Have done a search here and elsewhere but hope QJers who've visited IR recently can help me out.

My initial impression is that you need to decide if you are taking a backpacking trip or paddling, not both. Reviewing the map it appears you could be portaging your gear and canoe long (by Q standards) distances. True?

Looks like the N.E. part of the island might be the best place to paddle.  However, I've been told the landing areas along the perimeter of the island can be pretty rough. But it looks like the many inlets and bays, plus shorter portages to inland lakes on the Northeast side of the island, may lend itself best to paddling.

Has anyone applied for a received permission to camp offsite of designated sites?  I plan on going either in the spring or fall but am concerned about crowded campsite conditions.

I've heard the Minong trail is usually a good place to seek for solitude. Any other areas see less use than others?

Thanks to any and all who can help me out.

Thanks,

The Beaver

The_Beaver wrote on Sep 5^th, 2006 at 1:43pm:

My initial impression is that you need to decide if you are taking a backpacking trip or paddling, not both.

This is mostly true. Many canoe campsites are not reachable by foot. Many interior campsites are along trails that would be difficult to get to by portaging. The book "Isle Royale National Park Foot Trails and Water Routes" by Jim DuFresne has excellent recommendations for both backpacking and paddling trips.


The_Beaver wrote on Sep 5^th, 2006 at 1:43pm:

Reviewing the map it appears you could be portaging your gear and canoe long (by Q standards) distances. True?

Very true! It is difficult to plan a route that is not brutal in terms of portage length or elevation change on the first day or two. Any trail the crosses the short width of the main island is going to be like a roller coaster ride - lots of ups and downs!


The_Beaver wrote on Sep 5^th, 2006 at 1:43pm:

Looks like the N.E. part of the island might be the best place to paddle.  However, I've been told the landing areas along the perimeter of the island can be pretty rough. But it looks like the many inlets and bays, plus shorter portages to inland lakes on the Northeast side of the island, may lend itself best to paddling.

Any place that has a portage trailhead will be relatively easy to get in and out of, although the IRNP shoreline is generally quite a bit rougher then the few BW/Q places I have been to. A look at a topographic map can answer most of these kinds of questions. The NE tip of the island can be a bad place to be when the weather gets rough (but avoids a short but brutal portage).


The_Beaver wrote on Sep 5^th, 2006 at 1:43pm:

Has anyone applied for a received permission to camp offsite of designated sites?  I plan on going either in the spring or fall but am concerned about crowded campsite conditions.

You won't likely be able to get an offhand permit for camping outside of designated sites unless your trip has a planned bushwack to some isolated lake or other undeveloped interior location. Your permit will require that you have each day's campsite planned and chosen in advance (not just an entry point and duration as in the BW/Q). It would be a good idea to have a talk with a Ranger about such a plan. I have only taken the ferries from Houghton and Copper Harbor - The ferry out of Houghton is run by the park and is staffed with Rangers who can help with "difficult" permits during the crossing to the park.


The_Beaver wrote on Sep 5^th, 2006 at 1:43pm:

I've heard the Minong trail is usually a good place to seek for solitude. Any other areas see less use than others?

Minong is tough, so the crowd will be thin, even during the peak season. The same is true with the interior lakes that are more then one portage away from the main routes. Other less used sites are along dead-end side trails. My suggestions are Wood Lake, Intermediate Lake, Little Todd Harbor, Lake Whittlesey, Lane Cove, Duncan Narrows, Lake Desor West, and Pickeral Cove. Some of the sites have powerboat access and you may want to avoid them.

Have fun. No bears, but the fox and mini-bears (red squirrells) will cart anything away that they can lift!

-aj

The Beaver,

Here is an older link, including maps, on QJ;   (You need to Login or Register

This thread from BWCA.com has a couple of postings;   (You need to Login or Register

I met a father/son combo that had portaged sea kayaks over the ridge on the NE end of the island, just across Tobin Harbor from the Rock to Tobin Harbor portage.  I think there is at least a 300' vertical at that location. But it is the quickest way to the nice sheltered coves and bays on the north side. Campsites consist of several groups of tentpads sharing a common latrine, but spaced far enough apart to give line of sight privacy.  From the Lane Cove campsite, you can hike to the Mount Franklin overlook in less than an hour.  Lookout Louise offers a nice view of Five Finger Bay.

-YB

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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!!!

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

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 8-)

---

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

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!

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 :'( :'(