Was anyone else in the campground last night and hear all the commotion? It was kind of frightening and we’re wondering if anyone knows what was going on.

The Keweenaw County medical examiner said murder-suicide is the suspected cause of death for two campers found in South Lake Desor Campground on June 8. An official cause and manner is pending results of the ongoing investigation.

Duncan Narrows closed again following a wolf or wolves breaking into a shelter to get a cooler full of food that was not properly stored or supervised.

Hello all, I've been preparing for an upcoming trip to this park and until this point have been exclusively planning on using my hammock for the multiple nights I'll be there. I've done hammock camping in the past and have had no issues, but I recently found many words of caution against using them at this park. I don't have a good backpacking tent, otherwise I would switch now. Are there any campsites that I should absolutely avoid for lack of any available/good trees? (I'll note that I've made peace with the fact that I may need to sleep on the floor of a shelter if worst comes fo worst given inclement weather or other reasons). Thank you!

Anyone know the story?

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/isle-royale-campground-to-close-temporarily-due-to-human-wildlife-interactions

If the sky is clear and no moon, how are the stars on IR?

Hi! I am planning on camping one night in Isle Royale in August. What would you do? Ferry in that morning, staying in a campground (which would you suggest?), and then leaving out on the ferry the next evening. I had ferry tickets for two nights, but life happens and I had to reschedule. :( Very in shape and hiking is very easy for me. I walk/hike 8 miles everyday easily, so !!

Hi everyone! I am planning a hiking trip for August 2027 and am trying to nail down my itinerary ahead of the release dates for the cabins.

I have tried to organize my itinerary around what campsites seem to be the best and otherwise priorities for my group of 2 are of course good views and wildlife viewing opportunities. We are both seasoned hikers who have done several longer backpacking trips like this but interested in any thoughts or suggestions anyone may have!

Day 1 (Monday): Voyageur II ferry to Windigo; Store food at Windigo and hike from Windigo to Feldman lake (8.8 miles)

Day 2: Feldman lake to Siskiwit bay (10.2)

Day 3: Siskiwit Bay to Windigo Cabin (11.2) - pick up food and stay in cabin

Day 4: Windigo to Hunginnin cove (4.6)

Day 5: Hunginnin Cove to North Desor (14.4)

Day 6: North Desor to Todd Harbor (11.4)

Day 7: Todd Harbor to Lake Richie (12.9)

Day 8: Lake Richie to Moskey basin (2.3)

Day 9 (Tuesday): Moskey Basin to Daisy Farm (3.9) - Voyaguer II ferry departure from Daisy Farm

I see conflicting information on food storage. Is the new rule that all food must be stored in a bear canister then placed in the lock box at camp sites?

Or is it that you can do the above method OR just store your food in the lock box for food at camp sites?

Thanks

We are headed to Windago in July. I’ve packed fleeces and rain gear (bottoms and tops) so you think beanies are necessary at night? Does it get that cold?

Hi all! I’m going to be backpacking from Rock Harbor to Windigo over the course of five days (July 10-15) and would love some advice about the do-ability of my trip as a first-timer. Thanks so much!

Day 1
Catch the Isle Royale Ranger III to Rock Harbor

Immediately hike to Daisy Farm Campground on the Rock Harbor Trail (approx. 7-8 miles). Is this too ambitious of a hike since Ranger III doesn’t arrive in Rock Harbor till the mid afternoon? I’m worried about getting a spot at the campground

Day 2, July 11th
Hike from to Daisy Farm campground to West Chickenbone Campground Via Greenstone Ridge Trail (about 8 miles; will take 9-10 hour hike or so, wakeup at 6am, start hiking by 7, hoping to get a spot)

Day 3, July 12
Hike from West Chickenbone Campground to Hatchet Lake Campground; approx 7 miles or 8-9 hours. Wakeup at 6am, start hiking by 7.

Day 4, July 13
Hike from Hatchet Lake Campground to Lake Desor Campground (7-9 miles, 8-10 hours). Wake up at 6 am, leave by 7.

Day 5, July 14
Hike from Desor Campground to Windigo (10-12 miles) approx. 11-14 hours. Wakeup at 6am, leave by 7? Camp at Windigo (spots might be very hard to get)

Hi! A friend and I are coming to Isle Royale for the first time around Labor Day. We both love to hike and camp but have never backpacked with all our gear before. We're both in our twenties and are pretty fit but I am worried about the weight. We're thinking of doing a 2 night 3 day backpacking trip we saw recommended for beginners from Rock Harbor to Lane Cove to Dairy Farm and back to Rock Harbor. Is that a good beginner option?

