Isle Royale National Park camping · Camping in Isle Royale National Park
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Camping in Isle Royale National Park
Camping in Isle Royale National Park
The vast majority of visitors to Isle Royale stay in the designated campgrounds maintained by the park service, equivalent to what most parks call "backcountry" camping... nothing like the half-paved communal parking lots usually passed off as "campgrounds". Some are accessible only through the network of trails crossing the island, some are accessible only by water routes, but many can be reached either way. The motorboat-accessible campgrounds may not be ideal for hikers and paddlers trying to get away from civilization. There's no charge for campgrounds beyond the park visitor fee.
The only amenities at these campgrounds are enclosed pit toilets... no electricity, showers, or trash cans. Campgrounds on the shore of Lake Superior usually have picnic tables; inland campgrounds instead have a some large local logs to sit on. Most campgrounds have several fairly isolated "individual" sites, clearings big enough for two 1-to-3-person tents. Shoreline campgrounds usually also have a small number of three-sided, covered and floored wooden shelters (the fourth wall is screened), but these can't be reserved, so you need to bring a weatherproof three-season tent or risk spending the night with no protection from the clouds (of rain and mosquitoes). For that matter, the tent sites can't be reserved either, so during times of heavy use, you might have to share an individual site with another party. Some campgrounds have larger tent sites for groups of 7-10 campers (located away from the "regular" sites, to reduce the disturbances such groups produce) which must be reserved. Most campgrounds have a three-night limit on how long you may stay, and the most in-demand ones have shorter limits.
The park's campgrounds, from one end to the other: (numbers correspond to locations on map)
Merrit Lane - all the way out on Blake Point, access in a narrow channel protected from Superior, 1 tent site, 1 shelter, accessible by canoe or motorboat (Tobin Harbor).
Duncan Narrows - in the shadow of Lookout Louise, fire rings, no tent sites, 2 shelters, accessible by canoe or motorboat (Duncan Bay).
Rock Harbor - the most civilized campground, in the suburbs of Snug Harbor, drinking water, showers/toilets a short walk away, one-night limit, 11 tent sites, 9 shelters, accessible by trail (Rock Harbor, Tobin Harbor), canoe or motorboat (Tobin or Rock Harbor).
Tooker's Island - on a small but wooded barrier island in Rock Harbor, no tent sites, 2 shelters, accessible by canoe or motorboat (Rock Harbor).
Duncan Bay - on a nice peninsula sticking into the bay, fire rings, 1 tent site, 2 shelters, accessible by canoe or motorboat (Duncan Bay).
Lane Cove - the only trail site on the northeast bays, 5 tent sites, no shelters, accessible by trail (Lane Cove Trail) or canoe (Lane Cove).
Three Mile - right on the edge of Rock Harbor, one-night limit, 3 group and 4 individual tent sites (some right on the harbor), 8 shelters (on or near the harbor), accessible by trail (Rock Harbor, Mount Franklin), canoe or motorboat (Rock Harbor). Somewhat busier than most campgrounds as it is a short hike from ferry dock at Snug Harbor.
Belle Isle - a former resort site, lovely sunrises, 1 tent site, 6 shelters, fire rings, accessible by canoe or motorboat (Belle Harbor).
Caribou Island - on one of Rock Harbor's westernmost barrier islands, community fire ring, 1 tent site, 2 shelters, accessible by canoe or motorboat (Rock Harbor).
Daisy Farm - a sprawling and often busy crossroads on Rock Harbor, historically interesting, 3 group and 6 individual tent sites, 16 shelters, accessible by trail (Rock Harbor, Daisy Farm, Mount Ojibway), canoe or motorboat (Rock Harbor). There is a ranger resident here, with informational programs offered many evenings. Good place to swim when the weather is warm.
Pickerel Cove - secluded with lots of waterfowl, two-night limit, 1 tent site, no shelters, accessible by canoe (Pickerel Cove).
Birch Island - in McCargoe Cove but with a view of Superior, 1 tent site, 1 shelter, accessible by canoe or motorboat (McCargoe Cove).
Moskey Basin - at the scenic cul-du-sac of Rock Harbor, 2 group and 2 individual tent sites, 6 shelters with great views of the basin, accessible by trail (Rock Harbor, Lake Richie), canoe or motorboat (Moskey Basin).
Chippewa Harbor - low cliffs overlooking Superior, good fishing nearby, fire rings, 2 tent sites, 4 shelters, accessible by trail (Indian Portage), canoe or motorboat (Chippewa Harbor).
Chickenbone East - quiet, two-night limit, but the water supply is a short hike away down an hill, and is not particularly appealing. 1 group and 3 individual tent sites, no shelters, accessible by trail (Greenstone, East Chickenbone) or canoe (Chickenbone Lake).
McCargoe Cove - a popular moose wading location across the cove, community fire ring, no alcohol, 3 group and 3 individual tent sites (up the hill from the cove), 6 shelters (most with views of the water), accessible by trail (Indian Portage, Minong), canoe or motorboat (McCargoe Cove). The Minong Mine (the best preserved on the island) is nearby.
