Trail & Campsites

Our Route from Rock Harbor

Rock Harbor is where everything starts and ends for us. It has a small lodge, a camp store, and a ranger station so it is a good spot to get organized before heading out into the backcountry. From there we have access to some of the best trail networks on the east end of the island. Isle Royale has about 165 miles of trails total and they range from flat lakeshore paths to rugged ridgeline hikes with some serious elevation changes. We have not locked in a specific route yet because we want to stay flexible depending on how the weather is and how we are feeling each day. The plan is to cover somewhere around five to eight miles a day which gives us time to take breaks, explore side trails, and actually enjoy being out there instead of just grinding through miles. We need to stay flexible with our campsite plans too because conditions can change fast out there and you might need to adjust on the fly. The goal is to loop through several campgrounds and make it back to Rock Harbor in time to catch our ferry home.

Campgrounds and Shelters Along the Way

Isle Royale has backcountry campgrounds spread out all over the island and each one has a handful of individual and group sites. Most of them have three-sided wooden shelters that are first come first served along with tent pads, pit toilets, and fire rings at some spots. We are looking at a few different campgrounds including Three Mile, Daisy Farm, Moskey Basin, Chippewa Harbor, and Lake Richie. Daisy Farm is one of the bigger and more popular ones close to Rock Harbor so it works well as a first or last night stop. Moskey Basin is quieter and sits right along the shore with some great views of the water. The shelters are a solid option for my parents especially since Isle Royale in September is notorious for rain and heavy winds that can roll in fast off Lake Superior. Having a roof over their heads on a rough night makes a big difference. Personally I will be roughing it in my tent no matter what the weather throws at us. Planning your campsite stops ahead of time matters because the distances between campgrounds vary and you do not want to end up stuck between sites after dark on trails you have never been on before.