SW,
i can relate to the ISLE ROYAL QUEEN comment.
my first trip to isle royale was on her because i live in mi.
i remember hearing stories about the rough water on the lake going to the island.
when we pulled out of Copper harbor i was expecting the worst but it turned out to be the BEST boat ride i ever took!!!
the lake was  smooth as glass and the sun was out!!
we sat on the deck the whole trip and watched two small outboard boats, under 20 ft  follow in our wake all the way over.
the Capt said it was only the second time in all his years he ever saw lake that calm.
after trip we flew back from rock harbor and i'm glad we did because the lake was tossing and turning like you would expect.
For those going out of mich, i would seriously consider flying out of Copper harbor if the seaplane service is still running??
we did the next two trips and were glad we did.
it's so much faster,the view is gorgeous and they can haul canoe's or kayaks.
 all 3 trips we took a week to do each of the 3 trails.
since there was 4 of us and one had bum knee, i think we went at fairly easy pace.
as for portaging with a canoe, i still think if you packed light and shuttled the worst parts of trails it wouldn't be that bad?
you would want to be in GOOD shape but that's a given on trip like that!
i know those 3 trips were just about the best experience i ever had backpacking!!
there's been talk about the island losing it's national park status due to low attendance and high operating cost's??
i hope that NEVER happens but you never know these day's??
one of the local papers a few years back ran a story about a private developer who was negoitating with the goverment to buy island and turn into luxury condo's and boat livery's??
i hope that was just speculation but money talks and it could very well happen

Since this topic area is titled "Other Places to Paddle", I'd really like to read the comments on paddling Isle Royale.  I've been up there twice, both backpacking and both on the east end.  

If you can post them, I'd like to read the questions and comments about IR because a third trip could potentially happen sometime in the near future.  Thanks!

TCC

Drop me a PM and we can discuss IR. I have been there 9 times and I am very familiar with the Island. It is one of my favorite places. List out your questions and I can answer them for you.

Mark

My significant other and I stopped at IR last year when we drove around Lake Superior in its entirety. I know there are 3 seperate ferry services to "windigo". Two are out of Gran Portage. The "Wenonah" and the "Voyager". I think the Voyager requires reservations. I think the Wenonah is first come first serve. The 3rd is the "Isle Royale Queen" I think. Not real sure about the name. They're out of Copper Harbor U.P. MI. This is an amazing and beautiful boat. I toured it briefly while we drone through. It has a longer distance to cover but it's so much faster it gets there in the same amount of time as the other 2. We took the Wenonah. It's an old beat up river tug that was made in Dubuque Iowa. The crew consisted of a Skip, 1st mate and a little old lady who sells candy and complains about people with camping gear. When I went the lake was rolling 6' waves and everybody on the boat was vomiting, myself included. This little old lady just smiled the whole time, kind of neat, in a disturbing way. I wondered if she was smiling because all the "campers" were miserable or if that was just her way. We had reservations and it did speed things up some when we boarded. I have some liturature on all the park and its services. It might take me a day or two but I'll dig it up for you and pass on any info.  

SW

I was just going to post a thread about IR so I'm glad there's already info here.

My girlfriend and I went to BWCA this past summer and had fun, and have picked out IR as our next destination, although I think we will just hike.  We'll probably be going back to bwcaw later in teh summer but were hoping to make an early summer trip to IR.

I think we'd be up for the Minong Ridge trail, it sounds more attractive to us (me) due to less people and more rugged conditions/wildlife.  It also has a bit of draw because my parents went on their honeymoon there and I've been curious about the island since I've heard stories my whole life.  Apparently mom got pretty dehydrated/sick - dad says she drank wolf pee.  The truth is somewhere in the middle but its funny to hear.

I picked up the book by Jim DuFresne and its got great information. 

Do you plan the trip out ahead of time, or when you get on the island?  What is a good amount of days to plan on for the Minong trail - somewhere in teh week range would work well.  It looks like there are options for different start/finish points to adjust the length of travel.

This book references a really good map - is it comparable to a fisher or mckenzie map?

Thanks guys!
Jay

hi beaver!

i've never canoed IR, but during the early eighties i backpacked from Rock Harbor the length of island and took shuttle back to Rock Harbor and flew seaplane back to Copper Harbor.

I did all 3 trails on the island and IMHO, the northern trail is the most scenic,the southern probably has better shelterd coves for paddling and the center trail is the most remote.
i'm sure it get's much more pressure now that when i was there but it's worth the effort to get there!
i saw moose on trails every trip, on one occasion had bull oose walk down trail and as i stepped aside, it was close enough i could of reached out and touched rack!!
saw wolves every trip as well but they were just flashes as they ran across trail.
i would hang food pack aways off ground or use blue barrel, as the mice,chipmunks and red squirrels are as bad as advertised!!
i caught fish in all the inland lakes and superior as well casting from shore.
also caught brook trout on feeder streams but that was hard work!!
I saw plenty of kayakers and a few canoeists and talked to a few as well.
they all said the same thing, the waters around island can be treacherous and not to be taken lightly!!
all the canoes had covers, kayaks of course.
the north shore was the most windswept but there was some nice sand bays to beach in!
the guy's i met on northshore said the key was getting thru the rocky shoreline parts before the wind kicked up and drove you off lake??
IF your caught in winds and rough waters with that shoreline, it could be fatal??
From what i can remember, it's possible to portage into interior lakes if you plan right and go light?
The trails are well used and well marked so even if you had to shuttle canoe/pack, it wouldn't be that bad if you went in and basecamped for a few days on a nice lake.
the inland lakes had pike and walleye, the feeder streams have brook trout.
Superior i caught lake trout in the sand bays, casting from shore.
IF, you go, just be careful and enjoy the park, it's a jewel!!!

Beav,
You can also get some questions answered at:

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Let me know if you go.  I've had my eye on paddling IR for some time now.

The_Beaver wrote on Sep 5^th, 2006 at 5:57pm:


Chickenbone Lake would be an ideal place to park for a few days - but there won't be any solitude! Lane Cove (my favorite) is a quieter place that also will give you both foot and paddle access to some great day trip destinations.

-aj

Hey beaver

I've done the northeast part of IR with a canoe and it was beautiful, but I wouldn't do it again.
To paddle around Blake's point is suicide and the portage from Tobin harbor to Duncan bay is truly the most grueling portage I've ever experienced, it is 1 mile of switchback and staircase climbs.  

On the other hand the interior lakes offer solitude and is very beautiful and also has great fishing. this is a route I will do again. I like to be dropped off at McCargoe cove and be picked up at Chippewa harbor.

Their is a time limit on most campsites of 2 to 3 day's.

Asmjock and YB,

Thanks for the input....really helps. I can't imagine visiting IR without a canoe/kayak so want to plan a trip that allows me to include paddling.

Here's another question: Are you allowed to stay on the same campsite over consecutive nights? If so, it might be fun to bring a canoe and leave it at camp, but then daytrip on foot to explore other trails....returning in the evening to your camp.

The Beaver