Isle Royale Forums

Me and 4 friends head to Isle Royale in 2 days and I think our itinerary is finalized but figured I'd post on here to see about any last-minute changes. Here's the CalTopo of our planned route:
https://caltopo.com/m/JRLH0

I posted this a few weeks back so it might look familiar, but I've made quite a few changes since then. Here's a breakdown of the daily mileage:

Day 1: 12.55mi
Day 2: 10.75mi
Day 3: 13.20mi
Day 4: 6.63mi
Day 5: zero/canoeing day in Windigo
Day 6: 15.89mi
Day 7: 12.9mi
Day 8: 12.33mi
Day 9: 6.74mi
Total: 90.99mi

Obviously this is a lot of miles and it will no doubt be challenging, but we're all fit guys in our 20s with backpacking experience and should be able to complete it barring any injuries or other serious setbacks.

It should work out but inevitably we all take exactly what the island gives us so be prepared to be flexible. Get started as early in the AM as possible and manage your hydration and water well as you travel. Hike slow and enjoy your travels

Be safe & good luck!

Day 1 is a much harder hike than it looks on paper. The Rock Harbor trail is extremely rooted and rocky. It works muscles that don't get conditioned in normal hiking. You can save some wear by hiking out on the Tobin Harbor trail, it's very smooth in comparison. After 3.3 miles you'll be right back on the Rock Harbor trail. It's a good way to warm up. Once you pass Daisy, the trail is smoother but has elevation changes. The Lake Richie trail from Moskey to Richie is flat.
If you can get a shelter at Moskey, I'd stay there. It's in the top 10 of all national parks campsites. It's one of the prettiest places on the island. The flat 2 mile walk to Richie would be a good warm up on the second day.

I was quite unsure about the first day especially since we'll be getting off the ferry around noon with very little sleep and possibly seasick so this is super helpful, thank you.

<grin> BUT the Rock Harbor trail is so beauriful!!!

MongooseBoxing wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 4:06 pm I was quite unsure about the first day especially since we'll be getting off the ferry around noon with very little sleep and possibly seasick so this is super helpful, thank you.

In 4 round trips on the Queen, we only had one time when any passengers got sick. Maybe we have been lucky? The one time, the lake was rolling!
Hopefully your group won't have any problems. We usually pack meds, but only take them if the forecast is ugly.
The boat ride offers a great opportunity to get some sleep if you need to catch up.

The good thing about your first day is you have many options to stop when you get tired. Three-mile, Daisy and Moskey are all beautiful spots. Starting late in the day makes it less likely you'll snag a shelter, but each of those campgrounds have great docks for relaxing and enjoying the scenery.