Midwest Adventure: Isle Royale National Park #1

Now for one of our primary destinations, National Park #2 for this trip: Isle Royale National Park.

A rugged glacial landscape

The Park, which sits in the upper northwest corner of Lake Superior, covers 894 square miles with only about a quarter above water. At the Canada-U.S. border, it meets the Canadian Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area. While it is closer to Minnesota, it is in Michigan. And, because of maritime concerns, it sits in the Eastern Time Zone even though it is a tiny bit west of Chicago.

The largest island in Lake Superior, Isle Royale is 45 miles long and nine miles wide at its widest point. The highest point on the island is Mount Desor at 1,394 feet above sea level -- about 800 feet above lake level.

The park is made up of Isle Royale and approximately 400 smaller islands. Windigo, which has limited lodging and food services, is on the western side about 22 miles from Grand Portage, Minnesota. Rock Harbor, on the east, is 48 miles from Copper Harbor.  Rock Harbor, where we were staying, has lodging and restaurants plus a marina and boat rentals and tours. Isle Royale has camping facilities all over the island, most accessible only by foot or boat.

Because of the severe winters and travel distance, Isle Royale National Park is the only National Park to entirely close for the full winter season. Because it is so remote, fewer than 20,000 people visit per year -- which is fewer than the number of visitors to the most popular National Parks in a single day. Most of the people we met there were from the UP of Michigan (“Yoopers”).

Just a small island

There are four passenger ferries and one seaplane that provide service to and from Isle Royale National Park:

Ranger III: The largest moving piece of equipment owned and operated by National Park Service, the Ranger III sails from Houghton, Michigan, which is a bit farther down the Keweenaw Peninsula from Copper Harbor. The 73-mile trip takes six hours and includes a stop at Park Headquarters on Mott Island before continuing to Rock Harbor. It makes the trip only twice a week. It costs about $60 per person one-way with additional fees for kayaks, canoes and other equipment.

Voyager II: This passenger ferry sails from Grand Portage, Minnesota, which is only 22 miles from Isle Royale, making it appear that it would be a faster trip. But, it takes seven hours to reach Rock Harbor because it stops first at Windigo on the other side of Isle Royale and then makes other stops at various docks around the island based on demand. It costs about $75 per person one-way plus additional costs for equipment.

Seahunter II: Operating day trips between Grand Portage, Minnesota, and Windigo, this boat does not continue on the Rock Harbor and does not carry gear. It costs about $70 for the day trip.

Isle Royale Seaplanes: This service operates from Houghton to both Rock Harbor and Windigo. Trips take about a half hour. As one would expect, it is far pricier than the ferries – about $310 one way. And, it has a rather severe restriction on luggage.

Our boat

Isle Royale Queen IV: Operating between Copper Harbor and Rock Harbor, this boat takes just over three hours to make the 48-mile trip, the fastest way to get to the island. That was our route, even though we had to travel all the way up to Copper Harbor to catch the ferry. 

It cost $62 per person one way with extra fees for gear. They claim to have a 70 lb. per-person limit on luggage, but no one checked what we were bringing.

The ferry departs at 8:00 a.m., so we arrived around 7:00 to park the car and trailer in the field that serves as the lot. It costs around $20 to park. If you are staying at the lodge, you tag your non-carry-on luggage and then it is delivered directly to your room or cabin.

Boarding was fairly humorous. The ferry line is owned and run by three brothers who have been in the business for about 40 years. They are – shall we say? – gruff. They barked orders at us about how to deliver luggage, which they then lift and hoist to the top of the ferry, where it is stowed in a canvas bin. Watching them throw Scott’s camera case up was pretty scary. I held onto my cameras.

The inside of the ferry is pretty tight with no room to stow carry-ons. But, that was OK. The seas were a bit rough, so there was no way I was staying in the cabin. I spent the entire trip on the front deck. Fortunately I picked the side that did not get an occasional wave over it! I did take a Dramamine and wear my ant-motion-sickness wristbands.

We pulled out of the harbor just as the sun was coming up, passing the Copper Harbor Light ... 

You can see the lighthouse

... and being thrilled to see the Pride of Baltimore II, one of the Tall Ships we had tried to see in Duluth, passing by on the horizon. 

That tiny dot on the left horizon is the Pride of Baltimore II

That, along with a juvenile Bald Eagle (the same one we saw the first day in Copper Harbor?) made for a rather grand departure. That tiny dot on the left horizon in the bottom picture is the Pride of Baltimore II.

