Isle Royale Forums

Hey all, I’m new to the forum. Planning to take a trip in the last week of June next summer. Can anyone give me some insight into the type of weather conditions and bugs I should expect? I’ve scoured the site and read about early June and late July. By the end of June, should I expect rain every day, or might we get lucky there? Any help, or other general thoughts, would be appreciated. Thanks.

You most likely will not have rain every day but if you plan for rain every day by taking rain gear and enough clothes to have something reasonably dry each day you will be properly prepared and and then pleasantly surprised when it only rains on average only every third day or so during June (and the summer).

It might rain for a week solid or it might not rain at all during a week and when it does it's more likely to be in the form a shorter thunder storm rather than rain all day, although extended rain could happen as well. It's not a climate where it rains a lot, all the time, but rather a climate known for the weather changing quickly. The average rainfall in June/July is only about 3 inches per month. A bigger contender might be muddy conditions so bring extra socks and and foot care equipment.

Bugs are hard to predict so again the key phrase here is plan for the worst and then hopefully be surprised. Late June and even into July can see Black Fly swarms but they aren't everywhere and they go away at dark. A head net can be your savior and they are attracted more to darker colors. Mosquitoes can also be an issue but during the day, especially in open sunny areas, they're usually not so bad. Deet is still a favorite but I'm a fan of treating clothes with Permethrin.

Trepidation of weather and bugs is overrated but being well prepared is the key. The good news is you'll have 16 hours of daylight.

Thanks for the prompt reply; that’s pretty much what I was hoping to hear. I’m sure I’ll have quite a few more questions over the coming months, but this at least gives me confidence that our timing should be manageable. Peace.

(Supposing the sun is out) you should be prepared for many, many hours of daylight in late june---it gets light well before 6 and stays that way until well after 10. So bring something (ideally not a DEET-soaked buff) that serves as a sleeping mask!

torpified wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2019 10:14 am (Supposing the sun is out) you should be prepared for many, many hours of daylight in late june---it gets light well before 6 and stays that way until well after 10. So bring something (ideally not a DEET-soaked buff) that serves as a sleeping mask!

We *always* bring our eyeshades/masks and earplugs. The eyeshades keep us from being woken up at 0500 by the light and the earplugs keep us from being woken at 0445 by the birds.

There's a grey area between soaking up max Mother Nature and sleep deprivation; I'd rather not slip towards the latter on vacation...