Chippewa Harbor or Moskey Basin

[Jbone6797]

So we have all our hotel and boat reservations made for our first trip to the island in early August. We will be taking a water taxi from Rock Harbor to Chippewa Harbor and camping across the island to McCargo cove over the next few days. My question is, would you rather stay at Chippewa harbor or Moskey basin your first night? Lake Richie is our second stop either way, just wondering what other opinions, pros or cons there were.
Thanks!

[Chorizo]

Kind of a wash in my opinion. Both are very nice places to stay and have beautiful views. Chippewa is likely to have fewer people but, in my experience, it has a higher likelihood of having boaters/yachts staying over at the pier. They are generally quiet and courteous but we did have one run a generator most of the night at Chippewa several years ago. Never seen a boat stay the night at Moskey Basin. If you are looking for a place to take an evening walk there are 2 trails that lead out of Moskey while Chippewa just has the one trail you will be hiking the next day. There is a short trail to Lake Mason but I'm not counting that. If you are fishing lake Mason will yield lots of small to mid size pike. I have never caught fish from the piers at either Moskey or Chippewa but it can be done.

[ARRC]

So we have all our hotel and boat reservations made for our first trip to the island in early August. We will be taking a water taxi from Rock Harbor to Chippewa Harbor and camping across the island to McCargo cove over the next few days. My question is, would you rather stay at Chippewa harbor or Moskey basin your first night? Lake Richie is our second stop either way, just wondering what other opinions, pros or cons there were.
Thanks!

Both are awesome! Chippewa has more to explore such as lake Mason, the old school and the ridge above the tent sites. Moskey is incredible if you can get a shelter, they are all on the water. Moskey also has possibly the best sunrises on the island.

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[dcclark]

One more "both are awesome". I would lean slightly towards Moskey, mainly because I've had a few bad interactions with boaters (both at Chippewa and elsewhere). You likely won't encounter them in Moskey. Plus, sunrises in Moskey are fantastic and you can watch them right from the shelters.

[Ingo]

Both! Chippewa night 1 and Moskey night 2 (over Richie). Otherwise it's kinda like asking who likes strawberry or peach ice cream better . Personally I'd go Chippewa, but everything said is true so you can't go wrong. re boaters, I've had only 2 annoying experiences in many trips, less than with other campers, and many trips have eaten fresh lake trout courtesy of them.

[Midwest Ed]

Definitely strawberry, Ingo. No contest!

As far as choosing a campground, the above posts layout your choices very well, if anything matches your tastes. Otherwise flip a coin as you can't go wrong either way.

[Tom]

Wait. Why not East Chickenbone?!?

I vote for this:

Both! Chippewa night 1 and Moskey night 2 (over Richie).

Then you get TWO great campsites. The hike from Ritchie to Moskey (and back the next day) is really not that bad (it can be a canoe portage) and the extra time is worth the camp, IMHO.

Ritchie is OK (not a fan if it's stormy) but it doesn't compare to the other two.

[Midwest Ed]

The hike from Ritchie to Moskey (and back the next day) is really not that bad (it can be a canoe portage) and the extra time is worth the camp, IMHO.

I totally agree Tom. The 2.5 miles from Mosky to Ritchie is pretty flat and quite easy by Island standards, especially given it's location. But it you're lugging an aluminum canoe it can be the most brutal 2 or 3 trips on the Island simply because of it's length.

[jerry]

I've had good success with the boaters at Chippewa. They've feed me lake trout (freshly caught), as much as I desired. Lucky me! Moskey is also a good choice. Never an issue there (so far).

[JerryB]

I agree with Ingo—stay at both. Both are awesome sights with lots to explore. Chippewa sights have already been mentioned. At Moskey, scampering around the exposed rocks on both sides of the pier is great.

[Jbone6797]

Well, not the answer I was looking for, but probably the one I needed I really wanted us to experience a few nights at an inland campsite, for the quiet and solitude. We will be staying at West Chickenbone our third night, so I guess that will suffice. Then we’ll be at McCargo for our last two nights, and I’ve heard it’s very much like an inland site also. So I guess we’ll stick with getting dropped off at Chippewa harbor and hike the extra 2.5 miles to Moskey the next day. Thanks to all for your thoughts, and yeah, I’d have to go with strawberry too

[Midwest Ed]

Unless your group is 7 or more, your itinerary is not set in stone. You are free to change it on a daily basis. I say play it day by day. You pass right by Lake Ritchie on your way to Moskey Basin. Stop and look around the campsites. Personally I prefer campgrounds on Lake Superior because of the cooler breezes that usually help to keep the bugs away and the water is nicer (both to swim and drink) but Lake Ritchie is a very nice inland lake (IMO). It even has its own set of nice islands. The shore fishing for Northern is usually good and there is a nice bluff to sun tan on while you gaze at the lake. First of August, the mosquitoes might still be bad (especially at night) so maybe you stay or maybe you move on to Moskey. Even if you stay, you can still day hike over to explore Moskey for the afternoon.

[Jbone6797]

There are five in our group, so we’ll keep an open mind. I was mostly concerned with making changes with the water taxi for a different drop off point. I’m not going to change anything and play it by ear. If the weather is bad maybe we try to get a shelter at Moskey. If it’s nice and the skeeters aren’t too bad maybe we stay at Lake Richie and fish. As long as we make the Voyager at McCargo back to Rock Harbor we can go wherever the trail leads us!

[Ingo]

There are five in our group, so we’ll keep an open mind. I was mostly concerned with making changes with the water taxi for a different drop off point. I’m not going to change anything and play it by ear. If the weather is bad maybe we try to get a shelter at Moskey. If it’s nice and the skeeters aren’t too bad maybe we stay at Lake Richie and fish. As long as we make the Voyager at McCargo back to Rock Harbor we can go wherever the trail leads us!

Good plan! I rarely end up with the exact itinerary I register with.