Isle Royale Forums

Really excited to return to the island this year, even if it's only from Friday to Monday in mid-May. I'm looking for thoughts/suggestions/ideas.

What would you do on a Friday/Monday trip in mid-May, starting in Rock Harbor with hikes of less than 15 with a day to relax?

What transportation are you using? What time you arrive on Friday and leave on Monday has a lot to do with what we can recommend. That’s early enough that many visitor services will not be available yet. The great thing is lack of crowds. Are your boating skills up to renting a canoe and getting to some interesting places hikers can’t access?

Hi Mark, you lucky bum! (I don't think I'll be able to return to the island this year, sadly.)

What about a nice simple walk along Rock Harbor: Daisy, Moskey, then back (or maybe direct to Moskey if you feel up to it)? Nothing new for you I don't think, but it will be pleasant.

Alternately, go check out Lane Cove and maybe spend some time going up or down the Greenstone as you do so.

Feldtmann loop is great if coming from MN. Did that a couple years ago in May and had Island Mine and Siskiwit to myself.

Thanks for the replies.

I hadn't thought of renting a canoe ... I'm going to check it out!

DC, yes, I'm a lucky bum! I"m also looking forward to a burger in Calumet afterward. That might be a regular thing.

Ingo, I'd love to do Feldtmann and it's on the list for a future trip.

At this point, I"m thinking of heading to Lane Cove and hanging out for a couple of days. Has anyone bushwacked to Patterson Lake and tried fishing it?

A quick search here revealed a member reported in 2015 that they attempted the bushwhack from Lane Cove to Patterson Lake. They were a little short on details other than to talk about the bugs and state they gave up. I think my first choice would be to start from the campground with a heading of about 100 degrees for 500 to 700 feet. This puts you quite close to the end of Stockley Bay. It's also close to a low point of the last ridge you traversed while entering Lane Cove. From there take a general heading of 150 degrees for about 500 to 600 feet to Patterson Lake. Other routes might have less dense vegetation but they will probably result in a higher elevation change than the ~50 feet in my suggestion. The filmmaker, George Desort made it there when making his Isle Royale documentary but he had a kayak so he probably started from Stockley Bay. Reference a good topo map to verify my suggestion and maybe even find an alternate possibility.

Successful or not, please report your results on this side trip and your complete trip.

mark.howe wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2020 6:36 pm Has anyone bushwacked to Patterson Lake and tried fishing it?

Midwest Ed's advice looks good to me. I did some bushwhacking around Moskey last year in spring and found that even the dry areas were exceptionally wet, so you'll definitely want calf boots if you can haul them in. The going was slow but doable in my bushwhack, and beaver dams and fallen trees helped quite a bit.

I would actually recommend sticking to the ridges as much as possible if you can handle the elevation, because they will at least be dry. It looks like a potential small low area on the way to Stockly Bay.

MIdwest Ed, thanks for the reply. It was a gentle reminder that I should mine the trip reports. Also, I hadn't thought of hauling in the calf boots and now I'm really re-thinking my gear list as this may be an entirely different trip than the usual (keep it light and rock out miles).

Whatever you decide to do, be sure and contribute a trip report to share with us when you return!