Rock Harbor Lodge at Isle Royale Resorts

Rocky Start at Rock Harbor Lodge. My wife and I stayed at the Lakeside Lodge of Rock Harbor Lodge for 2 nights this past July. Even though it is quite remote, the complex has everything you need for a comfortable stay. We ate at the Greenstone Grill, which was OK. The room was equipped with a comfortable bed, a hot shower, and a beautiful view. Internet service, which can be found only in a couple of the common areas was basically non-existant. But we didn’t come to Rock Harbor Lodge for the internet. We came to visit and explore Isle Royale National Park. So no internet for us was a non-issue.|Now, for the rocky part, which, by the way, is the reason the rating was a 3 instead of a 5.||First, please note that we weren't upset that we couldn't check in until 4pm. We knew that was the check in time when we made the reservation and we were fine with that. What we weren't OK with is the fact that we had no access to our luggage from the time we arrived by ferry (Isle Royale Queen) around 12 noon, until the time we were informed that our room was ready (4:00pm) Had we known that access to our luggage would not be allowed, we would have planned and packed our carry-ons differently so that we would have had the proper hiking gear to enjoy the park for those 4 hours prior to getting a room key. We were told by one of the staff that the website states that the luggage would be inaccessible until our room was ready. I couldn't find that statement on the website and when I asked the front desk associate to show me where it was, that person wouldn't honor my request. ||Once we got to our room, where our luggage was waiting for us, we were able to get into our hiking boots, grab our hiking poles and wander off into the serene beauty of the park. With the exception of the luggage debacle, we had an enjoyable stay at the Lodge.

After backpacking for three nights, the Rock Harbor Lodge was luxurious! We had a clean and cozy corner room on the bottom floor that had amazing views on the balcony. The beds were comfortable. The bathrooms need remodeling, but after camping you don't really mind the mold in the tiles. The main part of the room seemed to have newer beds/furniture etc. The generators did go out while we were there for a short time. Camp stove comes in handy for making coffee. We did have a 3 cup drip coffee pot in room that worked well. There is no daily housekeeping service. You can ask the front desk for clean towels or whatever you may need. Keep expectations light, be flexible, and enjoy the beauty of this amazing place!

Pros: -Beautiful view of Lake Superior from the rooms. -Staff were very helpful and friendly. -Sightseeing tours - these were great! Captain Jimmy was very friendly and knowledgeable about Isle Royale. Our favorite tour was the Edison Fishery Tour! -Trails around Rock Harbor were well identified and easy to follow. We enjoyed the scenery and the views of the forest. Cons: Disclaimer: many of these cons are mainly due to the price ($259 per night). If the price had been more reasonable, some of the issues with the room might be more expected. -Prices for Sightseeing Tours increased after booking. When I booked my trip, the tours were advertised for $38.75 per person. When I arrived, the price was increased to $60 per person. -Prices for restaurants increased after arrival. For example, the menu online listed chicken piccata for $23.50, but was increased when I arrived to $29. Pork Medallions were advertised online for $24.50 and were $33 when I arrived. -Room smelled very musty, I think this was from the carpet. -Paint chipping on the walls -Bathroom mirror was rusty -Moldy caulk in the shower -Mold around the bathroom sink faucet -Grills at the Marina - we decided to grill out one night. However, many of the grills were full of ash or were starting to rust and had large holes in the bottom. -Housekeeping - if you stay more than 3 nights, housekeeping comes the day after your 3rd night. All they did was exchange the towels and change the garbage. There was no cleaning done and we had to deal with mud in the entryway our entire stay. -Biggest downfall in my opinion was that there wasn’t even enough indoor seating for all the guests that were waiting for their ferry or seaplane departure. Check out of the hotel is between 8 am - 10:30 am, however most of the ferries don’t depart until later in the afternoon. There was not enough seating inside so many people had to sit in the pouring rain all day.

We stayed at the lodge for 3 nights in July 2025. We had a room with deck. We enjoyed the peace and quiet, watching and listening to the waves. The room was very nicely furnished with a woodsy sort of feeling to it. |The bathroom was showing its age but was perfectly adequate.|If you want clean towels during your stay, I recommend that you try to catch the housekeeping staff while they have their cart out and ask for towels. They never came into our room to check.|The room could use more hangers and hooks. We had quite a bit of rain while we were on the island and could have used more places to hang up our wet items.|I would not hesitate to stay here again.

We had a great experience at the Rock Harbor Lodge. We stayed in the cabins. There was a moose who would visit us in the mornings. Service was amazing. We had a snafu trying to get off the island (unrelated to the Lodge), and Captain Marina (and crew) rescued us and Joann and the entire Rock Harbor Lodge made our experience as easy and comforting as possible. I cannot speak more highly of the Lodge and its staff. They are so friendly and nice. Thanks for the great stay!

We stayed at Rock Harbor Lodge five nights for day hiking -- rooms directly overlook Lake Superior, good beds, OK shower, no fridge or microwave. Breakfast fare at the Greenstone Grill is repetitive (we didn't try the Lighthouse restaurant). As others have noted, wifi is available in the Guest House and on the porch of the hotel office. Although the Dockside Store has an impressive array of merchandise, its grocery selection is seriously limited (if you're planning to eat any meals in hotel room or housekeeping cabin, plan to take your own food). Lodge room had few accessible electrical outlets, and a couple that were accessible had no power (we did manage to charge our cell phones for photos, however). Water taxi with Captain Bob got us to Daisy Farm and Moskey Basin trailheads, an excellent experience. Staff members were truly helpful, although on the day we were scheduled for housekeeping (clean towels, trash emptied) we wouldn't have gotten it if we hadn't asked.

Staff was incredibly helpful during our stay. We were stranded 2 extra days due to gale force winds on Lake Superior. Ferry service was canceled. Fortunately the room was comfortable, the view awesome, and we were able to explore additional trails.

Didn't stay in a room. Visited someone staying in one. Nice room, amazing view, you are paying for the location. 2 restaurants. 1- burgers, pizzas, coffee, beer, soda or breakfast burritos or yogurt. The other, sit down, more expensive. The campground is close by. Backpack the island. It is an amazing experience with phenomenal views.