Isle Royale Forums

A forum favorite and great way to make friends on the Isle, welcome to the 2017 Trip Log!

Once finalized as best as possible, post your itinerary, and then look around the list at who may else be enjoying a trip at the same time.

If you have questions or want feedback on your planned trip, consider posting your questions on the Trail and Campsites (viewforum.php?f=4) and Canoeing, Kayaking, & Fishing (viewforum.php?f=5) subforums.

We also have a visual calendar (app.php/calendar) to post the simple schedule, as well.

When you return, we hope you share your experience with a Trip Report!

Please copy below and post your plans in the following format:

Name:
Email: (at)
Hometown:
Arrival Date:
Departure Date:
Coming From/Via:
Itinerary:
Notes/Other:

With the start of Tom's traditional thread, that means its officially time to start getting pumped for IR!

No solid plans as of yet for us, but I'm putting this here as a place-holder, since I know the TIME FRAME we'll be heading out:

Name: Richard
Email: fonixmunkee(at)gmail.com
Hometown: Superior, WI
Arrival Date: Last week of May/First week of June (Memorial Day weekend)
Departure Date: See above
Coming From/Via: Grand Portage, MN via VII
Itinerary: Hoping for the Minong
Notes/Other: Annual trip with friends, making this the 13th trip/15th year.

Name: Don K
Hometown: Petoskey MI
Arrival Date: 5/29
Departure Date: 6/9
Coming from Copper Harbor
Itinerary: 5/29 RH- Daisy Farm
5/30 McCargo
5/31 Todd Harbor
6/1 Little Todd
6/2 N. Desor
6/3 S. Washington Creek
6/4 Island Mine
6/5 S. Desor
6/6 Todd Harbor
6/7 McCargo
6/8 3 Mile
6/9 Rock Harbor depart on Queen
Notes: Prefer Nero days to Zero days. Still room for a zero if needed due to weather and might change up return from Windigo depending how we feel. wish the queen would start sailing on Sundays a week earlier.
Ambitious Itinerary, but the days will be long that close to the summer Solstice.
Fonixmunkee, looks like we'll be passing each other on the Minong.
Boat reservations made 4/27! Anticipation grows.

Name: Ashley and Matt F
Hometown: Saginaw
Arrival Date: August 4th
Departure Date: August 9th
Coming From/Via: Houghton, Ranger III

Itinerary:

DAY 1: Rock harbor then hike to 3mile camp
Day 2: 3mile to Moskey basin
Day 3: MB to west chicken bone
Day 4: WCB to daisy farm (hitting mount Ojibway on the way)
Day5: Daisy Farm to rock harbor
Day 6: zero day/ferry out of rock harbor


Notes/Other: I am very open to modifying this itinerary. I am considering skipping 3 mile camp and going all the way to daisy or going the opposite direction totally and going to lane cove on the first day. I'd like to avoid the crowds on that first day but I understand going at this time in August and having a long ride on a ferry will dictate when we will be rolling into camp. Any suggestions are more than welcome. This is our first trip to the island and hoping to do a second in 2018 for the west side of the island.

Mod Note: Discussion of thesneakymonkey itinerary moved to the "Trails & Campsites" subforum. --> viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3227&p=21450#p21387

Name: Jerry B
Email: (at)
Hometown:Oak Park IL
Arrival Date: 6/24
Departure Date: 7/1
Coming From/Via: GP
Itinerary: Hugginin, Island Mine, Siskiwit, Feldtman, Windigo
Notes/Other:

Name: Laura
Email: (at)
Hometown: Ann Arbor
Arrival Date: May 8
Departure Date: May 12
Coming From/Via: Copper Harbor/IRQIV
Itinerary: hoping to visit Chippewa Harbor and/or Todd Harbor and/or Malone Bay and/or Daisy Farm
Notes/Other:

Name: John I
Email: (at)
Hometown: Hillsborough, NC
Arrival Date: May 29
Departure Date: June 4
Coming From/Via: GP/Voyageur II
Itinerary: Island Mine->Siskiwit Bay->Feldtmann Lake->Washington Creek->Huginnin Cove
Notes/Other: Solo trip.

Name: Brent
Email: (at)
Hometown: Minot, ND but I am currently living and teaching in Glendive, MT
Arrival Date: Probably June 21
Departure Date: Probably June 29
Coming From/Via: Grand Portage via Voyageur II
Itinerary: Merritt Lane>Tookers Island>Moskey Basin>Lake Richie Canoe>Intermediate Lake>Lake Whittlesey>Wood Lake>Malone Bay (pick up)
Notes/Other: Solo, only because I am a teacher and none of my friends can get that much time off! Most of these camping areas are the last areas that I have not been to or camped at.

Name: Andy Waldron
Email: Tightlines01(at)Gmail.com
Hometown: Kentwood, MI
Arrival Date: Sat 8/12/17
Departure Date: Thurs 8/17/17
Coming From/Via: Grand Portage, MN via VII
Itinerary:
12th - stay at McCargoe and explore the mine
13th - Todd Harbor
14th - Hatchet Lake
15th - Malone Bay
16th - Malone Bay
17th - Head Home
Notes/Other: 8th straight trip in 8 years! 2nd year bringing my boys (will be 11 at time of trip)! We've built in a zero day in case of weather, looking forward to pushing the boys a little bit. Last year they went with me earlier in the year (early June) so we had extra clothes/food for a long trip. Hoping they do well for the big day to Malone!

