Isle Royale Forums

What is the postal zip code for Isle Royal?

49950

49950 is Mohawk, MI. Doesn't Isle Royal have its own zip code?

Isle Royale is in Eagle Harbor twp. and I am pretty sure that is the zip.

Since zip codes are associated with post offices (not necessarily geographic boundaries), and the post office that delivers to the island is in Grand Portage, MN, the zip code is 55605. The Voyageur II is the only official USPS mail carrier, so anything sent to a mainland Michigan zip code won't get delivered there, at least not by the USPS.

Here's the definitive instructions (Capt Don's reply) for mailing a package to the island: http://isleroyaleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... mail#p9363

Jeffery wrote:What is the postal zip code for Isle Royal?

I think both of the previous replies are correct but there is actually a third option.

You did not specify the purpose for needing the zip code. If you are not trying to send something directly to the Island or not wanting to know where Isle Royale resides and are instead attempting to communicate with the park headquarters, then the zip code would be the one for Houghton MI which is 49931.

I was always under the impression it's was 49950, so I just did a quick search and came up with this:

http://isithackday.com/geoplanet-explor ... d=55822263

sitll confusing though.

drobarge wrote:sitll confusing though.

The island of Isle Royale National Park is indeed part of Michigan and more specifically part of Keweenaw County, therefore it would naturally be included in some Keweenaw zip code zone, but realities of commerce always win out.

I think it's a classic case of "you can't get there from here."

When you click "What's here" on Google Maps it says "49931". When you mail the Rock Harbor Lodge, you use a P.O. Box in Houghton, 49931. I suppose a Zip Code map would give a definitive answer but the only source I've found for them charge $47 each for the PDF.

P.S. According to http://www.zipmap.net/Michigan.htm Isle Royale has no defined Zip Code. This is not unique. Horn Island, Miss. and some of the islands & marsh areas near the mouth of the Mississippi River have no Zip Code. The Dry Tortugas have the same Zip as Key West. Navassa Island has no Zip. Santa Cruz & Santa Rosa Islands, off L.A. have no Zips.

P.P.S. If you look at the URL above, you can see that U.P. has a number of remote areas that have no Zip Codes defined.

We all love a good mystery.....
Holding my ground 49950

I have a friend who is a postmaster and I just asked for clarification.... stay tuned

drobarge wrote:I have a friend who is a postmaster and I just asked for clarification.... stay tuned

now that is cheating...

If you're not cheatin', you're not tryin'.

It all boils down to why you want the zip code. If you are looking for geographical purposes it is likely 49...., if you want to send something there via US Mail, 55605 is all you need to know.

For what it's worth this comes from the Wikipedia article on Zip Codes

Despite the geographic derivation of most ZIP codes, the codes themselves do not represent geographic regions; in general, they correspond to address groups or delivery routes. As a consequence, ZIP code "areas" can overlap, be subsets of each other, or be artificial constructs with no geographic area (such as 095 for mail to the Navy, which is not geographically fixed). In similar fashion, in areas without regular postal routes (rural route areas) or no mail delivery (undeveloped areas), ZIP codes are not assigned or are based on sparse delivery routes, and hence the boundary between ZIP code areas is undefined.

(underlining added)

The article goes on to show examples of where Zip Codes can cross state lines, overlap, etc. So, what Capt. Don says is right. It all depends on why you want to know. If you are mailing something to the Island, you need to get mailing instructions from the recipient.