“I want to hike Isle Royale, any desire to join me? Maybe put a small women’s hike together?” showed up in my Messenger tab one evening in January. The sender was Kelly, a woman I had met through the Little Traverse Conservancy on a work bee. We had chatted while working and had become Facebook friends. And while I didn’t know her well, she had a good vibe, and I had loved visiting Isle Royale the past two times I was there, so I jumped at her offer. We did some planning via online chats, and dinner at the Sidedoor Saloon in Petoskey, booked our sea plane tickets, and discussed doing a shake down hike or two before traveling to Isle Royale in August.
A month later I was in Lake Okeechobee Florida visiting another hiking buddy, Jeanie, on my way to a Tiger’s game in Lakeland, when she mentioned that she’d really like to go to Isle Royale. It seemed like fate to invite her, especially since all three of us had a background in education, in addition to our love of hiking. She said she’d look into booking a ticket, and a few days later, confirmed she’d be coming with us.
We did manage a quick shakedown trip earlier in July so that Kelly and Jeanie could meet each other, we could strategize a route, and test out both our gear and our stamina. I put together a few different possibilities for hiking itineraries, and a day or half day of paddling. I felt like I was building a “choose your own adventure” itinerary. Based on previous trips to Isle Royale, I knew the mud, slippery rocks, elevation gain, and wobbly puncheon could make for slow going. It’s easy to assume that you’ll be able to cover the same number of miles in a day as you would on more familiar backpacking trails, but it’s not realistic for Isle Royale, especially when you’re a middle-aged person with questionable knees. I figured flexibility was key.
We spent the night before our flight at the Hancock Recreation Area campground, which was very convenient, and took off for Lake Linden/Hubbell early for our 10:00 flight, in case they were running early. Kelly and I were on a plane together, and because she had booked her ticket separately, Jeanie left on another plane a little after Kelly and I departed. It was a gorgeous flight, with amazing views of the Keweenaw Peninsula, Lake Superior, and the archipelago that comprises Isle Royale.
Upon arrival, we stowed our packs in the new wolf-proof backpack locker, completed our permit paperwork, and picked up propane from a bin outside the store (because they’re not allowed on the plane, often people leave partially used cans for the next hikers, since they can’t take it with them.) Kelly waited for Jeanie to arrive while I went to scout out campsites. Our plan was to stay in Rock Harbor for the night, and either kayak that afternoon, or the following day if the weather allowed. I walked the path along the shelters, noting they were all claimed with permits hanging from their posts, and then began to encounter the individual camp sites, which I scoured looking for something hammock-friendly for Jeanie. Eventually I came across a couple just leaving their site, and they showed me where they had hung hammocks the night before. With this knowledge, I felt comfortable claiming the site.
After setting up our tents and hammock, we decided it was a bit too late in the day for kayaking, so we opted to hike the Stoll Trail out to Scoville Point, which was just lovely, and a gentle ease into the rocky hiking conditions we would later encounter on the Rock Harbor trail out to Three Mile campground. With just day packs, the Stoll Trail was an easy afternoon hike. Afterward, we celebrated with a beer out on the porch of one of the restaurants, and enjoyed the view of the harbor. It was strange to me, after visiting the Windigo end of the island, to see so many people, particularly tourists with suitcases instead of backpacks. While the scenery was beautiful, Rock Harbor did not feel like wilderness. We made our way back to camp, and decided that in the morning, we would pack up, rent kayaks (weather permitting) and paddle for half a day before setting off to Three Mile campground. (Many of the camp site and shelter locations have a one night maximum stay, so our plans had to work around that rule.) After cooking our dehydrated meals, we ate and headed to bed not too long afterward. The noise of tent zippers and my own loud sleeping mat tend to keep me awake, so I listened to a terrible book I had begun on the drive up (“You Shouldn’t Have Come Here” by Jeneva Rose) in the hopes it would put me to sleep. (It worked well every night of the trip!)
The following morning, we packed up after breakfast, stowed our backpacks in the backpack locker, and rented kayaks. While I think three is the perfect group number for Isle Royale in terms of campsites and shelters, it turned out to be less than perfect for renting kayaks, since they only had doubles available. However, I opted to sit in the back of a double and paddle on my own, while Kelly and Jeanie shared, which worked out fine. The man who rented them to us suggested paddling down Tobin Harbor to a dock that would connect us to a trail to Lookout Louise, so we took his suggestion for our half-day water adventure. The paddling was easy, and the scenery was amazing. I think if I ever go back to Isle Royale, it’s going to be as a kayaker, not a backpacker!
