Isle Royale Forums

I am planning my first trip to IR and plan on 5 or 6 nights and I was curious of opinions as to where to start, Rock Harbor or Windigo? Any opinions on camp sites and scenery at either end of the island? Thanks.

sorry...September 2015. I guess I should have said that.

Either end will work. 5-6 days will allow lots of options for a loop hike on east side (Rock). West side would likely be a Feldtman loop with rest days or adding in huggington cove, although you could do an out and back on the greenstone.

You didn't mention if you were taking boats or sea plane. 6 days would be enough to cross the island end to end if you take the sea plane.

lol s of options and a great trip can be had on either way. If I had my druthers I'd do west end Feldtman loop.

Thanks, few more details...we are planning taking a plane in and out, so my thought was maybe fly in one spot and fly out the other, but I would like to hike trails by water as much as possible. My brother mentioned we should go the whole length, from RH To Windigo, or vice versa. I guess we will have to come up with some options. I appreciate the feedback.

Glenskinner - I've taken the airplane over on three trips. Each time it was into Windigo and out from Rock Harbor. On my first trip I took the Feldtman loop around to the Greenstone. On the second trip I took the Minong Ridge Trail, and this last summer I took the Greenstone Trail. The first time I did this my return trip was delayed for 2 1/2 days due to a severe lake storm. I was glad to have been stuck at the Rock Harbor end rather than the Windigo end because it had more access to resources including food, fuel for my stove, a lodge common room with a great fireplace to dry out next to, and a daily ferry that was an alternate departure mode.

Keep in mind that you can't carry fuel for your stove on the airplane so you need to purchase it in a store at either end. I believe that the stores close down after Labor Day so fuel won't be available to purchase after the first week in September. Every campsite but one is located on either an inland lake, or Lake Superior waters. Spend a lot of time going through this forum for information. There are dozens of trip reports and other commentary that provide you with facts and opinions on the trails and campsites.

Lastly, the airplane schedule is easily impacted by the weather. I mentioned my previous delay on the island due to a storm that also stopped both passenger ferries. Last summer I had a roughly 5-hour departure delay from Houghton over to Windigo due to bad weather. I accepted it and just had to adjust my trail plans. The worst part of that delay was dealing with an antsy daughter and niece who were making their first trip over and didn't like waiting. This summer I'll be making the trip on the IR Queen, but only because I will be taking a canoe with me.

Flying in to Windigo and taking the Minong Ridge trail to Rock Harbor will have you either on inland lake campgrounds or on Lake Superior shore campgrounds the entire way. The one caveat is that the first day from Windigo to North Lake Desor or Little Todd (depending on how much self abuse you enjoy) is the most technical stretch of trail on the island, so you will want to start as early as possible.