Name: Josh
Hometown: Chicago
Arrival Date: June 2
Departure Date: June 9
Coming From/Via: Copper Harbor (IRQ IV)

Itinerary:
2nd - Rock Harbor - Daisy Farm (7.1 miles)
3rd - Daisy Farm - McCargoe Cove (8 miles)
4th - McCargoe - Todd Harbor (6.6 miles)
5th - Todd - Hatchet Lake (3.9 miles)
6th - Hatchet Lake - W Chicken Bone (7.9 miles)
7th - W Chicken Bone - Moskey Basin (5.9 miles)
8th - Moskey - Three Mile (8.3 miles)
9th - Three Mile - Rock Harbor/Home (2.7 miles)

Notes/Other: Solo.

Name: Tim (w/ members of BSA Troop 395)
Hometown: Pinckney, MI
Arrival Date: July 2
Departure Date:July 7
Coming From/Via: Copper Harbor (IRQ)
Itinerary:
2nd - (Paddle) Rock Harbor to Moskey
3rd - (Paddle) Moskey return to Rock Harbor and explore other nearby areas as time/weather permits
4th - (Backpack) RH to Daisy
5th - Daisy to E. Chickenbone
6th - E. CB to 3 mile
7th - 3 mile to RH
Notes/Other: We have a group of 8 people, 4 adults and 4 scouts (14-17 yr old), and thus will be using the reserved group camping at each location.

Name: Zims
Email: (at) rainelde@hotmail.com
Hometown: Blanchardville
Arrival Date: Monday May 29th Windigo
Departure Date: Sunday June 4th
Coming From/Via: Grand Portage Voyager II
Itinerary:
Infamous Feldtman Loop WIth a Dear friend first timer...Hiking Virgin

Notes/Other:
We have book our passage!
We have reserved ahotel room in Grand Portage
We have paid our island fees
As of today the menu is being planned out, and gear is coming out of storage in the closet. So exciting.
I have my heart set on the great outdoors. Bring on the rain, bring on the bugs, (last year we had a tree frog serenade that lasted all night during mating season)
So looking forward to meeting new people and maybe old friends from here. It does happen, you run into people you meet from the forums.
safe sails everyone and glorious hiking to you and yours

Name: Josh
Hometown: Chicago
Arrival Date: September 4 or 11
Departure Date: September 10 or 17
Coming From/Via: Grand Portage
Itinerary:
Day 1: Windigo to Feldtmann Lake
Day 2: FL to Siskiwit Bay
Day 3: SB to S Lake Desor
Day 4: SLD to Hatchet Lake (or Little Todd if I push forward)
Day 5: HL (or LTH) to N Lake Desor
Day 6: NLD to Huginnin Cove
Day 7: HC to Windigo/Home

Notes/Other: This will be my third trip to IR and my second of 2017 (first one booked for June 2-9). Since my earlier trips were both on the Eastern side, I want to get in the West End of the Island for this trip. If I do it right and stay on target I will only have a few trail-accessible campsites I haven't camped at (but that's what 2018 is for).

The big ask is whether I should go on Labor Day or push it back. I won't have trouble getting either off, and imagine the island will be pretty quiet in either case.

Name: Tom
Hometown: New Prague, Minnesota
Arrival Date: May 20th
Departure Date: May 28th
Coming From/Via: Grand Portage/Voyageur II
Itinerary: Windigo>Feldtmann Lake>Siskiwit Bay>Island Mine>Washington Creek>Huginnin Cove>Washington Creek.
Notes/Other: Plan to stay 2 nights at Feldtmann Lake and Siskiwit Bay to try some fishing. Had good luck there two years ago.

Name: Jody & Brian S
Email:
Hometown: Lake Mills WI
Arrival Date: May 19
Departure Date: May 22
Coming From/Via: Copper Harbor
Itinerary:
DAY 1: Rock harbor then hike to Daisy Farm
Day 2: Early rise ( Mount Ojibway no packs) Daisy Farm to Moskey Basin
: Fish Moskey Basin or Lake Richie
Day 3: Moskey - Three Mile
Day 4: Early rise Three Mile to Rock harbor (Tobin harbor trail)
: Drop packs and try for Scoville Point and back before/ferry out
Notes/Other:
Day 5: Drive Copper Harbor - Lake of the Clouds Porcupine Mountains,
: Hike Lake of the Clouds to Buckshot landing
Day 6: Buckshot landing- Big Carp River fish Big Carp River
Day 7: Big Carp River- Mirror Lake- Fish Mirror Lake
Day 8: Mirror Lake- Lake of the Clouds Fish Lake of the Clouds
: Camp @ Union Bay Yurt (with daughter and her Boyfriend)
Day 9: Day hike escarpment trail (with daughter and her Boyfriend)
Day10: Day hike Presque river (waterfall) trail (with daughter and her Boyfriend)
Day11: Drive Home