Experience the allure of the wild at Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park

It’s almost unheard of to be on a popular trail in a national park and only see a handful of people in the span of several hours. Most of the time, you have to share nature’s riches with the masses and it’s often hard to find a quiet spot to contemplate your surroundings. At Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park, however, you’ll have plenty of space. In fact, you might wonder where all the people are.

Isle Royale is one of the least-visited national parks in the country, averaging twenty to thirty thousand visitors annually. By comparison, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most-visited national park in the system, receives over twelve million visitors. In Isle Royale’s case, it’s not due to a lack of beauty, but rather its remote location and limited visitation window (April 16-October 31). 

Established as the nation’s 25th national park in 1940 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Isle Royale sits in the northwestern portion of Lake Superior and preserves more than 130,000 acres of land designated as wilderness. The park consists of one large island surrounded by over 450 smaller islands and encompasses an area of 850 square miles. This includes submerged land, which extends four plus miles out into the largest freshwater lake in the world. 

This destination is known for its rugged, picturesque landscape and has a strong American Indian, fishing, mining, maritime and logging history. It boasts a unique ecosystem that has been designated an International Biosphere Reserve. The cold waters of Lake Superior basically act as a “barrier”, preventing wildlife from reaching the island, making it a naturally controlled environment. And it’s kept pristine by the limited number of visitors and its lengthy closure period. 

Getting to Isle Royale takes effort. It’s eighteen miles off the coast of Minnesota and 56 miles from mainland Michigan, with no roads, no bridges, no permanent residences and not much contact with the rest of civilization. To reach the island, you can take a ferry or seaplane. Both operate out of northeast Minnesota, from Grand Portage or Grand Marais, or the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, from Houghton or Copper Harbor, during the months of May through September. You can book a ticket to either of the park’s visitor center locations: Windigo on the west side or Rock Harbor, on the east. 

The ferry is the most affordable way to visit the park, but depending on where you’re starting from and going to, the ride can take anywhere from two to six hours. The seaplane, on the other hand, takes a mere 45 minutes, but it’s costly, as you can expect. 

My husband and I wanted to have as much time at the park as possible so we opted to take the seaplane from Grand Marais to Rock Harbor for our 3-night stay in June. From Minneapolis, where we first flew into, it’s about a 4.5 hour drive to Grand Marais. The last half of the drive takes you along a very scenic road, Highway 61, known as Voyagers Highway. You’ll get lovely coastal views of Lake Superior and pass many state parks, public beaches and nature centers, where you can stretch your legs, gaze at waterfalls and visit the iconic Split Rock Lighthouse. 

Grand Marais is a charming harbor village with a notable art scene. And there’s some delicious local restaurants, too, like the Angry Trout and Fisherman’s Daughter, where fresh seafood is the highlight. Dine al fresco on the patio and enjoy the coastal vibe.  

The Grand Marais Airport must be the easiest airport I’ve ever flown out of – no waiting in line at security (the one employee there never checked our IDs), no checking a bag (the limit is 45 pounds per person for the seaplane, but no one bothered to weigh our bags) and parking is free. 

I’m enamored with flying on seaplanes and like others I’ve taken in the past, this flight offered stunning views. You can see the coasts of Minnesota and Canada and you’ll get a perspective of Lake Superior that gives you an idea of just how immense this body of water is! It’s like a mini ocean, albeit a freshwater one. 

Wind coming over the mountains north of Grand Marais created initial turbulence, but once we leveled off, the flight was smooth. All too soon, the plane kissed the water for our landing in Tobin Harbor. From there, it’s a bit of a walk up a hill trail to the Rock Harbor Visitor Center, where you can get maps and info about the park, as well as pay the park admission fee. We just showed our America the Beautiful Annual Pass, which provides access to all national parks and federal recreation lands in the U.S. for $80 a year ($20 for those 62 and older). If you plan to visit several parks, the pass is the way to go. And the pass holder can take several people with him/her at no extra charge. 

After the visitor center, we headed to the Rock Harbor Lodge office to check in for our stay. This is the only full-service lodging on the island, though there are also 36 established campgrounds throughout the park. The lodge consists of several wood frame buildings with a total of sixty rooms that can each accommodate four people. They’re basic and dated, but comfortable, with most necessities, though no hairdryers. The big plus is they all look out on the lake. The downside is that the walls are thin and it can get noisy. If you view the place more like a Motel 6 (expect for the price) than a lodge, your expectations will be about right. There are also twenty Housekeeping Cabins available for rent that include kitchenettes and can each house up to six people. 

With regards to food, there are two restaurants on site: Greenstone Grill and the Lighthouse. The Grill serves pizza, burgers, sandwiches, salads, snacks, coffee drinks and regional beer and wine via counter service. There’s also several grab and go options if you’re on the move. The food is what you might expect – edible, but not memorable. People tend to gather on the deck in the late afternoon to relax after hiking and sip a cold one.  

The Lighthouse Restaurant next door offers a breakfast buffet in the morning and a regular sit-down style meal in the evening tended by waitstaff. Here the menu is a tad more sophisticated with options like Cast Iron Seared Great Lakes Walleye, Ale Battered Whitefish & Chips, Chicken Piccata and Grilled NY Steak. There’s even fried cheese curds, a warm smoked whitefish dip and something called a Miner’s Pasty. The latter is historically a British dish that looks like a calzone and tastes like a pot pie, filled with meat, veggies and potatoes or veggies only, and wrapped in a puff pastry-style baked dough. From what I hear, pasties are a beloved culinary tradition in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. 