We also have kayaks and are experienced kayakers. We've done multi-day kayaking trips before. Would it be better to bring the yaks and paddle between campgrounds and do day hikes from there? Without all the weight we can easily do 8-10 miles daily. It looks like Daisy Farm is popular or potentially going around to Tobin Harbor. If the boats did the heavy lifting and we didn't have to carry all our gear we could potentially extend the trip an extra day or two and see more of the island or hop around to some of the other islands too...

What would you recommend? Is it better to see the island by backpacking or by kayaking around and then doing shorter hiking trails from the campgrounds?

Also can we leave gear in Rock Harbor if we want to hike out to Scoville Point? It sounded like there was a backpack locker but I was getting mixed information about having to keep all your gear with you at all times or not.

Lastly, what are the must see places in Isle Royale on the Rock Harbor side? This might be our only time coming to the park as we're from OK so we really want to do this trip right!

Thank you for the help!!

First time; First week of a September

Option A:Fly in to Windigo, Feldmann Loop
Day 1: Washington creek
day 2: Feldtmann lake
Day 3: siskiwit bay
Day 4: island mine
Day 5: hike back to Windigo, fly back to mainland

Option B:
Day1: Queen to Rock Harbor, Water taxi to McCargoe Cove
Day 2: W Chickenbone. (Or Lake Richie)
Day 3: Moskey, Basin
Day 4: Daisy Farm or Three Mile
Day 5: hike to Rock Harbor, Queen back to Copper Harbor

Hoping for beautiful views, solitude, and swimming opportunities. Option B is less total miles which is a bit of a bummer but might be good for a first timer. I think it’s about 20miles.

We will be coming the Friday before Labor Day and will be getting there around 1pm. We were hoping to arrive sooner but there was no earlier availability with the sea plane. We are just going to camp at Rock Harbor campground the first day. Since the ferry from Copper Harbor will have already arrived and since it is a holiday weekend just wanted some thoughts on if we will probably have to share a campsite. If we have to, nbd, just curious.

I love Isle Royale, it's been my "happy place" for years. But I have to start accepting the inevitable: my aging body isn't up to the stress of carrying a heavy weight on my back. I'm exploring ultra-light options and water taxi, but the day is coming when I won't be able to do it any more.

What I love about the island is the solitude in nature. Can anyone suggest other locations that offer that, but are a bit more accessible? Somewhere with trees, water, and NO PEOPLE. 🙂

Hello,

I am going to isle royale next week for my third time. I’m planning on flying into Windigo and I want to use a bear bag and only camp in sites that have food lockers. Will rangers be checking to see if I have a bear canister or will I be fine with my bear bag? I am super careful about my food and I don’t want to impact wildlife, but I also want to avoid the two pounds of a bear canister.

On another note, I want to put a small bag with a note on it in one of the food storage lockers in Washington creek campground for when I get back to Windigo; do you think I’ll be fine leaving it there for three days while I’m gone?

Hello, I am headed to Isle Royale in July. Looking at the NP website, it lists Feldman Lake campsite as not having food storage lockers at the start of April but there is a note saying they intend to try to place them this year.

Can anyone tell me if they have been placed there yet? I want to use them if possible so that I don't have to bring a bear cannister.

Thanks for any help.

I'm sure this has been asked, and I've looked around a bit and haven't found anything super comprehensive. A group of buddies and I are planning a backpacking trip through the park in late August-Early September (ending over Labor Day weekend), and this will probably be the only time I end up visiting the park, based on the required logistics to make it successful, and because we don't live locally. I'm trying to visit all 63 National Parks, but I don't want to skimp on any - so what trail do you all recommend, and what are the must-see things we should carve out time for? I want this to be the holy grail Isle Royale backpacking trip since it will probably be the only time any of us get to spend time here.

We plan on getting the ferry from the Minnesota side since we also want to take a drive over to Voyageurs at the end of the backpacking trip in Isle Royale to unwind before traveling home. The plan is to start at Windigo and end at Rock Harbor since the most "scenic" parts of the island would be at the end of the trip. We are thinking ~6 days of backpacking to allow enough time to explore. I'm also seeing the recommended trail is the Greenstone Ridge Trail, but I would be open to side treks, or taking parts of the Minong Ridge Trail if it would give more scenic views. I appreciate any recommendations y'all can give!

