Isle Royale Forums

Hello all,

My husband and I will be making our first trip to Isle Royale at the beginning of September. We are deciding whether or not to take our kayaks to the island. We are advanced beginner/early intermediate level paddlers I would say....we've paddled together mostly on inland lakes and rivers; I've paddled on Lake Michigan near Chicago in the past in breezy but relatively calm conditions. Neither of us is yet capable of rolling (working on it!) but we are both comfortable and quick with solo and assisted rescues. I have been examining the map and was wondering if there were any places that were sheltered and had accessible coastlines for landing sites that people of our ability could safely paddle in good weather....Tobin Harbor, Moskey Bay, Rock Harbor between the IR coastline and the shelter islands? If the weather were to be bad or if there were big waves that we weren't comfortable venturing out in, is there a place we could ditch our kayaks and explore the island on foot instead?

Thanks for the advice, really looking forward to the trip!

Given your self appraised skill level you are wise to take note of the potential dangers of open waters in Lake Superior. Paddling along the Rock Harbor waterway has many ditch points and you can stay close to shore for the most part without too much worry of heavy seas. However, there can be strong and unusual currents around the several outward islands. Your biggest concern might be the potential for a prevailing wind from the southwest (or northeast but not as likely). This can create some hard going into the wind for the length of the harbor. There are also some isolated campgrounds of the outward islands and the Edison Fishery offers some nice history and information.

There is also some excellent inland lake portage loops to choose from. My favorite includes Ritchie, Intermediate, Siskiwit, Wood, Whittlesey and then Chippewa Harbor.

There are also several options to have your kayaks transported to a variety of drop off or pickup points by the Voyageur II (Windigo, McCargoe Cove, Belle Isle, Rock Harbor, Daisy Farm, Chippewa Harbor and Malone Bay) or the concession water taxi to/from some of the above plus Hidden Lake. In all cases reservations ahead of time are needed.

Given the variety of transportation options and your like or dislike of portaging (many portages are relatively short and easy; some are longer or not as easy) you can create a huge variety of trips that include some sheltered Lake Superior paddling or none.

Tobin Harbor, Duncan Bay, Five Finger Bay, Stockley Bay, Lane Cove, Belle Harbor, Pickerel Cove and McCargoe Cove is another option although there is some open exposure to The Big Lake (Superior) involved. You could probably maneuver it but there is always the possibility of bad weather blocking your route for a period of time.

As far as converting your trip to a hiking one at the last minute or on certain days, I would not be too concerned about anyone bothering your boats if left alone at a campground. Most campgrounds allow multiple night stays (number varies) so you can use those as sort of a base camp if you will on bad weather days. I'm not sure of official park policy if you wanted to leave them in excess of the maximum night stay rules. Either way you will need to update your itinerary to reflect the changes.

~Ed

There are many options to paddling and hiking day trips on IR, that's why I love IR so much. Kayaking, you get the best of both worlds. The outer coastline is amazing and being able to get out of the boat and go for a long hike is something we always take advantage of there.

We would have to know a bit more information about you and the paddling you've done. Do you have sea kayaks (what kind) and what other paddling experience/tripping do you have? Given the proper gear, both with your boat, safety gear including the right immersion protection for the conditions, and your rescue skills you have with your husband, I would say the sky's the limit on IR.

As we've said many times before, Lake Superior is nothing to mess with, especially unprepared. But don't let that discourage you. You will get a lot of useful advice here, and well prepared, you'll have a incredible time.

Damon...

Read the post above about the kayakers rescued at Pictured Rocks.
If you feel comfortable with your level of experience, Rock Harbor would be a good place to paddle as there are plenty of places to pull out if the weather kicks up. You need to have at least a weather radio preferably a VHF to keep up on the unpredictable weather and allow at least one weather day. If you are going to paddle the outer islands, make sure you don't get weathered in there!!

Paddling is a great way to experience IR, as is hiking (combine both).