Isle Royale Forums

Hi all,
Thanks in part to the outstanding presentation given by JohnHens and Ranger Greg Blust at Canoecopia (along with some subtle encouraging over the years), my wife has committed to a backpacking trip (her first ever) to IR. I know she'll enjoy the trip thoroughly because of the beauty of the park and the physical challenges that any backpacking trip presents. We're both 50 years old and very excited about doing a trip like this together.

I have been to IR twice in my life - once as a teenager in 1974 and once in 2002 - but have not been west of the line from Chippewa Harbor to McCargo Cove. As a result, we plan on taking the Sea Plane to and from the island and have decided to take John's advice and hike the length of the island from Windigo to Rock Harbor.

The early part of our route is simple to plan, but there are some options in the middle where I would especially like some suggestions.

Day 1: Fly to Windigo. Hike to Feldtmann Lake.
Day 2: Hike to Siskiwit Bay.
Day 3: Hike to South Desor
Day 4: Hike to Hatchet Lake

*** This is where the options come in ***

Day 5: Hike to McCargo Cove via Minong Trail
~ or ~
Hike to Moskey Basin
Day 6: If at McCargo, hike to Moskey or Daisy Farm
If at Moskey, layover day.
Day 7: Hike to Rock Harbor
Day 8: Spend a little time at Rock Harbor. Fly to Houghton early afternoon.

Regardless of the route, I'd like to go through Moskey. My wife has heard me tell of how beautiful it is, plus she's seen photos. Because of that, I'm inclined to head straight to Moskey from Hatchet Lake, then take a layover day after a 13 mile day and get ready for another long day as we head toward Rock Harbor.

We'd like to hike as much of the Greenstone as possible, so when we leave Moskey headed for Rock Harbor, we'd likely go to Daisy, then up to Mount Ojibway, then down into Rock Harbor via the Tobin Harbor Trail.

I look forward to reading your thoughts. Thanks in advance!

McCargoe and Moskey are tied for my two favorite places to visit on the island. My girlfriend will tell you that her favorite place is Moskey. So I’m glad we both know that Moskey is a must for your vacation. Initially I was going to say that I would skip McCargoe. After a long trip of hiking several miles, it is always nice to take a relax day with you and your partner shortly before returning to the mainland. It gives you time to reflect and to really enjoy one another’s presence in the whole scene of things. However, you did say that you would be hiking from Hatchet Lake. Therefore, I have one worry in mind. You are going to be hiking 13 miles if you go straight to Moskey. That means you will be hiking for much of your day. Unless you were to be ready to set off at 5am, I would be concerned about getting to Moskey in time to get first dibs on the shelters. I know that I would personally want one of the three shelters that are extremely close to the water. However, if you are not picky, then I would assume that you would not have a problem getting at least one of the shelters provided that you are not going to the island between June and July. Therefore, if it were me, I would suggest going to McCargoe. That way if you were to depart at reasonable time, with only having to hike 8.5 miles, securing one of the more picturesque shelters should not prove to be a problem. I hope my suggestions help, but more importantly, I hope your wife falls in love with the island and backpacking in general =)

Boy - since you indicate it's your wife's first trip, I'm going to highly recommend McCargoe, and then down to Moskey.
You'll also have the option of taking the Greenstone to Chickenbone and then cutting over, although that stretch of the Minong is certainly not bad.
Last spring I hiked the reverse; Moskey to Hatchet. Sure, it's somewhat more uphill that way, but it was a long day with a pack, and I was certainly beat... And I hike a fair amount. In consideration of martial relations, I might say you keep that day shorter..

Thanks for the responses so far. If it makes any difference, we're planning to go to IR in mid-to-late August or September. There are some variables with our work schedules that will play into when we go, but it will definitely be sometime during this timeframe.

So... this is what I'm seeing from you all:

Day 1: Fly to Windigo
Night 1: Feldtmann Lake
Night 2: Siskiwit Bay
Night 3: South Desor
Night 4: Hatchet Lake
Night 5: McCargo Cove (via the Minong Trail)
Night 6: Moskey Basin
Night 7: Rock Harbor (via Daisy, Greenstone Ridge and Tobin Harbor Trail)
Day 8: Fly back to Houghton

Seems pretty straight forward. Maybe would have been nice to work in a layover day, but not sure we want to do that.

Also, the day we hike to Hatchet, we could continue onto Todd Harbor. Any thoughts?

Jackfish wrote:Also, the day we hike to Hatchet, we could continue onto Todd Harbor. Any thoughts?

I'm very partial to camp grounds on Superior over the inland lakes but if you have the energy and daylight I suggest you go for it. Todd Harbor campground rests up on small bluff and you are right on the big lake so the sunsets can be gorgeous (although that late in year I'm not sure how far south it is the Sun goes down). Todd Harbor ranks up there with MC and MB.

~Ed

Hi J Fish-

I will defer to Raf and T on the geography.

Please excuse if this sounds bad, but I speak from experience. More than once, I've had wonderful people tell me, in the cold rain and thru clenched teeth, that "everything was alright."

Your post leaves me wondering whether (1) she's an experienced B'packer going to IR for the first time, or (2) taking her first b'pack trip ever.

If (2), be modest in your goals. And allow time for when things do not go according to plan..

And have fun..

ccourt326 wrote:Your post leaves me wondering whether (1) she's an experienced B'packer going to IR for the first time, or (2) taking her first b'pack trip ever.

If (2), be modest in your goals. And allow time for when things do not go according to plan..

As of today, it's the latter. Isle Royale will be her first major backpacking trip ever. However, we are planning a weekend to do a shorter backpacking trip to get her introduced to what it's all about. I'm confident (I think ) that all will go smoothly.

I personally think you are biting off too much for a first trip. We had ambitious plans for our first trip, but wound up making the trip shorter which was possible since we started and ended at Rock Harbor and only went as far at McCargoe Cove. On our second trip, we went from Windigo to Rock Harbor. We had plenty of time for the trip. You won't have much of an option since you have a nearly a full day every day without an extra day built in.

I am going again this summer, and changing route plans based on your suggestions. Instead of just heading down Greenstone, we will make the loop on the Feldtman. I did not like that long uphill going up to Sugar Mountain on the first first day of our trip.