Though the offerings are a step up from the Grill, the food at the Lighthouse is just ok. The issue for us when we ate there was that they were out of several items, including all salads, because they hadn’t ordered enough lettuce, etc. and weren’t getting more supplies (via the boat) for another few days. Understanding the remoteness of this location, though, makes it easy to go with the flow when it comes to most things. I was just content knowing I could have food to eat that I didn’t have to prepare! 

You can also find a small selection of groceries, freeze dried camping meals and bagged ice at the Dockside Store near the Visitor Center, along with a variety of sundries, some clothing items and souvenirs.

Hiking is naturally a big draw at the park and you’ll be happy to hear there are 165 miles of trails. A few lead right off from the lodge and visitor center at Rock Harbor. The others require a boat ride to transport you to different islands. 

We did two hikes from the property: Suzy’s Cave and the Stoll Memorial Trail to Scoville Point. Suzy’s Cave is an inland sea arch, formed by wave action thousands of years ago when the lake water levels were higher. You’ll meander through a canopy of spruce, fir and birch, as you skirt the shoreline. 

The Stoll Memorial Trail to Scoville Point is a figure eight-shaped path, where you’ll experience a wooded setting on the Tobin Harbor side and a rocky, exposed scene on the Rock Harbor side. At the end of the trail, both routes converge for the last half mile to climb the rocky face of Scoville Point. The views at the Point are sublime and you’ll probably have the place to yourself. Along the way, look for wildlife. We spotted a ginormous sandhill crane sitting in a meadow and an eagle’s nest with two eaglets being fed by one of their parents. 

While on the subject of wildlife, the park is home to eighteen mammal species, with the moose being the largest of them. Odds are in your favor to see one or several of these animals on your hikes or in the woods surrounding the lodge property. We even spied one swimming in the lake.

Along with moose, there are wolves – the apex predator here – fox, beaver, mink, marten, bats and more. There’s also a diversity of birds, amphibians and reptiles.

If you want to visit the other islands in the park, you’ll need to book a boat to take you over there, or you can rent one and motor or paddle to your destination. The lodge offers boat tours, too, on the MV Sandy, provided it’s in service. You can choose from several trips that explore four different areas of the park, while hiking with an NPS guide. Unfortunately, the MV Sandy was delayed reaching Rock Harbor for the start of the season, which was during our visit, so we decided to book a semi-private boat, which we shared with a few other visitors. 

We chose to go to an island with some interesting attractions, including an historic commercial fishery, a lighthouse and a moose and wolf research station. The ride over gave us a chance to get a glimpse of other islands and a taste of the vastness of this watery wonderland. 

Edisen Fishery is the most intact, surviving example of a small, family-operated commercial fishery in continuous use in the park. Named for its last fisherman, Pete Edisen, it was in operation from 1910-1975 and represents a once common lifestyle on Lake Superior. The camp structures include the main house, fish house and dock, some outbuildings and the Rock Harbor Lighthouse, just a short walk away. 

Although no longer illuminated, the lighthouse dates back to 1855 and was the first of four lighthouses built at Isle Royale. It features a white, round, brick tower with a black lantern. The tower is attached to a keeper’s house that now serves as a small, but excellent museum. The exhibit on shipwrecks was most interesting to me. 

Another trail takes you to the Bangsund Cabin. The Bangsund family operated a fishery at this cabin in the 1940s and 50s until the arrival of the lampreys, which killed off the lake trout population. Jack Bangsund died in the cabin in 1959 and the NPS subsequently granted permission to researchers to use the cabin for summer field operations of the wolf-moose study, which continues today.

Isle Royale’s wolf and moose populations are known worldwide, as the longest predator and prey study conducted in the U.S. Moose first arrived on the island over a century ago after swimming from the mainland. They had decades of existence without predators, but wolves eventually came over a winter ice bridge to join them. The lives and deaths of these two species are isolated and intertwined on the island, making this location the ideal place for a study of predator and prey interaction. 

One name has been linked to this project since the early 1970s – Dr. Rolf Peterson. Peterson is considered a world authority on wolves and moose. And he and his wife Candy have spent the past fifty plus summers at the cabin conducting the study and coordinating teams of volunteers who hike the island in search of moose skulls. Since the study began, over 5,000 moose skulls have been recovered on Isle Royale. 

Visitors are welcome to Bangsund Cabin and its famed boneyard. The bones are everywhere outside, on tables and benches, with various signs indicating interesting facts. One reads, “When they get old, moose exhibit arthritis, periodontal disease, osteoporosis. Sound familiar?” Another one speaks to a moose’s antlers and says, “Yes, they grow new ones every year!” 

The massive bull moose skulls are towards the back of the area, where Candy requested us to go and pay our respects to them. One of them has a notation next to it that’s written, “World Oldest Recorded Bull Moose (17 years old).” 

Candy invited my husband and I into the cabin and we spoke about the study and how the collection of bones helps with research on understanding moose death on Isle Royale. Candy also shared with us some of the many memories her family shared in this small cabin. She and Rolf raised their two sons here during the warmer months. Meeting Candy and later Rolf was one of the highlights of our trip.

The rewards are well worth the effort involved in reaching Isle Royale. It’s a special place, where you can immerse yourself in a pristine wilderness and appreciate Mother Nature’s work at her finest. You’ll go home with many memories and photos…and definitely a few mosquito bites, too! The mosquito has actually been coined the unofficial state bird of Michigan. Locals like to tell you these pesky creatures can get to be the size of a seagull! Just be prepared to wear long pants, long-sleeve shirts and long socks, use repellent or bug spray, and have mosquito netting to protect your head and neck. It’s the Isle Royale fashion statement!

www.nps.gov/isro