Isle Royale Forums

I was going to do a backpacking circumnavigation this year but looks like I am going to have to scrap it, shorten the trip, and go with my wife.

My main question is, I have never done any long distance canoe trips, pretty much taken them out on calm lakes etc. I was considering renting a canoe from Rock Harbor for 2 days if I could safely make it to a nice paddle only camp spot. So my questions are; is this a bad idea, and if not any suggestions? Paddle out, camp, wake up, paddle back and then do some backpacking.

Looking at the map it looks like maybe Duncan narrows, Tookers island, Merit lane, Caribou Island? Any suggestions, recommendations or warnings are appreciated!

Thanks paddlers!

I would definitely do Tookers Island. It is a nice island to spend the night and you can paddle along the north side of Tookers if you want to test your skills during the day. The north side of the island beach is nice. You can also go to Strawberry Island on the way there or back.

Keep in mind, the short distance between Rock Harbor and Tookers can be deceiving. The wind and waves can kick up in the harbor. It is usually best in the morning or evening, but can also be no problem. I have rode white caps in from Tookers all the way to Rock Harbor

Caribou is a long paddle and I would not attempt it for a first trip for only two days.

I would not try going the other way (Duncan or Merritt) without more experience. Duncan it too far with a hard portage and the area between Tobin Harbor and Merritt has some "interesting" currents.

You may want to call to rent a canoe ASAP as they book up.

Regardless of experience, weather on Superior takes the reigns in regards to options. I would certainly
check the 3 day weather report before venturing out. If it is calm, the canoeing would be like your calm
lakes, sans the cold water.

I would rank the 3 closest canoe sites in order of preference :
1. Caribou
2. Merritt Lane
3. Tooker's Island

The difference in calm water would be how far do you want to paddle? Out on a limb, I would suggest
accessing Merritt Lane from Tobin's Harbor. The entire distance is protected by islands. There is more solitude
out in that direction without Rock Harbor's boat traffic. Best Sunrise on the Island IMAO.

And make sure you have an extra paddle. Losing all paddles in canoe on Superior is worse than being
up a creek without a paddle or however that saying goes.

Awesome, thanks for the advice guys! After reading this I know that I will definitely be doing a canoe portion this year. We arrive on the 16th, and I did call to try and reserve one and the guy who answered the phone just said that "there will be plenty of canoe's at that time". Hope he is right lol.

Thanks again! Btw I got a lifetime copy of your book the other day Mike and it is very informative, awesome job!

Thanks again!

Th3rn

Just be aware that some of the paddle in campsites are also accesible by larger boats. I spent last Saturday night on Caribou Island and had the unpleasant experience of a group of fisherman playing loud music on their boat ('Swedish Hooker' out of Grand Marais, MN) at the dock from around 8:30 pm to about 11:15 at night. Once the music went off they was still a lot of loud laughing and talking but at least my ear plugs blocked that out. If I could have paddled my canoe over to quiet Daisy Farm I would have done it. Caribou and Daisy Farm aren't really that far away from Rock Harbor. It only took me an hour and 20 minutes to paddle from Caribou Island to Rock Harbor including a five minute stop at Three Mile (they heard the music too). But then I was really ticked off and motivated to get to the Ranger station to file a report about the music, the loud talking, and the still smoldering logs that were left outside of the fire ring.

I didn't stay at Tookers Island but I did visit it on Sunday morning. It's a nice site, but very small. Have a good book with you because there really doesn't seem like much to do there. It's a good way across the water from Rock Harbor so consider your experience because you could find yourself waiting out any high winds or rough conditions. I noticed a sailboat docked at Tookers in the morning before I paddled over for my look around.

I'd recommend that you do your canoe paddling on the Northwest side of Rock Harbor or Tobin Harbor as the terrain and trees protect you from the wind. I wanted to paddle along the Eastern side but found that I was spending too much energy fighting the wind and resulting waves so I crossed over to the Rock Harbor Trail shoreline. I'd read a lot of comments about the prevailing winds on the waterways so I was not too surprised by this, but encountering it first hand was educational to say the least. I've always backpacked the island and enjoyed a good breeze. I have a new perspective after experiencing the winds in a canoe.

I've never been to Merritt Lane but I think that could be a nice destination. You could stop to survey the infamous Duncan to Tobin Harbor portage trail and visit Lookout Louise.

Gimp, I am a boater and I hate hearing stories like that. You were absolutely right to report them.

Tampico wrote:Gimp, I am a boater and I hate hearing stories like that. You were absolutely right to report them.

I didn't even mention the cabin cruiser that was parked in the Chippewa Harbor side of the Whittlesay to Chippewa portage last Tuesday. When I say parked, I mean tied in snuggly by four ropes within three feet of terra firm. I met the owner fishing out of a canoe on Whittlesay. He figured that canoes had enough room to get around him so there wasn't a problem. I have a solo canoe and was barely able to squeeze between the boat and the rocks. That made it a bit challenging to get out of my boat. To be fair, the vast majority of the boaters were doing everything correctly, but it only takes a couple to make everyone look bad.

We had to squeeze past him too.
He was there and offered to help us load our gear into the canoe and pull us down past his boat.
He also left his fish parts at the take out from Whittlesay. We threw them from the actual portage into deeper water, but the gull had already found it and didn't let it sink. When we returned to Whittlesay the gull had pulled it back onto the portage pull out.
We did mention it to him, and he seemed to be/was ignorant about how to dispose of fish parts. And said that "nature" was going to get it anyways...
Did he even have a permit to be in the park?????

sgatz wrote:We had to squeeze past him too.

"P" = Parking? Here's a photo so that others may appreciate the situation:

I don't understand.... that dosen't look like a dock to everyone else?

Some people...

Someone should send this link & picture to the NPS...

I provided details on this obstruction along with the noise complaint mentioned earlier. The park has the picutures. It was literally one of those times when the picture was worth 1,000 words. This frontal view makes it look like there was more room to maneuver than there actually was. You can't see the underwater rocks that forced you up tight against the boat. My canoe could only go straight in, and couldn't run aground for stability while my body was still over deep water. I couldn't step out without grabbing the deck of the boat to balance myself. I really didn't want to slip and fall right there because I felt higly likely to break an arm or get a head injury.

It's been years since I had to make a complaint at a National Park and I don't like doing it. I just want to overlook minor issues, enjoy my time and leave with memories to sustain myself through the coming winter months. But sometimes things can't be ignored because you know they're going to happen again. Or, maybe I'm just getting tempermental as I also stopped two teenage boys from building a fire on the rocks in front of their shelter at Moskey. The Lake Richie fire was fresh in my mind.

This is why paddlers should carry a marine VHF radio. You can hail the rangers right there rather than reporting it after the fact.

He'll likely do that again unless they caught up with him.

HAHA! I was there almost exactly a year ago, and that SAME boat was in the same spot! Although - I don't think he was as tightly tucked into the portage cove. I do recall thinking "what the heck is that gigantic boat doing tied up at the end of the harbor with no one on it?" We did end up bumping into the guy in Whittlesey. Chatty guy; he went on and on about how the researchers studying the wolves and moose need to quit their project and get on with their lives... I chose not to get into it with him.

Here's a shot from my encounter last August:

Could anyone provide me with a rough estimates of how long it would take to paddle to Tookers or Merrit Lane? I'm in decent shape, and my wife may decide to help a little.