by beginning to make your way back to Daisy Farm on day #2. You would still have time to do some exploring around Moskey but would not be spending the night there.
2) After you reach Daisy Farm on Day 2 it would make day 3 about 4 miles shorter. Or another option if things were going slower than hoped for would be to drop off your gear at Daisy and go up to the Ojibway Tower and back (only about 1.5 miles each way). That makes for a possible day 3 of the short route to 3 Mile along the Lake but you've still gotten up to the Greenstone for a look around.
3) You could also change your water taxi drop off point to Daisy Farm based on day 1.

Also for your last day, the 3 mile to Rock Harbor trail has 2 choices and the difficulties are similar to the Stoll trail where the trail on the Tobin Harbor side is the easier one.
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Re: Moskey to 3 mile

Post by Hamsa »

Thank you for the suggestions. You're right, we should probably just not stay at mosey but end up at Daisy on night 2, then 3 mile on night 3.

One other question: If we did stay at moskey on night 2 ( I do have my heart set on seeing a sunrise there), then to Daisy on night 3 (and just day hike up to Mt. Objiway), on day 4 how manageable is the hike from Daisy to RH in time for the 2:30 ferry? I'm not sure how early we need to be there for it. Is it an easy 7 miles? My husband says we should just get up early and it'll be fine. Also I've read that Tobin trail would make it go quicker. Thoughts?
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Re: Moskey to 3 mile

Post by MikeT »

Agreeing with Midwest, I would not want to walk all the way from Moskey to Three Mile. The section from Moskey to Daisy looks easy, but is a lot of work and hard on the knees. It can also be very hot as it is exposed for a good portion.

The walk from Daisy Farm to Rock Harbor is relatively easy. The one tough section is Three Mile to Rock Harbor via the harbor trail. I would recommend taking the Tobin Harbor trail instead. It is MUCH easier and it offers some nice views and a better chance of seeing moose. If you get an early start from Daisy Farm you should get there without a problem.

It is a good practice to arrive an hour early for the ferry to check in and make sure there are no changes in schedule.
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Re: Moskey to 3 mile

Post by jrwiesz »

Hamsa wrote:... on day 4 how manageable is the hike from Daisy to RH in time for the 2:30 ferry? I'm not sure how early we need to be there for it. Is it an easy 7 miles? My husband says we should just get up early and it'll be fine. Also I've read that Tobin trail would make it go quicker. Thoughts?
If you leave Daisy Farm by 9a, you should have enough time, provided your hiking speed averages 2 mi./hr.; it is a relatively easy hike, you should be there by 2p to board.

If you get there early you could get a bite to eat, take a shower, browse the souvenirs, etc.

Here is a link to a short thread on RH vs TH trails, there are others if you search.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3083
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Hamsa
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Re: Moskey to 3 mile

Post by Hamsa »

Thanks this was very helpful! We will see how we do on the Stoll trail to gauge my daughter's MPH. We could just not stay the night at moskey and go to Daisy, then to 3mile via the Greenstone, then not stressed on the last day to get the ferry.
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Re: Moskey to 3 mile

Post by Donk_67 »

FWIW, the sunrise at Daisy is quite impressive as well. :-)


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Re: Moskey to 3 mile

Post by hooky »

Donk_67 wrote:FWIW, the sunrise at Daisy is quite impressive as well. :-)
It's all right...

Image

:D
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