Cool sightings

The trip was a bit rough, but not unbearable. I found it odd to watch the horizon with no hope of seeing any whales, dolphins, fish or seals. But, as a woman I spoke with on deck said, the trade-off is that the water doesn't smell fishy and you don't get sticky with salt spray. It's hard to wrap your head around the fact that this is a lake, because for a portion of the trip you cannot see any land!

A bit chilly on deck

After the long, long trip, land finally came into view: Rock Harbor, the biggest "city" on Isle Royale. In addition to cliffs and bluffs, we saw the Rock Harbor Lodge perched on the edge of the water.

Arrival

When you first arrive, you have to go to a briefing at the Visitors Center by an NPS ranger. They talk about the layout of the area, boat rentals and how to not get killed by the moose that allegedly roam all over the island. More on that later.

Festive!

One that is over, you have to walk over to the Lodge Office to check in -- of course there's a line because almost everyone arrived on the boat. We had a cabin, so we then had to walk back to an area behind the Visitors Center. Probably a half mile. It's nice that they deliver your luggage, which was there when we got to the cabin. 

It was a nice, but somewhat funky, cabin, with a double bed that pushed into the wall (?), a pair of bunk beds, a small kitchenette and a fabulous picture window that faced Tobin Harbor peeking through the trees.

A nice cabin

We could have brought a cooler full of food (even though that would probably push us over our 70-lb. limit) and I wish we had. The food service on the island leaves a bit to be desired. It's slow, they messed up every one of Scott's orders (order coleslaw, get french fries; order chips, get french fries), there's not much variety and the food is mediocre (except for the fabulous quesadillas). But, we didn't really go there to eat.

Now, a little about Isle Royale ...

First, we were shocked that everyone pronounced it ROYAL not ROYAALE. No one could explain why because the name does come from the French and should bet the latter. I think it's a Michigan thing.

The archipelago comprising Isle Royale itself and the smaller islands is the edge of the 1.1-billion-year-old Midcontinent Rift that pushed up from the lake floor and was glaciated into a long, ridged island, with lakes and inlets of Lake Superior filling in low points between some of the ridges. The south sides of these ridges and the south lakeshore are more gently sloped; the north sides and lakeshore more steep.

A number of small native copper mines were active in the 1800s, but mining was never prosperous. More interesting is that the native peoples mined copper there as long as 5,700 years ago.

Rocks in the water

Isle Royale has both deciduous and coniferous trees as well as bogs and swamps. But, the most prevalent plant is the thimbleberry. It looks a lot like a raspberry, but with huge leaves and fruit that actually looks like a thimble. The fruit is so delicate that it cannot be successfully picked, stored or shipped. Thimbleberries are very tasty; a bit more floral than raspberries, but very similar. Basically, you can just grab them and pop them in your mouth as you walk along. It makes me wonder why bears never crossed the frozen lake to get there.

Berries

The first afternoon, after settling in and eating lunch, Scott rested and I hiked the 4.2-mile round-trip Stoll Trail to Scoville Point. 

Scenes from the island

Scoville Point is a rocky prominence on the far east side of the "ridge" that forms Rock Harbor and protects Tobin Harbor on the other side. The trail both passes through forest and follows the shoreline.

The trail

I was still wearing the jeans I had worn on the ferry and immediately regretted it. Although Isle Royale is supposed to be relatively cool in the summer, it was hot -- well into the 80's, about 10 degrees above normal. 

In addition, I was a bit woozy from the Dramamine I had taken on the boat. Not the best way to hike.

Even though August is billed as a much lower biting-insect month, the mosquitoes were plentiful. Fortunately, there were no no-see-ums.

I had taken my medium-length lens (which turned out to have a focus problem when zoomed out), hoping that I would see lots of animals. This was a hike better suited to wide-angle. Luckily, I had my phone with me.

The trail was level and easy for hiking. It features a number of interpretive signs along the initial section and there were lots of different types of trees and plants.

I suspect that, because of its proximity, length and ease of hiking, it is the most frequently hiked trail in the park. I saw quite a few people who had been on our ferry that morning. I was surprised to learn that a number of the people on the ferry were actually staying just that day or were leaving the next day. It's a long ride out. It seems you should stay awhile.

An old trunk

Of course, the entire time I was hiking, I was looking for animals. And, by animals, I mean MOOSE. We had been told there were 1,300 moose on the island. It seems that, with an island that small, one should be around every corner. Imagine my reaction when I saw this downed tree from a distance. 

But, I managed to make it all the way out to Scoville Point without seeing anything but butterflies, grasshoppers, gulls and red squirrels.

As I neared to point, the trail moved closer to the water, which is remarkably clear and a beautiful turquoise color. It looked so inviting -- especially as I was sweating in my jeans -- but it is actually quite cold -- about 55°F. 

