Location: Keweenaw Couny Map
Area: 571,790 acres (2,314 km 2)
Isle Royale National Park is a large expanse of forest and water located in Keweenaw County of the Upper Michigan, USA. Isle Royale National Park covers an area of 571,790 acres (2,314 km2). The Royal Island is the largest of local lakes - Lake Superior, with 72 kilometers in length and 14 km wide. The park is composed of the own island Royale and multiple adjacent islets, as well as the 7.24 km contiguous to the coastline. Isle Royale National Park was created on April 3, 1940. In 1976 it received the name of Wild Area and in 1981 UNESCO granted it the title of Biosphere Reserve. In comparison with other parks in the United States, Isle Royale is small, since it only has an area of 2,314 km², of which 542 km² are located on the surface of the water.
There is small fishing industry present along with mining and a small population. Due to the large number of islets and rocks, the boats were guided through a network of lighthouses, to avoid collisions. These lighthouses nowadays contribute not only to regulate navigation but also to give the park a special character.
A fee of $4 per calendar day on the island is
charged for visitors 12 years and older, and to save time upon
arrival is collected en route by the services providing
transportation to and from the island. Note that the interagency
parks passes do not apply to this fee.
Isle Royale National
Park visitors are required to file a plan with the rangers
indicating the campgrounds they expect to use each night. This
serves to make sure campers' plans are consistent with party-size
and duration-of-stay limits on campgrounds (and reality), and to
help the park service estimate campground usage. They don't care if
you change your mind along the way (they expect that to happen), and
only ask that campers let them know where you actually stayed before
leaving. Special permits and reservations are required for groups of
7-10, for off-trail hikers, and for canoeists camping outside of
designated campgrounds. Because noise levels go up exponentially as
the size of camping parties increase, groups of more than 10 must
split up and hike and camp separately. Fishing in Lake Superior and
connected waters requires a paid license from the state; inland
lakes have no licensing requirement. Hunting in Isle Royale National
Park is not permitted.
During the summer months, the island is accessible by ferry from
Grand Portage, Houghton and Copper Harbor. However, this is not possible
in the winter months due to rough seas and drift ice.
In the
central part of the island is Greenstone Ridge, a ridge that is home to
Isle Royale's longest hiking trail. It is around 60 kilometers long and
can be hiked in 4 or 5 days. There is a boat connection for the way
back.
There are two settlements in the park. To the west is
Windigo with a camping shop, showers and a jetty; to the east Rock
Harbor with a camping shop, showers, restaurant, hotel, campground and a
boat dock. In winter both places are empty, real villages or even cities
do not exist on the island.
On the island there was a fishing and mining industry and a small population. Due to the large number of islets and rocks, ships were guided through a network of lighthouses to avoid collisions. These lighthouses today contribute not only to regulating navigation but also to giving the park a special character.
Isle Royale National Park is known for its wolf and moose colonies. In this park, scientists study the relationships between predators in such a small area. It is estimated that there are 9 wolves and a thousand moose on the island, although the numbers vary greatly each year. In some years, with harsh winters, the animals migrate across the ice sheets that form on the lake towards Canada. To protect the wolf colony, dogs are prohibited from entering the park, as they could carry diseases that are harmful to wolves.
There is a trail in the center of the island that runs through 60 km of the park, almost all of it. It is normally done on an excursion that lasts between 4 or 5 days. Once you reach the end, you can take a boat to take people to the point of origin. In total there are 265 kilometers of trails. You can also rent kayaks and canoes to explore the small bays and lakes on the island itself.
The park has two developed areas. Windigo, in the southwest of the
island, is the port where ferries arrive from Minnesota. There is a
camping area, showers and cafes. Rock Harbor in the northeast area is
where ships from Michigan arrive. In this place there is a camping area,
a shelter, restaurants and showers.
The only place where you can
spend the night is at the Rock Harbor shelter or in the 36 campsites
that are spread across the island. Some are only accessible through a
private boat, others only through pedestrian paths or by kayaks and
canoes because they are on islands within the lakes. The campsites
differ in size although they are normally equipped with wooden huts and
have places equipped to set up a small tent. In some places tents of up
to 10 people can fit but a special permit is required to set them up.
Bonfires are prohibited in almost all places. Water for drinking and
cooking must be collected from Lake Superior or the island's lakes, and
must be filtered to avoid parasites. Hunting is prohibited although
fishing and collecting edible berries along the trails are allowed.
The park can be accessed via floatplanes or ferries during the summer
months. Ferries depart from Minnesota and Michigan. Private boats
usually leave from Thunder Bay, Canada as it is the closest city.
Isle Royale cannot be visited in a single day due to slow
transportation. The ferries take between 6 or 7 hours to access the
island, so there would only be 3 hours left to visit the park. In
addition, it must be taken into account that delays or even
cancellations may occur if the weather conditions are not suitable.
The Ranger III is a 50-meter boat operated by the National Park
Service. It is said that it is the largest piece of equipment that the
National Park System has. She can carry 125 people plus their kayaks and
canoes. She leaves from Houghton, Michigan. The trip lasts 6 hours,
spending the night on the island to depart the next day. Two trips are
made every week between the months of June and September. The Isle
Royale Queen, which departs from Minnesota, and the Voyageur, which
departs from Michigan, make the trip up to three times a week during
peak season.
Due to the difficulty of transportation and survival
in the wild, the park closes in winter. Due to the great difficulties in
accessing the park, less than twenty thousand people visit it a year,
fewer visits than the most visited park receives in a single day.