The hike to Lookout Louise was not terribly difficult, although my water sandals and lack of trekking poles were rookie mistakes that I should have avoided. We sunned ourselves on a rock outcropping, ate lunch, and enjoyed the view of an area affected by forest fire bursting back to life, before continuing on to the lookout, which was breathtaking.
Upon returning the kayaks and gear, we prepared for our hike to Three Mile campground. The Rock Harbor Trail was no easy forest path–instead we had big steps up and down the ledges of fragmented boulders and rock slabs. It was slow going, although the views of Lake Superior and nearby islands were magical. We arrived at the campground around 4:00. It had taken us about three hours to go three miles, which was a reality check for our plans for the upcoming days. Every individual campsite and shelter was full, so we headed to the group sites, one of which was occupied by a scout group, and the other by two families. We opted for the group site with the two families, and proceeded to set up camp. I quickly realized that setting up my trekking pole tent was going to be a challenge because the ground was a big rock slab–no give for tent stakes. I rounded up a log and a couple of big rocks to use to keep my guylines in places, and headed to the beach for a much-needed swim. I left my sweaty clothes hanging on a tree to dry out a bit, and entered the lake in my tank top and boxer-briefs. The water felt amazing, washing away the sweat and grime of the day, and soothing my achy joints and muscles. I felt like a different person when I got out of the water half an hour later. While I dried off, Jeanie admired the variety of rocks on the shore, and Kelly relaxed on the dock. We cooked dinner on the beach, and then headed back to camp. As I loaded my bear canister into the bear box, I noticed movement from the corner of my eye–it was a fox, heading down the path. Isle Royale’s shoe-stealing foxes are legendary, so I warned everyone back at our site to be sure their shoes were out of reach before they went to bed. After I settled into my tent, I could see the fox running around between our tents in the twilight.
Around 5 in the morning, I awoke to a shout of “Get Away!” and the sound of rocks clattering. I figured the fox had come too close to someone’s tent. It wasn’t bothering me, so I went back to sleep. When I got up around 7, I noticed that several items that had previously been under some tents’ rainflies had been dragged to different areas around the campsite. One of the dads told me had shone his headlamp out of his tent door when he heard something outside, and had seen a wolf! When he yelled at it, it had jumped up on a rock wall that ran along the edge of the campground, looked at him for a moment, then ran off. I wondered for a moment if it had really been a wolf, or if he had seen the same fox that I had. However, when I returned to civilization a few days later and learned that rangers had killed a wolf for exactly this sort of behavior, it made it seem a lot more likely to me that his ID had been correct. It was unnerving to think a predator like that had been feet away while I slept, with only a tent wall between us.
Later, as I collected my bear canister from the bear box so that I could cook breakfast, I encountered a woman who had stored her whole backpack in the bear box, explaining that she had trouble with a wolf trying to take it earlier in her trip. I asked if it was possible to hang it in a tree, using paracord, to free up space in the bear box, but she was adamant that she would continue to store it that way. I wonder what will happen when the bear boxes are too full and people are forced to either remove others’ backpacks from the bear boxes in order to make room for their food, or be forced to store their food elsewhere…
Since we were limited to a one night stay at Three Mile Campground, our options were to either hike to Daisy Farm, or Lane Cove. The hikes were similar in distance, but as the trail to Lane Cove didn’t go anywhere beyond that destination, we figured it would be less traveled, so we chose that option. I had also heard that Lane Cove was really pretty. The trail from Three Mile to Lane Cove is rated “moderate to difficult,” and I would agree with that assessment. The elevation gain as you near Mt. Franklin is no joke, and there are sections of steep, rocky surface that are slippery when wet, and give your Achilles tendon a good stretch. We encountered several hikers who had lost the trail, unaware that they needed to look for cairns (rock piles) in areas that were rockface as opposed to forest. Some of the forested sections were also challenging, with big steps up and down mossy boulders. It was a gorgeous hike, with beautiful scenery in the small details and grand vistas.
When we arrived, we were happy to discover there were individual campsites available. We were able to snag one right on the lake, and went swimming shortly after putting up our tents. As the afternoon waned, we watched loons pass by. A sailboat came across the horizon near sunset, and in the morning, there was a canoe in the mist. The scenery was just gorgeous, and I finally felt like we were in the true wilderness Isle Royale is known for.
After a rainy but peaceful night, we packed up, not terribly excited to make the difficult trek back to Three Mile campground. However, the climb didn’t seem quite as daunting, and we reached our lunch break location pretty easily. We decided that I would go ahead in the hopes of claiming a campsite, while Jeanie and Kelly continued to chat with others we had met at the high point of the trail.
