Isle Royale National Park is the LEAST-visited National Park in the lower 48 states.
With good reason – the only two options to get here are seaplane and boat.
As we discovered when we lived in the Keys and visited the second-least-visited park, Dry Tortugas National Park, this really cuts down on the tourist crowds since most people want cheap and easy. This is neither cheap nor easy.
Isle Royale is 206 square miles, making it the fourth-largest lake island in the world.
Everybody knows the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and probably has a mental image of Lake Superior. Superior is not a lake to take lightly, and puts a shiver in the nautical hardcore crowd.
Colette started planning this trip LAST YEAR, and we had booked seats on a seaplane and an overnight at the Rock Harbor Lodge on the northeast side of the island. Pricey but worth it not to sit on a cattle boat. Then the seaplane company called back and let us know that they screwed up and our dates weren’t available – ugh. The cattle boat it is…
We departed from Grand Portage Minnesota with clear skies and calm seas. Unnervingly calm for Superior.
The 1:30 ride from Grand Portage to the island was uneventful, although cold. As experienced sailors, we planned ahead and brought the same midlayers and hardshells that we wear when playing in the Colorado mountains in the winter, while most of the others didn’t plan and had a very different experience than we did. The late boarders got to sit outside in the cold for the entire ride, while we enjoyed our time inside the cabin. As with many things in life, their lack of planning doesn’t make us feel bad enough to give up our comfy seats and use the layers that we brought. I do remember Aesop’s Ant and the Grasshopper fable and as savers, scrimpers, and planners we have little-to-no pity on the grasshopper.
Lake Superior never really warms up, and I think that the current surface temperature was around 40 degrees and it just gets colder as your frozen carcass descends through the frigid depths. You only have a few minutes on the surface before hypothermia sets in and you’ve got almost no chance in the water after that even if you’re an Olympic swimmer.
As we approached Isle Royale there was a very cool fog bank hovering in a continuous ring around the island. Talking to Colette’s brother Kevin who lives up here, this is a pretty common experience and is really neat to see as you approach.
Once on the island, you need to plan your short day around the limited time window you have available.
Some people are happy to get dropped off and just sit for a while on the picturesque shoreline, while most people do some close day hike. Others are dropped off with full gear and do multi-day backpacking hikes and return on another boat.
We had planned on an overnight to allow us extended time to wander aimlessly, but since our seaplane plans went up in dust we were stuck with the same limited window as most others who visit.
Fog Bank
This weird fog bank is just a precursor of things to come.
Flower After Flower
There is an amazing amount of wildflowers here in July.
Fast Travel
This is the best way to get to Isle Royale!
Travel In Style
This older catamaran is a great way to island hop in good weather.
Little Details
Lots of little details if you take the time to stop and look.
The Trails
Wet, rooted, and overgrown. It’s wilderness out here.
Feldtmann Lake Overlook
Taking a break at the Feldtmann Lake Overlook.
My Slippers Please
This little slipper plant is very photogenic.
Sit for a bit back at the well-equipped store at the Windigo landing and sip a beer or two, then back on the boat for the return trip.
Lush and Wet
This area really reminded us of the Hoh Rain Forest in the Olympic Pensinsula National Park.
Welcome to Windigo
Must-have photo with the NPS sign
Keweenaw Brewing Company
The NPS knows their target audience here – file off the boat, maybe do the easy hike to the lookout, then come back to the dock and enjoy a beer or two while you wait for departure. Not impressed at all by the Keweenaw Brewing Company’s brews, but they were super cold and reasonably priced for the captive audience that they had here.
Spin Me Up
If you’re going to show up, show up large!
Donald Trump Hair
This red-breasted merganser is having a bit of a Donald Trump hair day.
Tourist Crowds
If you come across on one of the two ferries, this is what you can expect at boarding time.
Sea Spray
Charging into the fog on Lake Superior.
Lake Superior showed her true colors on the return. Clear blue sky on the island, but the minute we ventured offshore a thick cloud bank settled in and turned everything into a flat grey nothing. I believe that pea soup is the technical term that is commonly used.
The captain took us to the Rock of Ages Lighthouse, and we had no idea that there was anything out there through the dense grey fog but for the sound of the engines powering down. From 100 feet away you can barely make out the ghostly shape among the nothingness.
Marine radar is a must if you plan to sail these waters, or you will quickly join the scores of ships and sailors who have made Superior their final resting place.
All in all, a wonderful although short trip for those of us interested in seeing all of the National Parks and all that our wonderful country has to offer.
Will we return?
I think the answer will be no. While it is amazing unspoiled wilderness, we both have a limited amount of time left on this merry-go-round, and there is still an entire world out there to see. We would have both enjoyed a little more time here, but due to the remoteness and inaccessibility, it probably won’t warrant a return trip.
Rock of Ages Lighthouse
You can barely see the Rock of Ages Lighthouse from 100 feet away in this dense fog bank.