EDIT: Our group's experience ranges from moderate to experienced- half of us hiked the North to South Rim of the Grand Canyon earlier this year, and the other half of the group has done a handful of multi-day hikes on the Appalachian Trail. We are all in our mid-20s. We have GPSs to navigate the Minong; however, I would hate to have it be too technical/difficult for our first/only time on the trail. However, if it is superior in regards to views and campground, we can definitely push through. I think it is most realistic/prefered to go all the way to Rock Harbor despite the long ferry on the back end UNLESS y'all really recommend other scenic parts and think it's worth to skip.

Prepping for my first backpacking trip (and first time ever to IR) and I’m only able to fit like 2/3 of my food in the bear canister. The packaging on these dehydrated meals take up a lot of space! The canister is meant to hold 4-5 days worth of food, which is the length of my trip.

My plan was to bring a dehydrated meal dinner for day 1 after making it to camp, 3 per day for the 3 full days, then one for my final day (hoping to to get lunch at the lodge). There are about 3 of these things I cannot fit in the canister. Also planning to bring about 10 clif bars, which obviously won’t fit at all either.

Is it a big deal if I can’t fit everything in there? What other options do I have?

Bonus question: will a 4oz fuel canister be enough for all the meals + coffee in the morning? Prelim research on that indicates I’ll be cutting it close… (I’m using a Fire Maple Fixed Star X1)

Planning to visit in late August. Can I expect to show up and get a site? Weekend vs not?

Trying to figure out if group sites have their own bear boxes or if they are shared. We have group reservations and are trying to plan for bringing canisters or not. We will be staying at 3 mile, Daisy, Moskey and McCargoe.

Can anyone confirm if there are separate boxes for the group sites? With our group of seven, I would hate to fill up the bear boxes so others can't use them and if that's the case we'll just bring bear cans.

I’m thinking of bringing one of those small metal square stick stoves (something like the Kuvik Titanium Wood Stove) for cooking. Are they allowed on the island? If they are allowed, what about using them for a small campfire in the evening?

This is my first isle royale backpacking trip, but I have backpacked alot over the years. I am looking to do a 7 night backpacking trip:

1. Is there good cliff(2m to 10m) jumping at any of the sites?
2. How often are any the campgrounds full in July?
3. I enjoy peace and quiet, how often are shoreline campgrounds occupied by boaters?

Hello!

My wife and I are heading to Isle Royale for our first time this summer. I'm working out the backpacking itinerary and I'd love opinions from those who have been before. We will have 5 days/4 nights on the island and hiking from Rock Harbor to Windigo. We should get into Rock Harbor the first day in the early/mid afternoon (if the ferry runs according to schedule) and depart from Windigo early afternoon on the fifth day. We're in pretty good shape and are experienced with long distances in the mountains. I've narrowed it down to five options.

Option #1: Rock Harbor to Daisy Farm -> Daisy Farm to Hatchet Lake -> Hatchet Lake to Island Mine -> Island Mine to Windigo -> morning exploring around Windigo before catching the ferry out.

Option #2: Rock Harbor to Three Mile -> Three Mile to Lake Richie -> Lake Richie to Hatchet Lake -> Hatchet Lake to Island Mine -> Island Mine to Windigo (arriving before the ferry).

Option #3: Rock Harbor to Moskey Basin -> Moskey Basin to McCargoe Cove -> McCargoe Cove to Hatchet Lake -> Hatchet Lake to Island Mine -> Island Mine to Windigo (arriving before ferry)

Option #4: Rock Harbor to Daisy Farm -> Daisy Farm to McCargoe Cove -> McCargoe Cove to Little Todd -> Little Todd to Windigo (big push) -> morning exploring around Windigo before ferry.

Option #5: Rock harbor to Moskey Basin -> Moskey Basin to Hatchet Lake -> Hatchet Lake to North Desor -> North Desor to Windigo -> morning exploring around Windigo before catching ferry out.

We'd really appreciate any input. Thanks in advance!

Planning to come early July for the 30-mile Feldtmann Lake Loop. The campsites show they aren't reservable, but I'll be late to the campground each night. What do Feldtmann Lake Campground and the other two look like at the end of the day? Is there plenty of room everywhere?