Isle Royale

An absolutely life-changing experience. If you are questioning whether or not to come here and are on the fence, definitely visit Isle Royale. I stayed at Three Mile, Daisy Farms, Mcargoe Cove, West Chickenbone, and Moskey Basin. If I had to rank them, it would be 1. Moskey Basin- absolutely beautiful and super cool rock formations, and a sandy beach. 2-Daisy farms-very large, nice dock. Water super clear and blue, and campsites were nice 3-Mcargoe Cove-super friendly people, boat access, and a beaver dam across the cove! 4- Three mile- nice dock, clean latrine, and only 3 miles from Rock Harbor. 5-West Chickenbone-Very mosquitoey, and campsites were hard to navigate. It was a long, confusing hike and we weren't sure where to go in order to get to the campsite. Still a good one, but backcountry so no water access except chickenbone lake, which I am not sure if it has algae blooms. My experience with Isle Royale was amazing and if you get a group of people together, it is super fun.

Well my scouts had to choose between Yellowstone and Isle Royale for a summer trip (with the flooding, I'm glad they picked here). I took ages 9-16 out. We opted for a ferry ride out and back. We we spent 5 nights on the Isle. Backpacked to different campsites everyday. The trails are well marked (we hiked 32 miles of the island, with a lot more to go). The locations of all campsites are also well marked. At Windigo, there are 2 different options for sleeping. There are enclosed shelters or tent sites. We chose a shelter for our final night since it is right on the inlet. We were able to see several moose walking the waters at sunset. Red Fox also visited our site. The cove has a spectacular view. Even though the water was chilly, the scouts were out splashing around, having a great time. While hiking, we ran across very few people on the trails. Very few hikers and the park being so remote, were huge parts of the peacefulness and quietness that we all enjoyed. The rangers were all fantastic and the employees at the shop were also friendly. The shop does have some supplies, but they only get shipments every 4 weeks. So if you are planning on being there just overnight or several nights be prepared, they may not have what you need. You must be able to filter your water, chemically treat it, or boil it. Only windigo and the northern port have potable water. Cell service is basically non existent. Every now and then, I had an American signal. Other times I picked up a Canadian signal. I am definitely going back. Wether it is with more scouts or by myself.

Isle Royale is a beautiful park. It's very remote and the further you get from the boat dock, the more dense the forest gets. Lots of vocal wildlife including moose. I went here for a day trip, which meant about 4 hours on the island between the ferry rides. There are plenty of easy hikes in the area, but also long ones if you plan for overnight camping.

Secluded park with lots of moose and wildlife. Most dense forest I have ever been too. There was about half the people doing long trip hiking and the other half like me visited for a half day. This park is a ferry ride away and is carry in and carry out so you really need to plan advance to visit and stay here. I enjoyed the park immensely though.

Isle Royal is my favorite place. We stayed for 3 days at the cabin. We were lucky to see many animals during our stay. Next time I would love to stay much longer.

Isle Royale is Michigan’s only national park and also the least visited national park in the country. That alone makes it worth the visit if you want to avoid crowds. Backpacking the island is not for beginners, but the terrain is easy with few technical areas. We had spectacular weather while we were backpacking. We went in early July a few years ago and only had the mosquitos to deal with along a couple trails and some camp sites near the water. I’d strongly recommend taking the seaplane to make the most of your trip.

This place is a disgusting hellscape and I hate it. The only use of these trees and nasty overgrown underbrush is to be cut down and turned into lumber for building something useful.

Love it here, lots of good hiking trails. Good planning is important, I think a lot of people come here not knowing what they getting into. Plan ahead, Pack Light, don't bring things you can do without.