Isle Royale Forums

Looking for good advice on travel.

I’m trying to get up to Isle Royale for a week or so, I would like to know what would be the best way to get there, a good general itinerary for a group of two, and any good advice will be helpful.
I’m going to be coming from Milwaukee, and would like to get to the U.P. by Aug. 26th so I was looking into taking the boat over on the 27th (if it runs that day). I would like to hike from Windigo to Rock Harbor or vice versa (whatever way I will find the least amount of people). I would like to know if I can take the Queen IV over and then take a water taxi or Voyager II over to Windigo on the same day and prices if anyone knows them. I can’t find any info about this. Or if I Hike from Rock Harbor to Windigo, can I get a ride back to Rock Harbor to catch the Queen IV back to Copper Harbor?

I would like to spend a week or so total on the Island, and am open to any good advice I can get as far as how to get there and were to go when I get there.

Can anyone say if the more Eastern side has more people or the more Western side?

Thanks.

You can do it either way. As I understand it, Queen runs daily in August, but you will have to wait until 0800 the next morning (provided it's a Tue, Thur or Sun) to take Voyaguer II to Windigo. Similarly, Queen departs R.H. at 14:45 but Voyaguer II arrives from Windigo at 1500. (At least that's what the schedule says.) I'd never want to count on a boat being on time, much less early.

BTW, my brother and I plan to be on I.R. at the same time. Maybe we'll bump into each other. I'll post our itinery, once it's settled.

The VoyII arrives at RH at 15:00 CENTRAL (The boat stays in Central Time) whereas the Queen departs at 14:45 Eastern. You'll miss it by over an hour, so either way you'll be laid up at a camp for a day. The water taxis don't go past Chippewa (on the South) and McCargoe (on the North) from what I recall, so those are not an option.
You could plan your times using:
Voyaguer II: http://www.isleroyaleboats.com/schedule.asp
Queen: http://www.isleroyale.com/schedule.html

I don't think one direction of through hiking the Greenstone would have any less traffic; per se. What you'll typically find is that once you start, you'll make friends with the folks that you're walking in the same direction with. You see them at camp, and often bunny hop on the trail with them.

By and large the Western side of the Island sees less traffic. The sites are more distant and that tends to weed out the 'lightweights.' The Feldtman loop in my opinion might be one of the quiet loops.
You also don't have the Ranger III coming into port, which tends to bring more people than the Voyageur II and Wenonah can handle..

In general I would say that because of the lodge, there are more people on the Rock Harbor end of the Island. As far as getting from Windgo to RH, your best bet is the Voyager. The water taxi might do it as well, but it is more expensive.

If you can afford it, the best way to do what you are planning is using the air service. They will drop you off on one end and pick you up on the other. If you use them you also basicly pick up an extra day on the island since you won't be spending 11-12 hours on a boat.

If your not set on taking the Queen or the Ranger, you could get a ride on the VII out of Grand Portage. The VII goes to IR via Windigo, but stops for the night at Rock Harbor. From here, you could walk the Greenstone to Windigo. I live in Madison and it's really a wash which way you go. The UP is closer, but either way you'll spend a day traveling to a dock before the morning boat ride.