Isle Royale: Quick Tips for Modern Ultralighters

When planning our Isle Royale trip, my sister Nichole and I found very few helpful resources. Sure, there are plenty of words on the internet, but many of them are written by either (a) travel bloggers/National Park bucket-listers who might not specialize in backpacking per se, or (b) Isle Royale lifers, who hike extensively on the Isle, but whose backpacking experience with other landscapes/environments/land managers is limited. 

In either case, most resources out there assume a more 'traditional' hiking style: 70-liter backpacks, leather boots, plenty of creature comforts in camp, and single-digit daily mileages. That's absolutely a valid way to enjoy the outdoors, but it's not for everyone. In particular, many thru-hikers and thru-hiker-adjacent backpackers prefer to spend many hours per day on their feet, covering long distances and seeing vast swaths of terrain. Their backpacks are relatively lightweight, and their camps are often spartan, rather than luxurious. In a word, they backpack in an ultralight style.

I've been to Isle Royale exactly once, and thus can't claim any sort of expertise. Nevertheless, I share this information because the Venn Diagram of 'Isle Royale hiker' and 'ultralight/thru-hiker' has such a minuscule overlap. I wish someone had written this article before I visited to dispel some of the misconceptions I had about the Isle, and to make explicit the unique features of the experience that Isle Royale lifers often leave unstated.

Scenery and Ecosystem

If you're looking for a useful analogue, I'd describe Isle Royale as a less-vertical and more-remote version of Vermont. Think extensive exposed bedrock, thin soils, and a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees. There are tons of moose, a few wolves, and brilliant starry skies - probably the best I've experienced east of the Hundredth Meridian. 

While some of the actual forest walking can be kind of meh, we found fairly frequent vantage points on the ridge trails that run the length of the island. And the lakeside trails are spectacularly beautiful. Overall, the scenery exceeded the modest expectations I held for it.

Entry Fees

Entry fees are charged on a per-person, per-day basis. On say, a week-long trip, that can get pricey in a hurry (our trip - two people for nine days - would have cost $144). The mechanics of paying that fee is also a pain in the rear.

No matter what the regulations actually say, the truth is that everybody just buys an America the Beautiful pass beforehand - to the point that rangers aboard the Ranger III ferry just assume you have one and ask to see it. Don't mess around; just get an eighty dollar America the Beautiful before you even leave home so you don't have to worry about things. Senior/Access/Fourth Grade passes are also accepted.

Transportation

Speaking of a pain in the rear! The only way to get to Isle Royale is via ferry or seaplane. Seaplane is at least twice the price of the ferry options. I won't bother detailing all the intricacies of the ferry system, as the NPS website lays it out well, and the details probably change somewhat regularly. I'll just note the following:

• Access from Michigan seems more common than access from Minnesota
• All ferries are operated by private concessionaires except the Ranger III, which is operated by the NPS.
• Only the Voyageur II makes stops at multiple ports on the Isle. 

We opted to take the Ranger III, as we preferred that our money go to NPS rather than a private concessionaire. The Ranger III also involves the longest boat ride (6 hours), allowing us to to feel the size, grandeur, and isolation of Lake Superior and Isle Royale. We were very happy with our choice. YMMV.

The Ranger III is an old boat from the 50s. Act fast once you board; the free coffee runs out quickly!

Seasons

Isle Royale is outright closed from November 1 to April 15 each year. Even when it's technically open, ferries may not be running yet. The high season is June-early September. Per our conversations with rangers, September used to be a quieter time, however that has changed in the past few years. Only once the ferry schedule dwindles (mid-September) do the crowds thin out.

By all reports, the bugs are quite terrible during the summer months: mosquitoes, black flies, the works. Full body armor (long pants, long shirt, headnet) is recommended, along with DEET. For this reason, we waited until early September to visit, and blessedly had zero bug issues. Next time, I'll definitely choose September again. Bugs could have completely ruined our experience, had we visited during the summer months.

Backcountry Permits

Permits are required for overnight backpacking on the island. We got ours aboard the Ranger III ferry en route to the island, so we were free to start hiking the moment we disembarked. Very convenient!

While the Park requires you to submit your planned itinerary as part of the permitting process, they expect and allow you to deviate from said itinerary in whatever way you want. Hooray! All campgrounds are first-come, first-served, and there are no quotas. It's up to backcountry users to share sites and double up as necessary. The Park asks that you drop your permit back off when you finish your trip, noting any changes you made. In practice, I don't really think that happens.

A couple of the campgrounds near Rock Harbor have maximum-stay restrictions to prevent people from chilling there for a week or something. So if you plan a zero day, double-check and make sure there's not a one-night-maximum at your chosen campground.

