Rock Harbor Lodge

[summer]

Looking at first trip to IR this summer for 3-5 days. We are no longer campers but like lite hiking (1-2 hours), light kayaking, are used to northern Wisconsin (bugs, temps, beauty, quiet...
If we stay at the Rock Harbor lodge...
1. Is it quiet?
I see lots of day trips listed...
2. What are some highly recommended day trips?
3. I know this is dreaming but what's the likelihood of seeing any moose ( I did see a moose once when I was a kid in Duluth in my grandma's backyard... long time ago!)?
4. Can you hear wolves howling at night when staying at lodge?

[Ingo]

1. Quiet is all relative of course. The lodge rooms are near the restaurants, marina, and center of activity for I.R., but that's still very quiet most of the time. There are also housekeeping cabins that are set back in the woods, and are a little more secluded. You don't get the lakeside view of the lodge rooms however.
2. I think all the day trips would be great, with Passage Island and Edison Fishery probably at the top.
3. Odds of seeing moose are pretty good, obviously not guaranteed. The more you're out and about, the better the chances. They don't shy away from the Rock Harbor area.
4. Unlikely to hear wolves. The few that are left stay mostly on the other end of the island.

[jerry]

Try making it to Windigo (the west end of the island). There is a newer cabin at that location. Its reasonably quiet and I've usually seen moose in the area. In 2010 there was a cow with her twins in Washington Creek. Several of us got pictures of them. You can hike out to some nice places. A day or two in a canoe can take you to several nice places/islands in the area.

[zims]

i agree with Jerry. we were there in 2010 and the cow and twins was so amazing to watch, we stayed there 3 days just watching them every day and going to the ranger programs at night.

[Midwest Ed]

I'm looking forward to trying the cabins at Windigo. They are certainly much more rustic than the accommodations in Rock Harbor but they have a certain type of appeal. I spent a week staying at the Rock Harbor Lodge in the Fall of 2013 and really enjoyed myself. The two sets of housing are really quite different so it depends upon personal preferences. The Windigo cabins are extremely basic with bunk type single beds and no facilities, although there is electricity and an outdoor propane gas grill. In Rock Harbor the all the Lodge rooms are right on the water with spectacular a balcony on the first floor units. There is no cooking facilities but each room has a 3/4 bath (shower only). There is no refrigerator but I brought a small portable one. It's really like staying in a very nice motel with comfortable full sized beds and daily maid service. I brought enough food for most of my lunches as I was out hiking or boating. I took all my meals in the restaurant. There are actually two, a full service one with very good food including fresh Lake Superior fish and a "grill" serving pizza and burgers and ice cream (and it is open later into the evening). Rock Harbor also has housekeeping units on the Tobin Harbor side. Other than refrigerators and stoves I can't speak to the sleeping or maid service. They appeared to be more secluded, in wooded areas, away from the water but still most had a view of Tobin Harbor.

There are plenty of day hiking opportunities in both places, both offer motor boat and canoe rentals. I think the experience in Windigo will be one of more seclusion although Rock Harbor is typically quite quiet. There is an occasional sound of a tractor during the day due to maintenance crews but I was usually "out" during the day. One thing Rock Harbor offers not found in Windigo the M.V. Sandy ferry boat. It typically offers two or even three tours per day, taking you round trip on multi-hour journeys to Hidden Lake, Daisy Farm, Edison Fishery (and the wolf-moose study summer headquarters) and the Rock Harbor Lighthouse to name some highlights.

More complete details can be found in the Park newsletter "The Greenstone":
http://www.nps.gov/isro/planyourvisit/u ... reen-2.pdf

This link is of my 2013 Rock Harbor Lodge stay with pictures:
http://isleroyaleforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2316

[summer]

So much great information. Thank you.

[TallGuy]

My wife and I always stay in the housekeeping cottages and absolutely love them. They are out of the way of most of the hustle and bustle of the main lodge and therefore much quieter with the sole exception of when the seaplane arrives or departs. The cottages are duplex style; each with a stove / oven, microwave, fridge, bathroom with shower, one bunk bed with single bunks, a double bed that slides halfway into the wall to form a couch when not being slept on, and a large room facing Tobin Harbor with chairs for relaxing in plus a kitchen table and chairs for eating meals. The views of Tobin harbor are better in some cabins than others. If you call early enough for reservations ask for the one with the best view, they'll do their best to accommodate. There is, however, no daily maid service but I'm sure if you needed clean linens or towels you would be accommodated. There are very nice hikes that leave directly from Rock Harbor or you can do what we do and have a water taxi drop you at a more distant trailhead and hike back.

Hope this helps!
Sunny skies and star filled nights to all!

[Gimp]

On my trip last year I noticed that the trees had been thinned out below the cottages overlooking Tobin Harbor. I assume that improved the view quite a bit. The float plane comes and goes perhaps about 8 times a day. Sometimes it goes to Windigo on the other end of the island instead. You get about a minute of aircraft noise as it comes in, and then another minute of noise as it takes off. That's not too much to put up with, and I think it's interesting to watch. There's never a guarantee on a moose sighting. It seems that when I want to see one I don't, and when I'm not thinking about it I'll almost walk into one. In the past a mother moose would live near the lodge and bring her calf in to graze around the buildings at night. While waiting for the float plane one morning I saw her and the calf swimming over to a little island just below the cabins in Tobin Harbor as they returned from a night of grazing.

People watching can also be entertaining. I like to watch as passenger ferries unload. People are clean, energized and full of anticipation. The return passengers are quieter and usually tired looking, but they always seem to have a look of fulfillment on their faces.

There is a trail out to Scoville Point that starts near the lodge. You could take it in the morning, the evening (take a flashlight), or in a fog and it will seem like a new trail each time. The trail has varied terrain, and it can give you a feel for the changing conditions that a backpacker would encounter on a much longer trip.