Isle Royale Forums

While working on our last trip's trip report I wondered about what other great spots to take zero days would be?? Where is your favorite place on the island to set your watch back to island time?? I've had some great zeros at windigo but our most recent one was at siskiwit and it was a wonderful place to spend a warm summer day.

My favorite zero day ever was at McCargo -- swimming from the dock, day hike to the mine, a fire pit for a bit of socializing.

I'd put Moskey Basin and Chippewa Harbor tied in a close second. Moskey is just beautiful, but doesn't have great day hikes, so it's more just laying around. Chippewa is gorgeous and has some very interesting day hikes, but it's a bit of a dead end for hikers, so you'll be retreading some trail.

(1) Belle Isle. Multiple places to explore by water, hike Mt Franklin from Lane Cove, and a great place to hang out.
(2) Caribou Island. Visit fishery, lighthouse, Bangsund cabin, Cemetery Island, hike Mt Ojibway from Daisy. Nap on the lake side beach listening to waves lap and the bell buoy clang.
Hiking, Moskey or Malone. But really any Superior site, including Feldtmann.

Well, I have been windbound on Tookers Island and I can suggest that as a place not to take a zero day with no possibility of taking day trips. It is, however, nicely suited for visiting Raspberry Island and exploring the outer islands on that end of Rock Harbor.

For me, probably Malone. Swim or kayak in either Siskiwit Lake or Malone Bay. Take a day hike up to Greenstone. Not many hikers because it's a dead end. Quiet.

My bougie answer: Rock Harbor! (Although maybe it's not a zero day if it's at the end/beginning of the trip.) There's so many fun things to do there that aren't quite backpacking: the Stoll Trail to Scoville Point, the walk to Suzy's cave (which feels different if you're not carrying on for several more days), canoeing Tobin harbor + carrying from Hidden Lake Dock to Lookout Louise and/or a jaunt down the little-visited eastern extreme of the Greenstone---not to mention laundry, showers, eating pizza and drinking beer.

Note (and this is part of why my answer is bougie): there's a 1 night limit on campground stays between June 1 and Sept. 15, so in that window, a true zero day at Rock Harbor requires at least one night in the concessionaire's lodging . . . .

Like Ingo, any spot as long as it is on water. Belle, Birch, Malone, Moskey, McCargoe, ect.

torpified wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2021 7:54 am My bougie answer: Rock Harbor! ….Note (and this is part of why my answer is bougie): there's a 1 night limit on campground stays between June 1 and Sept. 15, so in that window, a true zero day at Rock Harbor requires at least one night in the concessionaire's lodging . . . .

And why there are always hikers arriving at 7am from 3-mile, and kayakers from Tooker’s Island, to have that non-quite-zero day to relax at RH.

All excellent answers!!! I love hearing everyone’s perspective

Chippewa Harbor was a good one. I'm not sure what 2022 is going to be like, but my first trip was last year...yeah...I was one of the noobs clogging up the island!

I went to Chippewa because a Ranger told me it was pretty quiet, and I got that famous IR Solitude I was searching for, great day hikes, and a shelter for a couple nights. It is kind of a dead end, but a great dock to swim off of and there was a bald eagle flying through the harbor.

Being out of the way it is quiet more than some of the other spots on the eastern side of the island I think.

Some good ones are already mentioned here. I'll add or echo:

* Siskiwit bay: amazing sunsets here and always quiet
* Feldtmann Lake: always quiet, few people, and Rainbow cove sunsets are astounding

Moskey. With McCargoe and Chippewa as close replicas.