Camping

Most hikers will stay in a designated campground every night. These campgrounds contain 4-30+ sites, a pit toilet, and a water source. Some campgrounds also contain a few fully-enclosed lean-to shelters with bug protection. The campsites vary widely in size. Some can only accommodate 2-3 tents in close proximity, others have multiple 'lobes' that can host a pair of groups.

A typical privy.

All campsites are first-come, first-served. And they do fill up during the high season. Even in early-mid September, we shared a campsite with people most nights. If you're looking for solitude, Isle Royale's developed trail network is not the place for you. 

Dispersed camping is legal in most of the island (with a separate permit, which the ranger aboard our ferry just issued to everybody on the boat), however you must camp at least a quarter mile from any trail. But Isle Royale is so thick that this is usually impractical. It'd take you forever to bushwhack a quarter mile, and once you get there, it's unlikely that you'll find clear and level ground to set up a tent. There's one specific scenario where I can see the utility of dispersed camping (more on that later), but if you're sticking to the developed trail network, just plan to stay at the campgrounds.

Camped on top of each other, 15 feet from our neighbors (who generously agreed to share their site).

Daily Pace

Strong backpackers, hiking full days can cover 10-20+ miles per day - probably similar to your AT mileage in New England (minus trail legs, plus easier terrain). There's not a ton of elevation gain and loss, but trails can sometimes be rocky. In general, the closer to Lake Superior, the more difficult and rocky we found them. It's usually bedrock, rather than loose nasty stuff. But walking on bedrock all day will certainly take a toll on your feet.

One big caveat: if you are hiking full days (say, into the late afternoon or evening hours), it's likely that every campsite will be already be full when you arrive. Most Isle Royale hikers do single-digit miles per day and enjoy a long, leisurely camp. Even campgrounds deep in the backcountry oftentimes completely fill up by 2pm. If you're rolling in at 5:30, expect to have an awkward conversation with someone about sharing their campsite. And forget even imagining that you're gonna snag a shelter. Those get snapped up by late morning, often mere minutes after the previous occupants have left.

Water

The rangers will tell you that there's no water on Isle Royale except at the designated campsites. This is hogwash. There's water everywhere, depending on your standards. We encountered some form of water (even if it was a bit swampy or had some tannins) every few miles, even during a prolonged period of dry weather. It's still better than CDT cow water, after all! Use your map to find these sources. Two or three liters of capacity is probably sufficient for most folks. 

When possible, we drank Lake Superior unfiltered. I can't advise that of course, but if you're willing to live on the edge, dip-and-sip is a glorious experience :)

Bears

Isle Royale is not bear habitat. That said, wolves are intelligent critters, and have begun to raid campsites on the eastern part of the island (Rock Harbor vicinity). In 2024, the park instituted an emergency food storage order, requiring hikers to use the provided bear boxes at certain campsites. Honestly, the order's verbiage is really confusing, but it ended up not being very burdensome at all. Check the NPS website for the latest in future years, and give them a call if you're confused about the regulation.

Foxes are also common pests at some of the campgrounds. Secure your stuff; don't leave anything outside your tent.

Navigation

Basically everyone uses the Trails Illustrated map for Isle Royale. The trails are well-marked, and with few exceptions, almost impossible to lose. All junctions are signposted with mileages as well.

As normal, the TI maps aren't great. They smooth over a lot of switchbacks for unknown reasons, so they're basically only useful for getting the lay of the land and calculating mileages between campsites. If you're doing heavy-duty navigation stuff, you'll want a map that's (1) more zoomed in, and (2) actually shows trails accurately. The USGS quads are fine for this. I found the trails on Open Street Map (e.g. the Mapbuilder data in Caltopo) to be far more accurate than TI's impossibly-straight lines.

The Social Scene

While we both definitely enjoyed Isle Royale, we came in with the wrong expectations, and that put a damper on the trip. We'd heard that Isle Royale was so wild, and the ranger giving the orientation talk aboard the ferry only reinforced that impression. But we both felt it was complete bunk.

We expected solitude and quiet trails. Instead, we met a steady stream of people on most trails each day, and usually ended up doubling up on campsites, often mere feet from our neighbors. We had one blessed day where we saw nobody while hiking all day on an obscure trail with a burly reputation, but even then, the campground was mostly full in the evening, and there was a line to use the privy the next morning.

So - if you're a social hiker and love making connections with other like-minded people, Isle Royale is the place for you. Everyone you meet will have gone through significant effort just to get to the island. They'll ask where you're staying for the night. They might share their previous experiences on the Isle and the love for the place that keeps them coming back. You'll have the chance to swap beta, names, and stories. If that's your thing, you'll love Isle Royale.

