The first visit to Isle Royale was in 2019 and I took a boat out of Copper Harbor, MI into Rock Harbor for the day only. This trip was out of Grand Portage, MN and into Windigo. The boat ride was less time and that is always good. Grand Portage was closer to Voyagers than Copper Harbor in the UP of Michigan another good thing for my choice of location to leave from and get to the park. Upon arrival at Windigo we were greeted by Ranger Caden who went over the basis of the park for us campers along with making it fun for all. After we had out lowdown with Caden we then got our gear and had to check in with a Ranger to get the backpacking permit. Without the permit the Park Service would not know where you were going or how long you’re going to be in that location in case something happened. I got my permit and headed to the Washington Creek campground. If you come to the park remember no fires, and have a water filtration/water treatment system as the potable water is limited. The island has over 1,200 moose and 28 wolves as of 2022. The numbers go up and down over the years but these are both healthy levels. The park has no deer, or bear to worry about but there is also foxes who would love to eat some of your food but don’t feed them. Many people who get off the boat with the camper boat are going to do some through hikes or stay in the back country for many days hiking. The island is 35 miles long and a few miles wide but there is pure beauty within the park. The island is the least visited park in the lower 48 states but is the most revisited park in the park system. That statistic will tell you how wonderful this place is once you get here. The derby race for camp sites begins when you get your permit so if there are two of you one can get the permit and the other can start the journey towards the campground and a potential spot. Please also note that the Park Service does not provide toilet paper so bring your own paper. There are flush toilets at the harbor but once into the park paper is needed in the pit toilets or you need to dig your cat hole in the back country. Note: Be sure to get a map of the trails on the island either from the rangers or purchase one as it will help prevent you from getting lost, just ask Judy.
Washington Creek Campground – The campground like many within the park only have pit toilets but this one has some potable water unlike the other campgrounds in the park. The campground has some shelters with a screen wall and then 3 solid walls, floor and roof. I was lucky enough to get a shelter as all spots within the park are first come first served, just put your backpacker tag on the site and it is yours. The site I choose was on Washington Creek and that allowed me to enjoy the wildlife, more on that later. The campground also has some regular tent spots if you don’t get a shelter but the shelter people could/can also allow others to come camp with them in the shelter if the campground is full. The path to get to the campground from Windigo Harbor is down a “road” and the road sign says stay to the left since the right is for the staff housing. When you come to the first campground exit of the road you can go down that path to some of the sites then follow the path to others that may not be occupied. You could also go down the “road” a bit further and take one of three other paths towards the creek. Two of these have a map of the campground for your reference. If you need a group site that is still further down the road but these are on the creek as well for your enjoyment. The only drawback I had about my entire experience was that the pit toilets did not smell good. Oh it was bad. During my stay at Washington Creek, the moose would feed each morning and night in the creek. The night feeding was not bad as it was between 6 and 8 PM but the morning feeding started at 4AM and went to about 9-10AM each day. It was great seeing these animals putting their whole head into the water to feed but them putting their heads in water sounded like kids jumping into a pool with the splashing.
Huginnin Cove Trail – The cove has a campground and there are about 10 sites. The cove loop trail if you take it from Windigo Harbor is 9.4 miles. The hike is on the same trail as Washington Creek campground but you would go beyond the campground on the trail. The trail at the beginning is fairly flat until you get to the creek then you get some elevation gain/loss. The trail about 1 mile into will bring you ta a “Y” that will ask if you want to go the 3.1 mile route or the 3.9 mile route. If you are going to hike the loop either way is good but if you are backpacking the 3.1 will be a bit less of a hike carrying your gear. I choose the 3.9 mile hike and off to the right I went. About 0.6 miles in there is another “Y” going to Mining Ridge Trail or North Desor. The stake says North Desor but stay on the route you are on and keep going up towards the mine and the lake. There will be an additional sign for a mine, I did not go see the hole in the ground but the mine is only about 0.5 miles off the Higinnin Cove trail. The 3.9 mile route allows you to walk for 20 – 30 minutes along the lake and when I was hiking the temperature change from the forest to the lake side was 10 – 15 degrees. The trail will then come to the campground and the 3.1 mile part of the loop down towards Windigo Harbor. The hike is well worth the 9.4 miles and if plan on sleeping up at the cove be sure to have extra clothing as the wind from the lake will make it a bit colder as mentioned previously.
Minong Ridge Overlook Trail – The trail is starts the same as the Huginnin Cove trail, 3.9 mile way, until you get to the marker for the North Desor trail which is the way you need to go. The trail as you might suspect goes up to the overlook and is 3 miles one way or 6 miles round trip out and back. The overlook you can see the lake, a pond and also enjoy looking over the forest of trees while resting on rocks. It is a wonderful trail to take a hike and enjoy the beauty of Isle Royale. You can also get to see Canada and Pie Island’s flat top when at the overlook. Yes, you can see Canada and your mobile phone may even pickup a Canadian carrier that is if you brought a phone with you, I did not.
Grace Creek Overlook Trail – The trail is 3.6 miles long and starts at the Windigo Harbor. Access to the trail is towards the sea plane dock on the Feldtmann Lake Trail. You will follow this trail past the Nature Trail and the sea plane dock. You are walking along the lake and if the conditions are correct you are getting a nice cool breeze. The first part of the hike is only a few feet from the lake and you can hear the waves crashing on the rocks to your right. As with most stuff, the trail will start to go up after the nice semi-flat hike along the lake. With the name overlook you will need to go up a bit but know that the hike is not that steep when you are climbing. There will be an intersection that has directions on 3 sides. Two of the sides say Overlook and the third side says trail. The trail marker has arrows in both direction while each of the sides with Overlook will show a single arrow towards the overlook. Before you get to this marker on the way up, the trail goes from dirt and forest to large rocks and the forest being on your right. You may think you are at the overlook since you can see a bunch but continue forward another little bit to the sign. The Overlook part of the trail is only a few hundred yards and it stops at a place to sit and observe Lake Superior, a small lake, Grace Creek and the forest from above. It is worth stopping and having a snack/lunch and just enjoying nature also catching your breath. If you are going back to the harbor then go to the end of the overlook trail and turn right. Left will take you to Feldtmann Lake and it is 8.5 miles one way from the harbor. The lake will now be on your left side when heading home since it was on the right when you went up.
Self-Guided Nature Trail – The trail starts at the top of the Ranger Station/Store trail. There is on trail marker saying Nature Trail but you can see a trail and there is a post on the right at the entrance to the trail that has a number 1. The trail has 11 stops to which you are to view during the self-guided part, and you can pick up the guide at the Ranger Station. The hike is a fairly easy 1.2 mile loop once you get to th starting point. The trail will end at the harbor at the bottom of the hill. Enjoy this little walk through nature and be thankful that you are not working too hard.
