Isle Royale Forums

Any recommendations on best areas on the east side to catch sight of moose and/or wolves?

I don't know about 'best' places for moose, but on our first trip we saw all of ours between Daisy and the firetower and between Daisy and Moskey.

Hidden Lake is usually considered a good spot because of the salt lick nearby.

Scoville Point is often good, at least in the spring when cows with young calves like to be near Rock Harbor.

I've also heard that the pond to the left of the trail from Three Mile to Mt Franklin is good near dawn or sunset.

There are no "guaranteed" places, and the odds of a sighting definitely depends on the population in any given year.

We had good luck between Daisey and the fire tower ....2 on the trail and one from the tower looking down onto one of the lakes.

Thanks for the info. I'll be there 8/25 - 8/30 for my first time. Hope to see something!

I think the best advice is not where to go but how to go. Staying quiet is the best method. Not talking is the obvious thing but it takes practice to move at a fast enough pace to make your destination without making extra noise, all the while looking around to remain aware of your surroundings. Some people are so intent to get to their next point that they have their eyes fixated on the trail so as to move as fast as possible. To each his own. Keeping your eyes and ears open requires a slower pace for most. As they say, remember to stop to smell the roses, or stop to smell the moose in this case.

Wolves are something else. Years ago it was almost unheard of for hikers to see a wolf. They were and are much more keenly aware of your presence than moose are aware. Their shyness and awareness made it nearly impossible to see one. Although when their number were much higher in past years it was very common to hear them at night. Now it seems their shyness is wearing off for some reason. I'm sure their awareness is the same but it seems they don't care as much about keeping their distance. The recent wolf sightings I have heard about were mostly in designated campgrounds when a wolf decided to enter the campground even though they almost certainly knew it was occupied. When in campgrounds keep your camera handy.

Thanks Midwest Ed! My personal style of hiking.....walk softly with the camera always at the ready