If you're looking for solitude, you won't really find it here. Not even its isolated location in the middle of a Great Lake can counteract Isle Royale's National Park status. People flock to it. Unlike most National Parks, there aren't really any day users outside the immediate vicinity of Rock Harbor or Windigo, but the entire trail network, for the most part, sees a steady stream of backpacker traffic.

If you're hiking in thru-hiker style (long days on your feet), expect to get a lot of comments - both positive and negative - from fellow hikers about your itinerary. At one point, we started inventing campsites ("Foghorn Bay") to reference, because we were tired of everyone offering their opinions on our actual itinerary.

Packrafts and Hammocks

When I hike Isle Royale again, I'm going to do things very differently. Next time, I'm bringing my packraft. Getting on the water not only gets you away from most of the people, but also allows you to see arguably the island's most beautiful features - its gorgeous inland lakes. Many of them have trail access, and many others are connected by portage trails. Packrafting allows you to do the backpacking thing and the canoeing thing in a single trip, opening up nearly limitless route possibilities. You'd have to be certifiably insane to take a packraft on Lake Superior (though some of the coves and harbors can be pretty glassy on those rare calm days), but the inland lakes are perfectly suitable for a flatwater boat.

Getting on the water would also make it a snap to dispersed-camp, as you wouldn't be anywhere near a trail. The underbrush is thick enough that you'd probably want a hammock setup rather than a tent. Heavier, yes, but well-suited to the environment. A 'packraft and hammock' trip would be remote, beautiful, and unforgettable. 

Resupply

The stores at both Rock Harbor and Windigo are tiny. They've got a minuscule number of snacks (for example, they're missing potato chips) as well as a bunch of freeze-dried meals. More to the point though, the prices are outrageously, outlandishly expensive. Without exaggeration, a full resupply would probably cost you nearly $100/day. I supplemented my food bag with a few emergency peanuts at the Windigo store and that was fine, but I certainly wouldn't want to buy five days of food there. For reference, I have much experience with the art of the gas station resupply on long trails, so when I say it's impossible... it really is impossible.

The Windigo store will apparently hold a box for you, for a modest per-day fee. The process to get the box there (via the Voyageur II ferry) seems really rickety and I'm not sure I'd really trust it (because if your box doesn't show up, you're toast). As of this writing, the NPS site says to send it General Delivery to Grand Portage, MN. But it's unclear whether they just leave your box on the Windigo dock for the animals to ravage, or actually hand it to the store in Windigo for safekeeping. Nor is it clear how they decide which day's boat to send it on.

One other possibility, which worked well for one couple we talked to, was to entrust a box to the store at Rock Harbor upon your arrival to the island, and ask them send it on to the Windigo store on the Voyageur II when it makes its rounds.

Things also get goofy regarding verbiage. Do NOT supposed to label your package 'food', but instead use a euphemism like 'supplies' or 'provisions' or something. Perishable-package restrictions and all that nonsense, ya know.

Honestly, the whole process just didn't seem dependable enough for my taste. Even though we were walking right past the Windigo store at about our halfway point, we opted to just tote eight days of food from the get-go and forgo a resupply. Nothing we saw on the island really changes my mind. Next time, I'm probably just gonna carry a heavy food load again.

Trail Conditions

For the most part, the trail network on Isle Royale is in good shape. It's not all classic NPS-grade frontcountry trail, but things are rarely gnarly. Except for on one little-used trail, we stepped over nary a blowdown the entire time. We found a few trails to be a bit overgrown, but generally not horrendously so.

Isle Royale loves its bog bridges. For those with fear of heights, these can occasionally cause some discomfort, particularly when the bog bridges are elevated above the surface of the swamp by a couple feet. They're generally in good shape, but are only a foot wide, so you end up doing the supermodel walk.

Suggested Itineraries

I don't have any, and I think it's a gross violation of LNT to put that kind of thing on the internet. A few considerations, however:

• Almost every itinerary will use at least some part of the Greenstone Ridge Trail. For the most part, the Greenstone is easy cruising. It's easy to assume that something called "Greenstone Ridge" will be rockier and tougher than the lakeside trails you've been following to date, however, the opposite is true.
• The Ishpeming Point fire tower is completely treed in and closed to the public - not worth it at all! By contrast, the Mt. Ojibway fire tower is unforgettable and worthy of a visit. The Feldtmann Ridge tower is also reputed to be cool, though we did not visit it.
• While all parts of the island we visited were fairly busy, the worst of the chaos was found at the string of campsites between Rock Harbor and Moskey Bay. Once we got into the interior, the dudes carrying multiple gallon jugs of water and Bluetooth speakers disappeared. 
  

Final Thoughts

Isle Royale is an amazing place, and it's a pity that the community of Isle Royale backpackers tends to be so insular. Hopefully this guide will help provide some useful context for backpackers from other backgrounds to enjoy the most unique National Park in the Lower 48.