Lake Richie - good fishing from shore, two-night limit, 2 group and 4 individual tent sites, no shelters, accessible by trail (Lake Richie, Indian Portage) or canoe (Lake Richie).
Lake Richie Canoe - more good fishing, two-night limit, 3 tent sites, no shelters, accessible by canoe (Lake Richie).
Chickenbone West - right on the lake with some very nice views, two-night limit, 3 group and 6 individual sites, no shelters, accessible by trail (Greenstone, Indian Portage) or canoe (Chickenbone Lake).
Intermediate Lake - secluded, rocky shoreline access, good fishing, two-night limit, 3 tent sites, no shelters, accessible by canoe (Intermediate Lake).
Lake Whittlesey - good fishing, two-night limit, 3 tent sites, no shelters, accessible by canoe (Lake Whittlesey).
Wood Lake - overlooking the shoreline for good moose viewing, two-night limit, 3 tent sites, no shelters, accessible by canoe (Wood Lake).
Todd Harbor - great sunsets into distant Ontario, sometimes breezy, community fire ring, 3 group and 5 individual sites, 1 shelter, accessible by trail (Minong) or motorboat (Todd Harbor). There's a mine pit and a cascading creek a short distance to the west.
Malone Bay - beautiful view and pebble beaches, ranger station, 2 group tent sites, 5 shelters overlooking Superior, accessible by trail (Ishpeming), canoe or motorboat (Malone Bay).
Hatchet Lake - among the birch and thimbleberries near the lake, two-night limit, 3 group and 5 individual tent sites, no shelters, accessible by trail (Greenstone, Hatchet Lake).
Little Todd Harbor - on the shoreline, fire rings, two-night limit, 3 group and 4 individual tent sites, no shelters, accessible by trail (Minong).
Hay Bay - a safe haven for south-shore boaters, 1 tent site, no shelters, accessible by kayak or motorboat (Hay Bay).
Lake Desor South - a short climb above the lake shoreline among the birch and thimbleberry plants, two-night limit, 3 group and 7 individual tent sites, no shelters, accessible by trail (Greenstone).
Lake Desor North - a long hike from Windigo (or Little Todd), good view of the lake, two-night limit, 3 tent sites, no shelters, accessible by trail (Minong).
Siskiwit Bay - warmer with nice beaches, community fire ring, no alcohol, 3 group and 4 individual tent sites, 2 shelters, accessible by trail (Feldtmann, Island Mine), kayak or motorboat (Siskiwit Bay).
Island Mine - the only campground not by a lake (its water supply is a stream down the hill a short distance) with a "deep woods" character, 2 group and 4 individual tent sites, no shelters, accessible by trail (Island Mine, near Greenstone).
Washington Creek - near Windigo, drinking water, showers/toilets a quarter-mile away, view of a wide creek popular with moose, 4 group and 5 individual tent sites (most with little privacy), 10 shelters, accessible by trail (Greenstone, Minong, Feldtmann), kayak or motorboat (Washington Harbor).
Huginnin Cove - a secluded little cove on the rugged north shore, 5 tent sites, no shelters, accessible by trail (Huginnin Cove).
Beaver Island - no tent sites, 3 shelters, accessible by canoe or motorboat (Washington Harbor).
Feldtmann Lake - on the SW edge of the lake, good moose viewing, two-night limit, 2 group and 5 individual tent sites, no shelters, accessible by trail (Feldtmann Ridge) or kayak (Rainbow Cove).
Grace Island - no tent sites, 2 shelters, accessible by canoe or motorboat (Grace Harbor).
For those arriving at Snug Harbor, the obvious place to camp the first and last nights is the Rock Harbor campground, the island's busiest. If you're eager to get away from what passes for "crowds" on Isle Royale, Three Mile campground (unsurprisingly about 3 miles away) is easy to get to. Daisy Farm (another 4 miles) is also within a partial-day's hike. But keep in mind that you'll be disembarking from a ferry at the same time as dozens of people with exactly the same idea, filling that first day's hike with passing and being passed by fellow travelers, so an afternoon exploring the Snug Harbor area and a night at Rock Harbor with a more individual hit-the-trail time the next morning (and your choice of sites when you arrive) may be more to your liking. Lane Cove is a reasonable distance for a first night, but it requires hiking over the Greenstone Ridge, and it's a dead-end, so you'll have to backtrack the next day (with a really steep climb back onto the ridge) to go anywhere else. First-day paddlers can reach the Tooker's Island or Caribou Island campgrounds on the barrier islands protecting Rock Harbor.
Arrivals at Windigo typically spend the first and last nights at the Washington Creek campground. An alternative is to hike north to Huginnin Cove (3 miles), but this detour loop will add about 3 miles of up-and-down hiking to the beginning of the next day's hike, regardless of which direction you're going next. Or set out right away on the Greenstone and make your way to Island Mine campground (7 miles, mostly up hill). Beaver Island and Grace Island campgrounds can be reached by canoe or kayak.
From there, it's up to you.
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Isle Royale National Park Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
