What Is There To Do After You Arrive in Isle Royale National Park?

         

Another day of action and adventure dawns in Isle Royale National Park.

         A Yellowstone tour guide once told me: 

         “Get out on the trails and you’ll have the park all to yourself, because most of the tourists spend all of their time in the gift shops and bathrooms.”

         In Isle Royale National Park it’s exactly the opposite.  People go to Isle Royale to experience the outdoors and immerse themselves in it.  Everywhere you look you see backpacks, kayaks, canoes, day packs, hiking poles.  

       
         Visitors to Isle Royale don't snap selfies from scenic overlooks or drive around gawking at the sights.  They don't drive at all, because the park prohibits motor vehicles.  If you want to experience Isle Royale you'll have to walk or paddle your way around.  Because of this, Isle Royale has one of the longest visitation averages (the amount of time a visitor stays) in the country.

         Although the 45 mile-long island boasts 165 miles of trails and is dotted with backcountry campgrounds Tim and I didn't bring our backpacking gear on this trip.  We stayed in Rock Harbor Lodge on the eastern end of the island.  From the lodge we accessed the park's trail system, rented a canoe, and booked an excursion on the Sandy, a 30 person sightseeing boat.

         In my previous post I explained how to get to Isle Royale National Park.  The following photos will help to answer the question posed in this post's title.

         Sightseeing
         The Sandy offers sightseeing tours to remote parts of the island and to various off-shore islands.  We chose a half-day excursion on the Sandy to Moskey Basin, home to Rock Harbor Lighthouse and the Wolf-Moose Research Center.

The Sandy (green and white boat) is docked in front of Rock Harbor Lodge.

The research project documenting the interaction between wolves and
moose on the island is the longest continuous study (almost 60 years)
of any predator-prey system in the world.

Every antler tells a story.  Researcher Candy Peterson shares her stories from
40 years of researching the moose-wolf dynamic on Isle Royale.

The trail to the lighthouse passes through a green-glowing moss-lichen forest.

Rock Harbor Lighthouse heralds the entrance to Rock Harbor passage.

         Hiking
         We hiked trails to the east and west of Rock Harbor Lodge.  Some trails hug the shoreline of Lake Superior or inland bays, others traverse the deep woods of the island's interior.

Elevated boardwalks on the Scoville Point trail resemble balance beams.
Here I'm perfecting my Simone Biles (US Gold-medal winning gymnast)
impersonation.

Scoville Point is the easternmost point on Isle Royale.
After reaching the point we take a break to read and relax.

Along the Tobin Harbor Trail Tim stops to watch a loon and her chick.
If you've never heard the call of a loon in the wild you are missing
out on one of the great things about being alive.

         Paddling
         Isle Royale is a paddler's paradise.  You can chose to circumnavigate the island or paddle the many miles of inland lakes, streams and coves.

No, these fancy stream-lined kayaks aren't ours.  The Ranger III transported these
vessels to the island for two men from Michigan, who planned to spend a week exploring the island.

Tim and I rented this canoe and paddled the relatively
calm waters of Tobin Harbor.

        I have to add that a unique aspect to this park is the absence of cell service.  That's right, no cell service anywhere on the island, even in the lodge and visitor center.  I noticed something extraordinary while walking the footpaths and trails of Isle Royale—people looking up instead of down, truly noticing their surroundings, engaging with those around them instead of with people far, far away.   It was so social.  And so pleasant.

        Isle Royale may not have the grand scenery of a Yellowstone, Yosemite or Grand Canyon.  But the entire park is designated wilderness and it's a place that invites visitors to get out of the indoors, to explore and discover the world around them.

Where in the World is Isle Royale National Park? And How Do You Get There?

         

Here it is.  Isle Royale National Park—(black arrow)—
is encompassed and dwarfed by Lake Superior.
Green hatched lines show ferry routes to the park.

         Three things have long intrigued me about Isle Royale National Park:

         1) The entire park is a designated wilderness area.

         2) It’s one of the least-visited national parks, getting fewer people in a year than Yellowstone gets in a day.

         3) Isle Royale is remote.  Surrounded as it is by the vast inland sea that is Lake Superior, it's not easy to get to.

         To visit this national park, you have to really want to go. 

         And I really wanted to go.

         Now, how to get there?   Three different ships sail to Isle Royale and they're all on different schedules.  A seaplane serves the island but its schedule is highly dependent on weather conditions.  Coordinating my itinerary with available transportation to and from the island was like solving a puzzle.  

         The dizzying array of transportation choices are shown and described below.  See the map above to locate the various ports and seaplane bases.   See the map below for island details.

Isle Royale Seaplane

The seaplane can be chartered from Houghton, Michigan or Grand Portage, Minnesota.
Here, the plane lands on the relatively protected waters of Tobin Harbor
on the eastern edge of the island.

Passengers ready to board at the Tobin Harbor "terminal".  No TSA!

The Isle Royale Queen

"The Queen" sails out of Copper Harbor, Michigan and makes its three hour run
every day.  The ride on this ship is described as nausea-inducing.

The Voyageur II

The Voyageur II sails from Grand Portage, Minnesota and typically provides service
around the entire island every two days.  It does not run on Fridays.

The Ranger III

The Ranger III sails into Rock Harbor.  This 165 foot sea-worthy vessel
was built in 1958 and has been serving the national park service ever since.
The Ranger III arrives in Rock Harbor on Tuesdays and Fridays and
departs on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Let's review the options.

         The Seaplane?  Because of the unpredictable weather and my inherent fear of small planes, the seaplane is out.
         The Isle Royale Queen?  Having read the Queen described as "The Barf Wagon of the Sea", I don't think so.
         The Voyageur II?  Its schedule did not fit ours and I wanted to leave from Michigan and not Minnesota.  And besides, just look at it!

         Two other (not practical for us) transportation choices were available.  The Sea Hunter III sails from Grand Portage, Minnesota to Windigo Harbor but does not continue on to Rock Harbor, home to the Visitor Center, lodge and restaurants.
         Also, you may paddle your own kayak or canoe to Isle Royale from the mainland.  This has been done exactly twice since the park was established in 1940.  Lake Superior has recorded 40 foot waves, so this option seems either very brave, or very foolish.

         After careful deliberation I chose the vessel operated by the National Park Service.  The Ranger III—the largest passenger ferry service to the park—is also the largest moving piece of equipment owned and operated by the National Park Service.   Note that large is the operative word here.  Lake Superior is notorious for its storms and rough seas and, as I am prone to extreme motion sickness, a sturdy mode of transport seemed the logical choice.

The Ranger III as seen from our hotel across the street on the morning of
our departure.  The Ranger III sails from Houghton, Michigan and makes
its six-hour trip across Lake Superior twice a week from early June
until early September.

Luggage and kayaks are loaded on the Ranger III before the passengers board.

       

Please click on this map to enlarge and view details
of Isle Royale.

         The pieces have come together, the puzzle has been solved and Tim and I have arrived at the park.  

         Why the passive construct (Never use the passive voice!) in the previous sentence, and throughout this post?  After researching this trip, my active voice was exhausted.
          Rest assured that voice will return in the next post, where I'll describe what to see and do in Isle Royale National Park.