Rock Harbor Camping

[ebecker]

I'm planning on camping in Rock Harbor for my last night before going home on the Ranger III the following morning.

How is the camping @ Rock Harbor? All my other nights on the island are going to be in more secluded spots. Is there ever any issues with too many campers? I don't want stay @ ThreeMile and try to make the ferry that morning.

[johnhens]

The tent sites are nice, spread out. The shelters are nice, makes it easier to pack up in the AM if it is raining. Go to the ranger talks, usually informative. If it is clear, enjoy the stars ect from either Rock Harbor or Tobin Harbor. If you have time, the Scoville Point trail is nice, and of course there is always the lure of ice cream, chips or whatever strikes your fancy!!

[Tom]

It somewhat will depend on the season, as well as the day. RH and Threemile will tend to fill up more readily on the day before of a Ranger III departure, and on the day of arrival.
I found the shelters to be suprising 'private.' Most of their 'backs' are to the trail.

When I was there in early June a couple years ago, the shelters filled up by 11am or so, but the campsites had maybe one or two sites in use. There were NO boats in Snug harbor (save the Voyageur II); and once the Queen IV pulled away, Rock Harbor really quieted down. It was almost lonely in how quiet it got. As like most camps, the hikers joined up around the water (this time by the docks) and talked of our trips. With the exception of the occasional ranger walking by, and the fact that the trails are paved*, it seemed like every other camp.

*The moose use the paved trails, too. This led to my personally closest experience with a wild moose, where I hid in the one little tree next to the harbor, as a moose just plowed out of the woods. She then walked RIGHT DOWN THE PATH toward me, toward (it turns out) her yearling. Close enough I could have reached out and tickled her. I elected not to do that..

[greg]

Rock Harbor is a fine campground. You may feel some "culture shock" on arrival after being in the wilderness portion of the park but there are some real niceties at RH. The walk out to Scoville Point is very lovely. Moose are often seen in the RH area. A couple years ago several wolf sightings occurred in the RH area and I was fortunate enough to see a wolf run across the paved trail very near the ranger station. The shelters are snug and welcome after a long backpacking trip. Noise can be an issue if the staff are working on building projects or when lodge guests arrive and their luggage is freighted around via a small tractor. However, the ranger talks are always interesting. It is also nice to be able to get a regular meal at the cafe or restaurant. The cafe is much more inexpensive and can fulfill most people's need for "normal" food after a long trip. I very much prefer exiting via Windigo but RH is a fine spot as well.

[philranger]

In my 5 IR trips, I have only camped at RH once. All the shelters were taken, although they looked unoccupied. We got one of the last campsites and they weren't very private. At the time, I wished we stayed at 3-Mile. Looking back, I'm glad we were in RH before the Queen's departure. We got a fresh cup of coffee, did the Stoll trail out to Scoville Point, and heard a Ranger do a presentation on IR shipwrecks. Actually, any place on IR is worth staying at.