Isle Royale Forums

Hello all,
I am a first-timer to IR and am wondering if I could get some feedback on a proposed itinerary. My boyfriend and I are going on August 10-15. We are looking for a mix of paddling and hiking. We have never kayaked in open water, but done at lot of paddling in BWCA, etc. and kayaking in many lakes. Here is what I am thinking, and it may be too ambitious, but I thoght I would include all that we are interested in and see what people had to say. I am open to suggestions!

day 1 - arrive in Rock Harbor at 3pm...cam p at Duncan Narrows, hike up to Lookout Louise (if we take a quicker mode of transportation, we could try to camp at Belle Island, which would be ideal
day 2 - paddle, camp in McCargoe Cove (especially if we can stay at Belle Island the first night)
day 3 - paddle to Lake Ritchie, camp
day 4 - hike to and from Chippewa Harbor, portage to Moskey Basin, paddle (?) to Daisy Farm to camp
day 5 - paddle to 3 mile, hike up to Mount Franklin and over to Rock Harbor and back
day 6 - morning only-paddle to RH for ferry

Thanks for any feedback!
~ali

Welcome to the Forums Ali! I would say that is EXTREMELY ambitious and, actually, not really possible. I am sure you get a lot of other thoughts so, I will just grab a couple of the obvious:

alicamper wrote:day 1 - arrive in Rock Harbor at 3pm...cam p at Duncan Narrows, hike up to Lookout Louise (if we take a quicker mode of transportation, we could try to camp at Belle Island, which would be ideal

I'm guessing this is via the portage from Tobin to Duncan? Do not think you mean going around Blake Point? Either way, the portage is extremely hard and you will be lucky to hit it by 4:30pm thus getting over it @5:30pm earliest. Arriving at 3pm you will be lucky to hit the water by 3:30. Duncan Narrows is possible, but I would not plan on anything else.

alicamper wrote:day 2 - paddle, camp in McCargoe Cove (especially if we can stay at Belle Island the first night)

A long paddle with 3 portages (short, but portages)

alicamper wrote:day 3 - paddle to Lake Ritchie, camp

This is not "paddle", but 4 portages across 3 lakes. Each portage is moderately hard, especially if it is wet.

Those are the top problems I see. As I said, I am sure you will get a lot of suggestions.

Also, keep in mind, there are days when you CANNOT paddle safely on Lake Superior. Especially on the north side.

I think it's pretty aggressive but doable if you're in good shape, experienced, and ready for some longer days. The biggest issue is if you get weather bound there's not much slack to make it up. To add to Mike, here's my thoughts:

day 1 - arrive in Rock Harbor at 3pm...cam p at Duncan Narrows, hike up to Lookout Louise (if we take a quicker mode of transportation, we could try to camp at Belle Island, which would be ideal

The portage from Tobin to Duncan is tough, up and over the ridge. Canoeing I've done in anywhere from 1.5 hrs (solo w/ overnight pack) to 3 hrs (family of 4). When I portage I always make 2 trips. I suggest carrying the boats to the top of ridge, then go back for the gear, then haul it down the back side. If you're set on Lookout Louise, now is time to do it, so add a hr or 2 (?) for that hike. By the time you get to camp you probably won't have time to paddle and hike back up. Personally, I think I'd skip it. It may be possible to make Belle Isle, but the sun will be setting for sure.

day 2 - paddle, camp in McCargoe Cove (especially if we can stay at Belle Island the first night)

This almost all paddling, with 3 short portages, and very doable with good weather for experienced paddlers. If it's nice, you could skip a portage or 2. However, it is also the area you're most likely to get weather bound. Five Finger Bay and Belle Harbor are somewhat open to a NE wind and can be problematic, although you probably won't get big lake swells. However, the stretch from Pickeral Cove to McCargoe is total open to the big lake--last trip we had to wait a day and probably should have waited another. The good news is if you can't go on that area has protected waters to explore and several campground options--you can always decide to stay and go back to Rock Harbor the way you came.

day 3 - paddle to Lake Ritchie, camp

As Mike said, this is a portaging day. The lakes are small and the portages long, comparatively speaking. About a 6.5 hr day when I did it. If that's not enough, then do the Chippewa Harbor hike now--you can paddle across the lake to the C.H. portage.

day 4 - hike to and from Chippewa Harbor, portage to Moskey Basin, paddle (?) to Daisy Farm to camp

I consider this portage a day in itself--hopefully not a whole day in terms of time, but more in effort (at least for me). I'd stay at Moskey and skip the hike this day. Moskey is a great site. If you do want to go on, I'd check out Caribou Island over Daisy Farm--it's a small and cozy island vs. a large campground. The lighthouse, fishery, and researchers cabin are worth a visit and close by to explore.

day 5 - paddle to 3 mile, hike up to Mount Franklin and over to Rock Harbor and back

Rock Harbor is open to a NE wind and will give you a good workout with a stiff breeze on your nose. If you've done Lookout Louise the view from Mt Franklin will be similar (not to discourage both). But again, Tookers Island could be an option to 3 Mile if you prefer the small island thing (some do, some don't). And if you're ready for a shower, a cold one, and a served meal, you could go on to Rock Harbor. Plenty of options.

day 6 - morning only-paddle to RH for ferry

Don't be late .

