Isle Royale Forums

Can someone tell me if we can just plan to arrange a ride to the Hidden Lake Dock once we arrive on the island? Or does that have to be arranged in advance? I know that service is managed through the Rock Harbor Lodge, but all details seem vague after that point . . .

Quoting the Lodge's website regarding their water taxis services, "Reservations, well in advance, are recommended." I know they have limited vessels and coxswain available.

Water Taxi Details

I see the Lodge has a brand new web site design and they appear to have reduced their water taxi prices by 3% to 5%.

I'd strongly recommend reserving as soon as you know your intended route. At best you may not get as early a start as you want, quite possibly you may not be able to do your intended route day of. I did the same taxi last year and reserved EARLY and got out first boat in the AM.


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You can also take the MV Sandy, the sightseeing boat, at 9:00 am on Tues and Thurs if that fits your schedule. Less likely to need reservations, but possible it could fill up with lodge guests, not sure how often that happens. It's also cheaper ($16) if you're solo. They call it the "Water Bus" service at the bottom of the Sightseeing page.

Ingo wrote:You can also take the MV Sandy, the sightseeing boat, at 9:00 am on Tues and Thurs if that fits your schedule. Less likely to need reservations, but possible it could fill up with lodge guests, not sure how often that happens. It's also cheaper ($16) if you're solo. They call it the "Water Bus" service at the bottom of the Sightseeing page.

I've used The MV Sandy as a single person and I was going to mention it as an alternate choice but I remembered it was quite a bit more expensive than $16/person so with multiple people the water taxi would end up being cheaper (and more flexible). Now I look at the new Lodge website and it publishes tour details for the MV Sandy including pricing except I'm now more confused than ever. In one place the fee is $16/person and in another it is $38/person when the Ranger guided walk is mentioned but both are for the same dates and times (Tuesday and Thursday mornings).

MV Sandy Schedules

Now I look at the new Lodge website and it publishes tour details for the MV Sandy including pricing except I'm now more confused than ever. In one place the fee is $16/person and in another it is $38/person when the Ranger guided walk is mentioned but both are for the same dates and times (Tuesday and Thursday mornings).

The $38 is for the tour (2-way boat ride + guided tour). The $16 is for a one-way drop off for hikers/backpackers. Same boat, same schedule. Still doesn't seem to add up, but probably has something to do with setting prices in conjunction with the park service. Pure speculation, but maybe something like the concessionaire can add a few bucks for the time the boat sits and waits for the tour to get back, but they can't add that for a one-way trip?

Ingo wrote:The $38 is for the tour (2-way boat ride + guided tour). The $16 is for a one-way drop off for hikers/backpackers. Same boat, same schedule. Still doesn't seem to add up, but probably has something to do with setting prices in conjunction with the park service. Pure speculation, but maybe something like the concessionaire can add a few bucks for the time the boat sits and waits for the tour to get back, but they can't add that for a one-way trip?

That makes more sense except the Lodge website is not clear about it. The $16/person entry clearly states return at 12:30 PM with no mention of one-way costs. I'll assume the return time posting is for the benefit of a hiker ending their trip at Hidden Lake. Additionally, when I bought my $38 ticket the entire boat load was simply told we could walk back if anyone desired to do so. They never offer a cheaper ticket with the alternate option. I'll chalk up that one time to confusion or simple mistake of the Lodge personnel.

Last year, I was charged $58 for the taxi to Hidden lake. I met up with two other hikers and invited them to share the ride and they were charged $58. Here is my receipt:

Date of Taxi: Monday, September 07, 2015
Passengers/Watercraft: 1
Current Rate: $58.00
Deposit Amount: $58.00
Deposit Made: ****9904
Confirmation #: 884157A22098
Water Taxi Details: Transport 1 person from Rock Harbor to Hidden Lake

JerryB wrote:Last year, I was charged $58 for the taxi to Hidden lake. I met up with two other hikers and invited them to share the ride and they were charged $58.

Jerry:

You were charged the correct amount for the water taxi. Ingo had brought up the option of utilizing the pre-scheduled MV Sandy trips to Hidden Lake as a cheaper alternative to the water taxi. Of course the dates and times are much more flexible with the water taxi option. I think if you had met up with the other two travelling "companions" before you purchased tickets and one of you had bought all 3 tickets you then would have received the reduced rate.

Thanks, Ed. I feel better!