Clear water

I finally made it to the point, which is strikingly beautiful. To reach it, you climb up some rough-hewn stairs in the rock and walk across the outcropping.

Solid rock

At the far end, there is a small copse of trees. You can stand there and look northwest to see the beginning of Tobin Harbor, which is much calmer than the waters of Rock Harbor. I could see a small house that I later learned in the lodging for the Artist-in-Residence at Isle Royale. It makes me want to become an artist!

Pretty

After I took some pictures, I started my hike back and had one small moment of panic. I had forgotten that I came up hidden steps on the far side of the rock and so began just walking straight back toward where I can from. Then, I came to the edge of a cliff. I didn't know how to get back and I didn't see any trail markers. Tamping down my panic, I retraced my steps and followed some other people back down the rock steps. Lesson learned: pay attention to the route.

The trail is a loop and my way back would be along the Tobin Bay side for a while before curving back to Rock Harbor.

Animals found on Isle Royale include Red Foxes, Beavers, Red Squirrels, Snowshoe Hares, Otters, Loons, Eagles, Ospreys, Mergansers, Black Ducks, Songbirds, Woodpeckers, Gulls, Kingfishers, Painted turtles, Garter Snakes and a few varieties of amphibians. 

Red squirrel

Along the trail, I saw many of the loud, chattering Red Squirrels that had been common in Voyageurs.

I was nearing the end of the trail. 

I had just about given up hope of seeing a Moose that day. 

Then, I rounded a bend just before the trail left Tobin Bay and saw some people stopped and looking through the small trees on the water's edge. It was a Moose (to be completely accurate, a Northwestern Moose, the same type found in most of central and western Canada). Very close (about 20 feet away), but very hard to photograph because of the dense foliage. This was a big boy with nice antlers.

Moose!

Isle Royale National Park has long been known for its Wolf and Moose populations and is the only place where Wolves and Moose coexist without Bears. Therefore, scientists have long conducted studies there of predator-prey relationships in a closed environment.

Around 1900, moose introduced themselves to the island, presumably swimming from Ontario. Wolves followed later, crossing increasingly rare ice bridges (crossing were documented in 1948 and 1967). Both populations have gone through booms and busts due to weather, disease, food availability and predation. 

I had to struggle to get a glimpse

There have traditionally been about 25 Wolves and 1,000 Moose on the island, with the numbers changing greatly year to year. In rare years with very hard winters, animals can travel over the frozen lake from the Canadian mainland. To protect the Wolves from canine diseases, dogs are not allowed in any part of the park, including the adjacent waters. However, we heard that a dog illegally brought to the island in the 70s introduced parvovirus, killing off many Wolves.

Wading in the water

We were very unhappy to learn that, due to genetic inbreeding, wolf populations have declined to only two (two!). A study is being conducted to determine if new Wolves will be introduced in the next few years or if the Wolves will be allowed to die out. We were told that there are 1,300 Moose on the island, but I have read that the numbers can be as low as 400. I know there is one!

After watching the Moose from the first vantage point, I tiptoed around the bend and took more pictures from the other side. The Moose definitely knew we were there, but didn't seem to care. He would stare at us, then eat, then stare at us. I have been around enough Moose to know that we were not disturbing him. Then he slowly walked out of the water and across the trail where I had been standing before. I assume the people who were still over there backed up as he crossed!

Energized by my Moose sighting (which ended up being my ONLY Moose sighting for the entire trip), I rushed back toward the cabin. I was hot and concerned that Scott might be worried because my time spent photographing the Moose had delayed my return. In other words, I was not vigilant.

When a little Red Fox poked his head out of the shrubs on the side of the trail to the cabins, I was not ready to take a picture. So, I got only a few of him high-tailing it on the other side of the trail. Turns out that was my only Fox on the island.

Scott never saw a Fox or a Moose.

Just a flash

I was exhausted when I got back to the cabin -- a combination of little sleep the night before, Dramamine, heat and effort. So, I took a shower and lay down for a minute. Scott went to the restaurant and brought some food back to the cabin for dinner. After dinner, I crashed, only to have him wake me up because there was some minor aurora borealis going on.

We grabbed our cameras and tripods and walked down to the floatplane dock on Tobin Bay just below our cabin and took some pictures. To the naked eye, the aurora never got very exciting. In the pictures, you can see both green and some red/purple. It didn't move or change much, so we didn't stay to long. It wasn't very exciting, but it was the only aurora we saw on the trip.

Aurora

This previous blog has a description of what causes aurora borealis.

So, we finally went to bed it the small and slightly uncomfortable double bed but with a great view out the window of the northern sky. We had a full day of exploration ahead of us the next day.

Trip date: August 12-September 5, 2016