I'm not in great shape, but experienced and would do this knowing I'd have some long days. You'll have options along the way if you find it's too much or too little, so be flexible and ready to adapt. A VHF radio is a good idea for emergencies and weather (although reception is spotty). Assuming you're coming to/from R.H. the only other option I'd suggest is an over and back to the Five Fingers/Belle Isle area, which the weather could dictate anyways.

Have a great trip!

Hi Ali and fellow BWCA'er,

You will arrive and conservatively be on the water around 4PM (Canoes and Kayaks sometimes take
some time to unload from Ranger. And carrying gear to beach area plus loading Kayak will eat up
some time.

The route you will take to Duncan is completely dependent on the weather/wave conditions at Blake
Point and your comfort level/experience. If you go this route, it should be quicker. The last time
I went from Snug Harbor to Duncan Narrows via Blake, it was a leisurely four hours (8 miles).
If you continue north around Locke and Hill Point, it would be an additional 7 some miles to Belle Island.
As an experience canoeist/kayaker, you could do the math on your average travel speed/distance to
get time on water.

I want to let you know the 1 mile paddle between the security of the northern islands and McCargo
Cove should be done with caution/consideration of weather conditions as well (open water)

As Boundary Waters as benchmark, I would compare the portages to from McCargo Cove
to Lake Richie as those found at major BWCA entry points in terms of condition (very good/maintained)
as they are part of actual hiking trail system on island. The distance is what you need to consider.

The Lake Richie to Moskey portage condition is good as well, it is the distance. It would mirror the Angelworm
Entry point portage in Boundary waters.

Have fun, JJ

I agree with the others that that is a pretty aggressive schedule, especially with all those portages. Based on those times it sounds like you are taking the Voyager II over from Grand Portage...? If so, one option to consider is getting dropped off at McCargo or Belle Isle and start from there, rather than starting from Rock Harbor. Then paddle/hike your way through the inland lakes back to Rock Harbor. That would allow you to start further into that route and give you a lot more time/breathing room.

Thank you for all of the suggestions! I will take a closer look at everything and make sure it's doable! Getting dropped off somewhere else might be the answer! Also, does anyone know of transportation modes from Grand Portage to Rock Harbor area besides the ferry? It's pretty restricting since it only runs certain days, which makes things a little more difficult.
Thank again!

Ali, The Voyageur II is the only ferry service from Grand Portage going around to Rock Harbor. If you are leaving from there, I would look at getting dropped off at Belle Isle and paddling to McCargoe Cove via Pickerel Cove and doing much of your planned itinerary from there. Keep in mind you can also get picked up by the Voyageur at Chippewa Harbor or Daisy Farm besides Rock Harbor.

I have a page on planning a trip that will provide you with some basic information that should help.
Go to: http://www.isleroyale.info and select "Planning A Trip" from the main menu.

Thanks for all the advice! We are going to start out at belle isle and are really excited about our itinerary! We do have one debate left- canoe or kayak? We have kayaks but know we will be doing a lot of portaging... Any thoughts?

I'm a self admitted canoe bigot, so can't be objective. Never been able to imagine carrying a kayak on my head, then lugging all those little dry bags across. So I've never done it. But others do, apparently fine. There are some old threads here and pics of a kayak yoke (Search Johnhens posts). It's definitely a trade off btwn paddling on the big lake and portaging across the inland lakes either way.

Starting at Belle Isle will give you a much more relaxing start to your trip . My favorite place!

While at Belle Isle, try to take the time to paddle across to Crystal Cove. It is well worth it!

Just got back from a McCargo --> Chippewa canoe trip. It took us two days to go from McCargo to Richie (we stayed at Chickenbone West), and we felt that it was a hard portage (from CB west to Richie). We carried our bags on the trail first and then went back and did the 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 mi portages with just the canoes to save on the loading and unloading at each portage. My lengthy trip report will be out soon (with lots of pictures).

Thanks for all the info and advice. We will add in Crystal Cove. We leave tomorrow and could not be more excited!!

Have a great trip!