As I took off down the trail alone, I felt a peace that comes with hiking at exactly your own pace, with only yourself to worry about. I encountered a few other hikers, but was mostly left alone to my thoughts. As I entered the rockface area, I encountered a young woman trying to figure out where the trail was. After I showed her the cairns, she yelled for her dad and brother, who had pursued an old trail that apparently led into a swamp, based on tales I’d heard from others.
Before I knew it, I was entering Three Mile campground. There were two waterfront sites left, and I hemmed and hawed over which to choose. One was level, sheltered from the wind, just the right size for three, and had good hammock trees. The next had a beautiful view, but was large, and open to the wind, which was already quite noticeable. I went the responsible route and chose the more protected campsite. Kelly and Jeanie were not far behind me, and after they arrived and we set up our shelters, we headed to the beach. Again, the water proved to be a most welcome reward for the day’s work.
As the evening wore on, more and more hikers wandered along the path, looking for a place to camp. I recommended the group sites to one party, telling them we could squeeze them in if nothing was available at the group site. We didn’t see them again, so I assume they found someplace to camp. We also had a laugh when Jeanie reported she had been scolded by a woman for using “her” privy. Apparently she thought the outhouse near her shelter was just hers. There are only three privies at the campground, so the idea that anyone would have their own private bathroom seemed ludicrous, because there were probably 50 or so people staying at the campground in total. We had a peaceful night, without sign of either the fox or wolf that had been there two nights before.
The following morning, Kelly and I opted to take the Tobin Trail back to Rock Harbor, while Jeanie scooted out early to take the Rock Harbor Trail, and hopefully find us a shelter so that we wouldn’t have to pack up tents in the morning before catching our plane. The Tobin Trail was a lovely forest path, with none of the mud and rocks we had encountered the days before. Tobin Harbor is full of scenic little rocky islands, and the views along the path were just beautiful. While it was a tiny bit longer than the trail Jeanie took, it was a much easier hike, and it was nice to see new territory.
When we arrived at the campground, we found that Jeanie had tagged a shelter with our permit, and had started a load of laundry. We headed down to the store and purchased some snacks and a six pack of beer, which we enjoyed while sitting at a picnic table in front of the boat docks. We ran into a young woman we had met earlier, and invited her to join us. It’s always interesting to hear about others’ experiences, gear, itineraries, and “all the things.” After enjoying our snacks, we set up our sleep gear in the shelter, and settled in for a nap, as the woman running the store had told us thunderstorms were on their way in. We slept for an hour or two and discovered the sky looked clear, so we decided to do some exploring before having dinner at a restaurant near the lodge. It was rather bittersweet, knowing that our time to wander around this beautiful place was drawing to a close.
After dinner, we sat and watched the bay for a while longer before returning to our shelter and getting organized. We had to be to the seaplane dock by 8:30 a.m. the following day. We set alarms and drifted off to sleep.
All night long, I could hear the wind building, and I wondered if it would impact our flight. When I checked the weather board by the ranger station in the morning, it said the ferry to Michigan was canceled for the day due to building waves, and the ferry to Minnesota would be making one morning run. The seaplane was on schedule–good news! When we arrived at the dock, though, we discovered that due to mechanical problems, the 9:00 a.m. plane would be a 4-seater, not the expected 6-seater. Since Kelly and Jeanie were carpooling together back downstate, I took the bump, which gave me until 1:00 p.m. on the island. I hoped no further delays would take place, as I was looking forward to my motel room in Ontonagon, with a bed and shower. I hiked back to an outcropping by the lodge that we had seen the day before, and watched the waves roll in while I listened to a podcast to pass the time. In spite of the sporty wind and building waves, a sailboat headed out of the harbor. Around 12:30, I headed back to the seaplane dock, boarded my plane, and enjoyed a smooth flight and landing back to the mainland.
Compared to my previous trips to Isle Royale, in 2019 and 2022, this one was a bit of a disappointment. I had great company, which made the trip. I was not prepared for how “people-y” our experience would be. I don’t know if the Windigo end of the island has also experienced such a boom in visitation, but I think I would go back to that end if I visited it again. Both of my previous visits began in Windigo, and I did not experience the crowded campsites and beaches like we did in Rock Harbor and Three Mile. It felt more like wilderness on my previous visits, whereas this time it seemed like the campgrounds were villages of backpackers. I also saw zero moose on this trip. I know that their numbers have gotten back to a more normal status, due to the reintroduction of wolves, which is a good thing, but after seeing so many on previous trips, it was disappointing. We did see a lot of loons and mergansers, which were lovely. Our night at Lane Cove, the hike on the Stoll trail to Scoville Point, kayaking Tobin Harbor, hiking to Lookout Louise, swims in Lake Superior, and the hike from Three Mile to Rock Harbor on the Tobin trail were the highlights of my trip.
Exploring Michigan and other cool places 