Isle Royale Forums

Hey all - new to the forum in preparation for my first trip to IR with two buddies, and would like some feedback/input on our itinerary. For some context, we are planning on doing a trip in the middle of August this year. We do have a member who doesn’t have a lot of experience hiking/backpacking as far as I know. The “first draft” itinerary is as follows (miles are showing total, including some with no backpack or a reduced load):

Day 1: Take the ferry in Houghton at 9AM, arrive on the island around 3PM, and try to make it to Lane Cove on the first night. 6.9 miles

Day 2: Lane Cove to Daisy Farm via Mt Franklin and Mt Ojibway. Also hoping to get some astrophotography by doing the Mt Ojibway loop to Daisy Farm that night. 10 miles

Day 3: Zero Day at Daisy Farm, with a dayhike to Moskey Basin. Presumably pack lunch and plan to hang out at Moskey for a good bit during the midday. 6.8 miles

Day 4: Daisy Farm to Rock Harbor, with a potential to visit Suzy’s cave or do the Scoville point loop depending on our energy levels. 6.6 miles.

Day 5: Departing from Rock Harbor at 9AM.


My thoughts:
First day seems ambitious to me, as it sounds like we will be experiencing some elevation change midway through the hike. Also, we have to get our passes and talk to the rangers, so we most likely would not leave until 4PM.

Second day seems like a good length as we’ll only have our packs on for 6.6 miles, but I would personally love to be able to make it to Moskey Basin for an overnight stay, although at that point we are pushing 11 miles, which gives me a little bit of worry with our less experienced friend. How is the trail from Lane to Moskey? I would guess the first bit is uphill and tough, but would get easier as we got up on the Ridge? I personally would just rather not spend the majority of our experience in Rock Harbor/Daisy from what I’ve heard.

If we got to Moskey for night 2, we could have a short hike to Daisy to maybe secure a better spot/shelter, and have a nicer short day where we could relax once we get to camp, and maybe socialize a bit as well. I’m definitely looking forward to the isolation, but it seems like Daisy during mid August will most likely be busy, and I enjoy meeting new folks as well. We could potentially bump the astrophotography to this night as well, after a restful day. Side note - is it safe to walk the trails at night with headlamps?

Is another potential option to reverse our route? If the first day to Lane is a stretch, maybe we can just play it by ear and shoot for Three Mile/Daisy depending on how far we get on the first day.

Any thoughts, advice, or personal experience relating to our trip is appreciated!

I've done your first day, and wouldn't recommend it. The "rush" is the worst part, plus Lane cove tends to fill up so you'll likely be sharing a campsite that late in the day. I'd suggest something closer, like Three Mile. You are correct that the trail to/from Lane is a pain, especially for new backpackers. It has a lot of elevation change (and extremely steep on the north side).

The Greenstone ridge (part of Day 2) is beautiful but can be hot and exposed in August. It really wore me out the first time I was there, also in August. Bring lots of water and take it slow. I would not make this day any longer, especially with a newbie along.

The trail from Daisy to Moskey is... weird. It's also an open ridge, although comparatively flat. It is tilted sideways, towards the south. So one of your feet is always lower than the other. This is surprisingly annoying, but not that all that bad in the end.

(Side note: I don't normally promote my blog on here, but you might want to read about my first trip to the island, where I did much of what you're looking at for your first few days: Isle Royale 2016 start.)

So, if Moskey is your main goal, here's my advice: Cut out Lane entirely. Go to Three Mile on your first night (or even Daisy, if you arrive early and feel good). Then get up early and push on to Moskey on Day 2. It fills up fast. Then reverse for the following days, and go to either Daisy or Three Mile (whichever one you missed) and finally return to Rock Harbor. One of those days, you should take the "long way" from Daisy to Three Mile (or Rock Harbor) by climbing up to Mt. Ojibway and following the ridge to Mt. Franklin and then down via the Mt. Franklin trail.

Astrophotography: You can really do this from almost anywhere. There is very little light pollution on the island. You'll probably be more constrained by the weather and skies, so I'd plan to just do it whenever things look clearest. Each of the sites you're looking at have a good dock to set up on, but I would not plan on hiking up to Mt. Ojibway (or any of the ridge trails) with a headlamp. You're really asking to twist an ankle or break a leg.

I second all of dcclark's coments.
I did basically the same route as you have planned. We got to Lane cove at about 4pm and there was only one site left.
If you want to experience Moskey I would suggest planning on getting there for the night. A day hike from Daisy isn't bad but in my opinion there's not really anything to do there if you're not staying. The best scenery is from the shelters. The dock at Moskey isn't a nice place to hang out like most of the other campsite docks are.

dcclark wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 10:27 am
but I would not plan on hiking up to Mt. Ojibway (or any of the ridge trails) with a headlamp. You're really asking to twist an ankle or break a leg.

100% this. Depending on sky conditions it is Soooo dark on the island. Navigating to the outhouse 20 yards away can be an adventure.

S_R_L wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 11:35 amNavigating to the outhouse 20 yards away can be an adventure.

Not if you have a sense of smell!

