On our quest to visit all 63 national parks, we were able to checked off number 36 recently. Our adventure took us to Isle Royale National Park, an island located in Lake Superior. While the island is geographically closer to Minnesota and Canada, it is part of the state of Michigan.

There are a few different ferry and sea plane options to reach the island as it is only accessible by water and air. None of the ferries transport cars as no cars are allowed on the island. We began our journey in the port of Houghton, MI leaving on the Ranger III. It is a 6-hour ferry ride from this port. The ferry travel times from Copper Harbor, MI and Grand Portage, MN are much shorter, but for us that would have meant several more hours of driving to reach those ports. Houghton is not directly on Lake Superior, but in land so the first hour of the trip is navigating the river/canal to reach Lake Superior. Ranger III has lots of seating both inside and out, including some areas with tables. It was a comfy ride, I slept a good bit on the way to the island, and we got lucky weather wise as the lake was very calm. We packed our lunch as we got mixed info regarding whether or not they sold food on the boat. Turns out, going to the island no food sales, but they did have food and drink available coming back. Not sure why sales one day but not the other. I recommend if making the trip, be prepared for no food and drink available, and put some in your day pack.

Upon arriving at Rock Harbor located on the northeastern tip of Isle Royale, along the southern shoreline of the Rock Harbor Channel, we headed to the lodge where we had a room reserved for the night. The rooms are comfy with a beautiful view over the lake, but not many extras. There is a small coffee pot, but no fridge or TV. There is also no wi-fi, and so you really are disconnected from the world while visiting. The lodge has two dining options, the Lighthouse Restaurant and Greenstone Grill, with the lighthouse serving more entrée like dinners and the grill serving pizza and burgers. We opted to have dinner at the Lighthouse Restaurant. Even on an island, there is of course a gift shop and a small dockside store selling groceries, camping supplies, and other essentials.

Since we had only planned staying for one night, we were limited on time on the island. (the return trip on the Ranger III begins boarding at 8:15am). For this reason, we only did one hike, Scoville Point Trail (also known as the Stoll Memorial Trail), a 4.5 mile figure-eight loop that starts near the lodge. The scenery is beautiful, hiking through pine forest with views of the rocky coastline of the lake culminating at the dramatic Scoville Point. Several smaller islands are visible off the coast, and one or two have many gulls on them. While plenty of evidence of moose in the area, we were disappointed to not see any. We did see some merganser ducks and a garter snake.

Overall, it was a good trip and nice to get another national park checked off. I would say this park is better suited for backpacking then day hiking as most of the park is back country,with over 160 miles of hiking trails. It is also popular for kayaking, canoeing, and fishing given the vast amount of coastline of Lake Superior. If you truly want to get away, Isle Royale offers a sanctuary for solitude and connecting with nature with its rare kind of silence and beauty that’s hard to find anywhere else

Isle Royale National Park

On The Road Again