Hello! My sister and I will be backpacking for a 2 night-3 day trip over July 4-6. Our plan is to arrive Thursday-Hike out to Moskey. Friday-hike back towards 3 mile and camp. Saturday-hike from 3 mile back to Rock Harbor, maybe do a little side hike before catching ferry back to Copper Harbor.
How likely are we to find a campsite at 3 mile in the afternoonish on Friday? Thanks for any advice!
Three Mile Campsite Question
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Base654
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Re: Three Mile Campsite Question
Welcome to the forums. It will be peak season, so you might not have good luck for a late afternoon arrival. The Queen riders going back Saturday will have the same plan as you (get close Friday and finish up Saturday morning) so you might have many of those people next to you. The Ranger leaves early Saturday, so all of those riders will be at Rock Harbor Friday night. I would suggest and early departure from Moskey for a mid-late morning arrival to Three Mile. once there you can set up camp and hike to the Mount Franklin for lunch.
The hike to Moskey From Rock is long, with the last bit having more up and down. I plan on about 2 miles per hour on Isle Royale, slightly faster on the trail to Moskey. I don't think the map miles are quite right. I think the trip is closer to 12-13 miles. plan on a solid 5 hour trip maybe closer to 6. I am just back from my spring trip. I left Moskey at 7ish, ate lunch at 3 mile and was at Rock at 1:30 or 2:00. Take the Rock Harbor trail one way and the Tobin trail the other, to see more of the island.
You are not committed to the itinerary that you get when you arrive on the island. If you stop at Daisy, you could go up the Greenstone and take the long way back to Three Mile Friday.
The hike to Moskey From Rock is long, with the last bit having more up and down. I plan on about 2 miles per hour on Isle Royale, slightly faster on the trail to Moskey. I don't think the map miles are quite right. I think the trip is closer to 12-13 miles. plan on a solid 5 hour trip maybe closer to 6. I am just back from my spring trip. I left Moskey at 7ish, ate lunch at 3 mile and was at Rock at 1:30 or 2:00. Take the Rock Harbor trail one way and the Tobin trail the other, to see more of the island.
You are not committed to the itinerary that you get when you arrive on the island. If you stop at Daisy, you could go up the Greenstone and take the long way back to Three Mile Friday.
Re: Three Mile Campsite Question
Thanks for the detailed answer! We're planning on being up early (I'm never one to sit around and wait in the morning when backpacking) so hopefully we can make 3 mile by lunch. I'm not concerned about getting a shelter, as long as we have space to pop our tents we're good.
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dcclark
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Re: Three Mile Campsite Question
Tent sites all have 2 or 3 pads in them and are meant to be shared. Don't be afraid to ask to join an occupied site! In the worst case, you can set up in one of the group sites -- nothing special, but they're big and you can use them if you need to.