Isle Royale trip report
 

The Isle Royale area reminded me of Prince William Sound in Alaska. Lots of wooded islands. Royale is pronounced roi'əl not roi əl', with the accent on the first syllable. Isle Royale National Park comprises about 200 islands. Isle Royale is the largest of those islands in Lake Superior.

I ferried from the MN side, on the ship Wenonah. You do not need advanced reservations to use this ship. During the summer the Wenonah leaves 7 days a week around 9AM from Grand Portage, arrives at Windigo on the west wide of Isle Royale around noon, stays about 3 hours (Gilligan's island theme – a 3-hour tour) then heads back to GP. To pronounce ‘Windigo’, think of the Princess Bride movie, “Hello, my name is Indigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” A very friendly older couple lives on the Wenonah. It is their summer home, and on the way back they detour by his father’s fishery on one of the islands.

There is another ship, The Voyageur II, that leaves Grand Portage 3 times a week and reservations are a must. It travels around the entire park and drops passenger at scheduled trailheads and points.

I had planned to do the 30-mile or so SW loop from Windigo to Feldtmann Lake to Siskiwit Bay to Island Mine to Windigo. The trails were filled with rocks and roots, roots and rocks, with the occasionally fallen tree. I was constantly looking down at the ground so I wouldn’t stumble. The surroundings were beautiful, but I would have enjoyed it more had I not had to continually look down. I camped at Feldtmann Lake. It was beautiful and serene. But I wasn’t looking forward to 3 more days of roots and rocks, so the next morning I headed back to Windigo. Some paths were thick with berries and I stopped often to munch. I spent 2 days and 1 night on the island. I would go back to Isle Royale to kayak or canoe, but not for overnight hiking. I walked by a large bull moose. I did not hear the wolves howling as it rained all night.

Points to keep in mind:
* There are 2 places on the 40-mile long island with safe drinking water – Windigo on the west, and Rock Harbor on the east. Water not obtained from the spigots at Rock Harbor or Windigo is considered contaminated with tapeworm and bacteria, so you must use a water filter or boil water. A park ranger said iron tablets were not advised.
* Wear boots instead of shoes as footing is often difficult due to the roots and rocks and slanted mossy bedrock that may be slick after a rain. Use your Teva sandals at the campsite. A park ranger said most trails on the island were filled with rocks and roots. And due to the trampling down over time, the rocks and roots are becoming more and more exposed.
* Some trails grow thick with berries and other obstructions, so have long pants handy.
* There are no predators (bears or poison ivy), so hiking is relatively safe. Outside of the rocks and roots.

For good advice on hiking and paddling Isle Royale, go to this Michigan travel site:
http://hunts-upguide.com/rock_harbor...le_royale.html

Thanks for the great report. My son has been thinking about going to Isle Royale so will pass this on to him.

My DH and DD just finished a week long tip-to-tip of the island hike; about 65 miles total including side hikes. They found the footing difficult, as stated, but we have done lots of portaging in the BWCA so they were kind of expecting the rocky, rooty terrain. They came across a boy scout with a cut on his head from a fall. It is a beautiful destination.