Help with Itinerary

[mcgaheyk]

I'm looking for everyones opinion on an itinerary. A group of 4 will be arriving at Rock Harbor on the 10th, and we will be there until the 16th, and I'm not sure where to go.

All I know is that we want to be back at 3 mile on the last night, or daisy farm at least. Please help with this.

10th) Rock Harbor --> ?
11th) ?
12th) ?
13th)?
14th) ?
15th)?
16th)? --> Rock Harbor

[Don_P]

10th) Rock Harbor --> Moskey Basin (11.0)
11th) W. Chickenbone (6.4)
12th) Hatchet Lake (7.9)
13th) Todd Harbor (3.9)
14th) McCargoe Cove (6.6)
15th) Daisy Farm (8.2)
16th) Daisy Farm --> Rock Harbor (7.1)

[Tom]

Hmmm. Half the fun is figuring out an intinerary!!

The route posted by Don_P would give you lots of what the Island has to offer without a great deal of backtracking; however note that it's about 11 miles from RH to Moskey. (Not 7.

Before making a recommendation, I'll ask this: What do you hope to remember about Isle Royale?
Do you have backpacking experience and are in decent shape, (longer mileage) or short distance with leisure?
Arriving at RH gives you plenty of options..

[Don_P]

Thanks for the catch, Tom. The toughest stretch of that first day is, in my opinion, between Daisy Farm and Moskey Basin. Not much elevation change but very rocky. Tough for your first day, but it sets the stage for shorter days the rest of your trip.

[mcgaheyk]

Thanks, that looks like a nice itinerary.

But to answer your questions, I have backpacked Isle royale once before, last year. We are all 19 year old guys who play sports/keep in shape, so we can handle it I think. Last year we took it easy and only went for 4 nights. So this year our goal is to see more of the island, and to stay at new campsites. We stayed at Daisy Farm, Lake Ritchie, Moskey Basin, and 3 mile last year. We don't mind staying at any of these places again, as they are all really nice and unique, but would like to stay at as many new places as possible.

I am especially interested in seeing Todd Harbor, so that suggested itineray interests me.

[ScoutDad]

Sounds like Lane Cove should be in your plans; very peaceful (no shelters though) and near the trail head gives you a great opportunity to see the view from Mt. Franklin.