Isle Royale Forums

Hey All,

A couple buddies and I are doing our first IR trip in late August. We have limited experience in multi-day hiking trips. I did a few back in college but that has been awhile. We are all in pretty good shape physically and shouldn't have any issues with difficult terrain or distance for hikes. We know that we would like to do a loop from RH out to Chickbone to Lane Cove and back. We would like to keep it to 4-5 days and be back by Sunday to RH to catch our boat. My initial plan is as follows:

Day 1 RH to Daisy Farm (7.4 miles)
Day 2 DF to W Chickenbone (9.8 miles)
Day 3 CB to Lane Cove (12.7 miles)
Day 4 LC to RH (7.1 miles) either camp again or try and make it back for the boat

We want to see Moskey Basin, both Mt peaks and Lane Cove from our research that is anyways.

If anyone could provide any information to say whether this is doable, different trip ideas, must see spots in this area or have any other advice for us it is all greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!

Welcome!
I'm figuring you are coming on the Queen so you should be able to get out of Rock Harbor by noon.

Those are some pretty long hikes (averaging 9+ miles per day). Anytime you throw Lane Cove into the mix, it bumps up the miles because of doubling back. The nice thing is you have a lot of options on this side of the island. Depending on how EVERYONE is doing, you can make a first night at Three-Mile and, the next day, go to Daisy or, all the way to Moskey. When doing the first leg, I recommend taking the Tobin Harbor trail instead of the Rock Harbor trail. It is easier and scenic. The section along Rock Harbor to Three Mile is scenic, but it is a tough walk, especially on the first day out.

From there, you will know how the group is doing and you can plan accordingly. Chickenbone West is nice. You can also swing up to McCargoe if you decide not to incorporate Lane Cove.

Avoid Chickenbone East unless you are just passing through. The campground is not too nice and water access is a pain.

If you can swing one more day, this is a trip I have done that averages 6.5 miles per day:
Day1: RH > Lane 6.9 miles
Day2: Lane > Daisy 7.2
Day3: Daisy > CW 7.9 miles
Day4: CW > Moskey 5.9 miles
Day5: Moskey > Three Mile 8.3 miles
Day6: TM > RH 2.9 miles / catch ferry back at 2:45

You can also reverse this if you want to make the first day a short day to get your "island legs" and it leaves Lane Cove as an open option at the end.

Hope you have a great trip!