One of may favorite places to get away to is Isle Royale National Park in lake Superior. Although the park is a pain to get to (either boat or seaplane), it has something for everybody once you are there. There are camp stores on each end of the island (for Mountain Dew, chocolate milk, and  showers!).

There are quite a few interior lakes that have decent fishing (not as good as the boundary waters, but good enough) and provide isolation. When I soloed a few years ago, I was alone on many of the lakes with the campgrounds and fishing to myself. Although most of the paddler's campsites are rustic, a few have rather nice lean-to shelters for the wet days.

There are lots of Moose on the island (it's almost impossible not te see any) and NO BEARS (although the mini-bears are about as ferocious and troublesome).

The portages are mostly tough, some are brutal due to the rough terrain. It is difficult to get to the interior lakes without at least one tough portage, but then the crowd is left behind.

Some routes are exposed to Lake Superior which can be a source of delay or may even a cause a route change. And those waters are always cold (no dumps allowed).

OHHH YEAAA!!!! Definetly a future detination for me, I need to read up on it a little more, I might try to do a trip in 2005 if it don't interfear with the BWJ !!! :)

Sounds cool, I'll have to check it out sometime in years future!

Here's a website for you to check out.  Lots of good information on camping, backpacking and canoeing Isle Royale.  

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I was there a couple years ago on a backpacking trip and I'd leave for the island tomorrow if I could.  Canoeing it would make for a great trip.

There is a great guidebook by Jim DuFresne titled "Isle Royale National Park Foot Trails & Water Routes" that is full of the information needed for planning trips to IRNP. This is the best guidebook I have ever read.

-aj

Thanks for the tip. I just read the DuFresne book.  I have only been to Isle Royale once, backpacking many years ago.  A couple questions for those of you who have paddled there.

I really enjoy the wildness of the Quetico & BWCA and so was kind of disappointed to read that at Isle Royale the paddle campsites are group sites with markers and picnic tables, portages have signs, motor boats are allowed, etc.  Can you give me sense of whether you still get a wilderness paddling feeling there?  

The book describes one end as much more heavily used than the other.  I wonder how much one should consider this in deciding where to go.   i.e., if someone enjoys a bit of solitude, would you advise not going to the "busy" end in July and August?

What you encounter depends upon the route you select
and when you travel. Campsites that are easily accessible
by hikers will usually be full or nearly full before the end of
the day. Campsites that are easlily accessible by boaters
will usually be taken early in the day (and expect noise).
But, there are some campsites hidden on the inner lakes
that that are only lightly used, even during the peak in
July/August.

I took a solo canoe trip on the island a few years ago
during the second week in August and spent many nights
where I was the only camper on an entire lake! These
interior canoe campsites are rustic (no inprovements
except discreetly hidden outhouses). If you have
backpacked the island, you know what I mean.

Here is my route with some comments:

Daisy Farms
 crowded, boaters, I got the last campsite (I was trying to
 make Moskey Basin, but battled a headwind all day)

Intermediate Lake
 all by myself, rustic, a hard day to get here, but I left
 the crowd behind

Wood Lake
 all by myself, stunning rustic campsite on a bluff

Lake Whittlesey
 all by myself, saw two canoes (day trippers) next day

Lake Richie
 one other couple (at the rustic canoe campsite)  

Chickenbone Lake West
 crowded campsite (almost had to share with a ranger)

McCargoe Cove
 moderate crowd, boaters, beautiful cove and moose,
 lots of shelters

Pickeral Cove
 only one campsite, many others passing through

Belle Isle
 lots of boaters, yakkers, ranger station, nice shelters
 and agate beach

Lane Cove
 a few hikers, this is a lightly used campsite all season
 beautiful view of the big lake and islands. I always get
 to Lane Cove when I go to IRNP.

Duncan Narrows
 lots of boaters, shelters, nice sunset

Duncan Bay
 all alone, nice campsites with shelters on a little point
 it has a boat dock, but the gas types are afraid they'll
 bend their props getting to it

Rock Harbor
 grand central station, but I wanted chocolate milk and
 a shower on the last day

I have had campsites to myself when backpacking in
September (Hatchet Lake, Island Mine, Lake Desor, Little
Todd) - my favorite time for IR. Still warm, no bugs,
fewer other people.

I hope that this helps you get a better feel for the interior.

-aj

Thanks for the details aj, this is very helpful.  I'll save your tips for future reference.

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This is a larger scale map with many of the sites identified.  Its a good companion to Defrense's guide book.

I'm not sure where I came across this.  Borrowed or otherwise?  If you would like a .jpg copy of it, I'd be happy to email it to you.

-YB

I still don't get how Isle Royale is a part of Michigan rather than MN. Sure seems a lot closer to MN.

Your point has been pondered by many, Furball.  

For that matter, why is Michigan's upper peninsula not a part of Wisconsin?  Seems to make the most sense geographically.

Or the little part of Minnesota that juts into Canada at the bottom of Lake of the Woods.  Who the heck drew that line?

It would be interesting to learn who was influencing the line drawers back in the day.

If memory serves correct, it was Ben Franklin who included Isle Royale as a part of the emerging U.S. territories.  It may have been as simple as scribing a line around it on a map.

-YB

I have a backpacking trip planned to Isle Royale for the 1st week on August, I'll post a trip report when we return.
-IS