I also affirm dcclark's feedback.

You may also want to consider taking a water taxi to Moskey upon arrival. That could open up some options.

On Day 4 after you've set up camp in Rock Harbor, I recommend hiking the Scoville Point loop. Absolutely gorgeous and there's a bald eagle nest along the trail!

Thanks for all the feedback!

dcclark wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 10:27 am So, if Moskey is your main goal, here's my advice: Cut out Lane entirely. Go to Three Mile on your first night (or even Daisy, if you arrive early and feel good). Then get up early and push on to Moskey on Day 2. It fills up fast. Then reverse for the following days, and go to either Daisy or Three Mile (whichever one you missed) and finally return to Rock Harbor. One of those days, you should take the "long way" from Daisy to Three Mile (or Rock Harbor) by climbing up to Mt. Ojibway and following the ridge to Mt. Franklin and then down via the Mt. Franklin trail.

I'm thinking I'll throw this out there to the guys and see what they think. I'm thinking I'd prefer to spend a longer day and night at Moskey rather than try and tail it to end up sharing a site on Lane while rushing on our first day out. Also seems like we can make adjustments to our route a lot easier if we stay with this plan as well. dcclark - thanks for the link, I started reading through and I enjoy the writing and experience I can glean from your trip.

I think we'll shoot for the Scoville as well on our last day - if we hike in from Daisy/Three Mile, hopefully that will leave us with some good time (weather permitting) to get out to the point and enjoy some time without our packs.

Kelly wrote: You may also want to consider taking a water taxi to Moskey upon arrival. That could open up some options.

Unfortunately, we're trying to keep the budget down so I don't think a water taxi is in the cards, no matter how much I would enjoy being able to go a little further into the island.

One more blog post then: I did that Moskey route I recommended on a solo May trip in 2019. It was lovely. Don't worry about what you don't see -- you'll be back again.

dcclark wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 12:23 pm One more blog post then: I did that Moskey route I recommended on a solo May trip in 2019. It was lovely. Don't worry about what you don't see -- you'll be back again.

I haven’t even been on the island yet, but I know I’ll be back. My dad went when I was really young and hasn’t been back, so I’m already thinking about when him, my brother and I can make it up there. Thinking we may even go the canoeing route as my dad is getting older. Thanks for the link, I appreciate the help!

Don’t tell us what “getting older” means to you because a number of us regulars are retired and might be older than your dad! Just a comment that may help-coming out from Houghton on the Ranger, you will get your permits and the Ranger talk on the ferry while enroute. Saves you some time when you get to RH.

Bobcat1 wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 7:18 pm Don’t tell us what “getting older” means to you because a number of us regulars are retired and might be older than your dad! Just a comment that may help-coming out from Houghton on the Ranger, you will get your permits and the Ranger talk on the ferry while enroute. Saves you some time when you get to RH.

Haha fair enough. My dad said if he were to go back he would prefer to go canoeing as it’s be easier for him, but I do know there are lots of folks here who are in great shape no matter the age. I appreciate the heads up about the permits - sounds like we should be ready to set off from RH as soon as we can to make it to Three Mile/Daisy and grab a spot for the first night.

Way to walk back that ageist-sounding comment

Regardless of what shape you're in, I prefer canoeing. It's a great way to get away from the crowded trails and campgrounds. We have gone 2 days without seeing another soul while paddling the inland lakes of the island in late July.

BenjiBaggins wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 10:09 pm sounds like we should be ready to set off from RH as soon as we can to make it to Three Mile/Daisy and grab a spot for the first night.

You may want to consider taking the Tobin Harbor trail out of Rock Harbor when you arrive. Even though it is about a half mile longer, it is a faster trail because you aren't contending with the rocks of the Rock Harbor trail. Last year, we took the Tobin Harbor Trail to Three Mile for our first night (based on the recommendations from this forum) and beat quite a few other groups from the Ranger to 3M. The other benefit was that we basically had the trail to ourselves because most people took the more direct route. Since you'll be leaving from RH as well, you can take the Rock Harbor trail when you loop back and then you won't miss any of the great views.

Here's a visual comparison of the Tobin Harbor trail to the Rock Harbor trail:


Tobin Harbor Trail


Rock Harbor Trail

Thanks for the Tobin Harbor picture. I'm ready for another trip (& I'm 78 years old/young?).

BenjiBaggins wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 9:49 am Day 4: Daisy Farm to Rock Harbor, with a potential to visit Suzy’s cave or do the Scoville point loop depending on our energy levels. 6.6 miles.

Just noticed your mention of Suzy's Cave! If you are hiking the Rock Harbor Trail between Daisy Farm and Rock Harbor, it is a very minor detour to Suzy's Cave so I recommend taking five minutes to check it out even if you're tired. We almost skipped it, but we ran into someone on the trail coming down from the cave and he encouraged us to go since it is so close.

We dropped our packs on the side of the trail next to the trail junction sign and in this photo I took from Suzy's Cave looking back down towards the trail, you can still see them (in the little clearing in the center right of the photo). That's how close to the trail it is!