Isle Royale Forums

I'm accustomed to hiking off trail, but I have never been to Isle Royale so I want to make sure my plan would work.

As part of a larger trip I am planning on bushwhacking from chippewa harbor to camp near lake whittlesey, and then continuing from there to malone bay.

Has anyone done this before? What is the vegetation like this time of year? Any tips or other recommendations?

John told me there was once a group of guys that bushwacked from Malone to Chippewa Harbor. If I remember correctly, he said they had a hell of a time making the journey and it wasn't a walk in the park. They made it, they had stories to tell, but based off of what John told me, I'd imagine most of them probably would not do it again. My kind of trip Another forum member and I are thinking about doing a trip next season that would focus strictly on bushwacking to various places that while are accessible by boat, not accessible by a marked trail. If interested in may joining us let me know. It should be a trip to remember

It certainly would be an adventure. Keep in mind that much off trail terrain on ISRO is difficult to very difficult due to some or all of the following: marsh, rock walls, beaver dams, unmarked mine shafts, and streams/creeks. Sufficient drinking water may also be an issue (when you are away from inland lakes). Plan in another day or so because you will not want to miss the VII at Malone if that is your ticket home...

Good luck!

Redbad wrote:It certainly would be an adventure. Keep in mind that much off trail terrain on ISRO is difficult to very difficult due to some or all of the following: marsh, rock walls, beaver dams, unmarked mine shafts, and streams/creeks. Sufficient drinking water may also be an issue (when you are away from inland lakes). Plan in another day or so because you will not want to miss the VII at Malone if that is your ticket home...

Good luck!

an don't forget large areas of 8 foot tall balsam firs growing 4 inches apart plus tag alder thickets in the low areas.

My dad and i were back in Whittlesey in June 2009 and met a guy coming from Malone and heading over
to Chippewa. It was quite the suprise, being the only canoe on the lake, rounding the island Walleye hunting
and finding a guy on the shore casting for Northerns.

He said the Malone to Wood Lake was tough in spots, but found a ridgeline further east. Wood to Whittlesey was
no problem and hiking the Northern edge of Whittlesey was no issue.

When we met up with him at Chippewa, he said he hiked the ridge over from Whittlesey and crossed the river in
the shallows to hiking trail. No problems.

Hope you attempt and hope to hear your stories.

In 1976 I made plans to bushwack from CH to MB. I had done some bushwacking around the Keweenaw on weekends and was feeling pretty cocky. I didn’t have the today’s potential advantage of Google Earth satellite photos and GPS. But the topomaps showed a substantial number of ridges. I remember a vegetation map that showed large areas of rock outcrop. This may be a version of it below. The large rock outcrops are now supported by Google Earth. I think that with proper planning and setting of way-points that well over half the mileage could be done via these bare ridges (plus some of the portage trails could be utilized). It probably wouldn’t be needed but I would schedule more than one day.

Now, as to the result of my efforts back then. . . at dusk in Chippewa Harbor a 36 foot motor yacht came in while I was on the dock. After talking to the nice couple on board, they shared with me that their next destination was the same as mine, Malone Bay and they offered me a ride. I told them I would let them know in the morning. That night I remembered the old joke about the guy stuck on his roof during a flood who refused help from the helicopter and a boat, telling them that God would take care of him only to later drown. God then chastises the angry man while entering the Pearly Gates for not accepting any of the help He had earlier sent. The next day I was in Malone Bay by 9 AM. I’ve always regretted not following through with my plans but I probably made the right decision. A few years later I made the route by canoe, which was partially satisfying regarding my lost opportunity.

~Ed

Thanks for all your advice! We'll go for it and let you know how it turns out.

PeanutButterCar wrote:Thanks for all your advice! We'll go for it and let you know how it turns out.

I wouldn't even attempt this without a PLB, a map, a GPS, maybe a marine VHF handheld radio, a well-stocked first-aid kit, and lots of water.

Tampico wrote:I wouldn't even attempt this without a PLB, a map, a GPS, maybe a marine VHF handheld radio, a well-stocked first-aid kit, and lots of water.

Good advice. Plus a compass as backup.

Aerial imagery layered over 24K topos, shows a bunch of short bare ridges running for about 3 miles on the northwest side of Lake Whittlesey if that was the route you were thinking of. It looks like a rough route, though, lots of ups and downs, with marshy woods at each dip. Don't underestimate the effort it will take if it is dense conifer forests. But from what head2north said about someone with actual experience, it doesn't sound that hard. Some years back, I went the other way, from Chippewa Harbor CG to Malone Bay. My plan was to cross the river, go around the SW end of Chippewa Harbor and cut to the coast at Blueberry Cove.

As luck would have it, some paddlers offered to take me straight across the narrows, from the Chippewa Harbor CG to the other side, putting me within a half mile of the shore. Even with that, it was slow, tough going. These are dense conifer forests on rock cliffs. I had to literally muscle my way through at points. As I write this, I feel guilty about this less-than-Leave-No-Trace hiking. There was no alternative, though.

At times, after pushing through 50 feet of forest in 20 minutes, I'd find I was at the edge of a cliff with only 10 or 15 feet separating me from the continuation of the ridge line I was on. But there was no way ahead except to backtrack and circle deeper into the woods to get around the gap.

Fortunately, things got easier after about 2 miles along the shore. There were longer stretches of solid rock shorelines I could walk along, then some stony areas and finally even some sandy beaches in one or two of the coves.

I had allocated two or three backcountry nights to the trip and except for the first day, had plenty of time on the rest of the trip to wander about, daydream, and do all those other things that make backpacking so much fun.

I had great weather and warm sun much of the day on the southeast shore. Watching the Great Lake as I went was terrific. It was a great experience I'd do again.