I had a chance to go to Isle Royal National Park during the summer of 2008. My youngest son and I had a few days off and decided we would spend a day touring the island. We boarded the Isle Royale Queen IV, which was a 100-foot long ship that would take us 56 miles across Lake Superior. The trip was supposed to take three and ½ hours, but a storm had blown across the lake the night before our boat ride, and there were still six-foot waves on the big lake. Needless to say, I had never been on one of the Great Lakes before, and six-foot waves would almost double the length of the trip. It was rough enough that they were selling Dramamine for $1 a tablet in the snack bar, and ½ of the guests were hanging their heads off the side or the back of the boat and losing their breakfast. I did partake of the Dramamine but kept my breakfast down. My youngest son enjoyed the ride as he was fresh out of the Army and rode out on the bow of the ship.
We made it to Rock Harbor after almost six hours of being tossed around. You want to make sure that you have some water to carry with you, as potable water is only found at the Park headquarters and visitor center. Water (which is plentiful everywhere on the island) must be purified and boiled before drinking to make it safe. My son had thought of these things and made sure we had the right stuff in our backpacks as we got off of the ship. Most people visiting Isle Royale usually remain on the island for 3.5 days, although people in most other parks generally stay just about 4 hours.
We only planned on staying for the day, so we hiked around on one of the trails for a couple of hours. This is a rough, wilderness country. Waterways may be fogbound, and the trails can be muddy. Mosquitoes and black flies can be bad, especially in June and July. Campsites are first come first serve, so a camper may not be for sure where they are going to end up for the night. Going to Isle Royale isn’t the same as going to most National Parks. Throughout a whole year, Isle Royale gets fewer people than many National Parks see in one day. All visitors to Isle Royale—even day-trippers—must stop near dockside to hear a ranger talk about what you should do if you run across a moose on the trail.
Hikers and wolves and moose share the same trails. Moose came across by swimming the twenty miles from Canada and wolves came over sometime during one of the years that Lake Superior froze over. Congress authorized Isle Royale National Park on March 3, 1931. Isle Royale National Park was brought into being on April 3, 1940, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The park was named as a piece of the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1976 and remains today as an example of unspoiled America.
Isle Royal National Park is located in Lake Superior's northwest corner. The Park is a wilderness archipelago. Bikes and cars are not allowed on the island. You can only get there by boat or seaplane. Isle Royale has 165 miles of beautiful, wild hiking trails and 36 campgrounds for backpackers. There are lots of places to fish on one of the Island's many inland lakes or Lake Superior. Many of the trails wind through forests and stay close to the shoreline. Some climb steeply to the top of the ridge, which runs the entire length of the island. Almost all of the park’s land base is federally designated wilderness that calls to you to be explored.
All campgrounds have outhouses, tent sites, and tend to be near an inland lake. Some of the camping spots are located on the Lake Superior shoreline and offer docks, shelters, and picnic tables. Camping Permits are necessary for all overnight stays at campgrounds. The Greenstone Ridge is the longest trail on the island and it runs down the center of the island. Campers usually take a four or 5-day hike to cover the whole trail. There are also kayak/canoe routes, many involving portages, along coastal bays and inland lakes. Please let us know if you have ever been to this National Park, in the comment section below. We love to hear about your experiences!
