First time IR trip advice

[Bigmagee77]

A few buddys and I are planning a backpacking trip to IR mid June this year. We've all been backpacking/hiking before, but this would be our first trip to IR. We're planning a 5 to 6 day trip and debating on what to do. We're debating on hiking from one end of the island to the other (not really sure if that's possible in 5 or 6 days) or making it a more of a leisure trip by 5 to 8 miles a day and doing some fishing along the way. Since it would be our first trip there, we'd really like to get some input on what people would recommend so we can make the trip as nice as possible. I'd love to hear where people would recommend to hike, camp and places to see. Are there any camp sites or trails that people wouldn't recommend? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Kevinl]

You should have no problem hiking end to end in 5-6 days on the island. You could do the Greenstone or the Greenstone and Minong, although that should take a bit longer. However, with that in mind, consider that getting to and from the island, depending on what form of transportation you use and where you get dropped off, can take what feels like a day--I'm not sure if that is factored into your time frame.

Campsites to avoid are East Chickenbone and Island Mine, in that order. They aren't really bad sites, but there are better.

[Keweenaw]

Hiking end to end is a nice trip and if you can afford the seaplane your 5-6 days will be quite a bit longer.

Bob

[PatrickBDunlap]

You might want to pay a little extra each and get dropped off a little further down the island otherwise you will be huffing it a bit. Not bad if you like that but note that weather can keep you on the island an extra day or so and its always nice to have a leisurely buffer day at the end.