| Isle Royale National Park Travel Planner | |
Things to Do:
Isle Royale National Park is open to the public from mid-April through October and offers opportunities for a variety of activities depending on your personal interests. To make the most of your visit, stop at one of the two park information centers, located at Rock Harbor and Windigo, and ask a park ranger for the latest information on interpretive walks and talks scheduled for the area. Publication sales and camping permits are also available there.
The park includes more than 165 miles of foot trails for hiking, offering a variety of options for trip length and difficulty. Trails are generally well-defined and easy to follow. Cross-country, off-trail travel is not recommended because of dense vegetation, bogs, and swamps. Combination trips -- boat or fly one way and hike the other -- can be set up with commercial boat and plane operators.
Boating is a very popular activity at Isle Royale. The marina at Rock Harbor is open mid-May through mid-September. Boat rentals and holding tank pumpout stations are located at both Rock Harbor and Windigo. Canoe and motorboat rental and tour boat service may be arranged at the concession office. With numerous lakes, bays, and islands, the park provides many miles of waterways for the experienced canoeist and kayaker.
Educational programs are offered on the Ranger III and on Isle Royale at Rock Harbor, Daisy Farm, and Windigo. In addition, guided excursions explore such areas as Passage Island and Lookout Louise near Rock Harbor. Ranger-guided programs are usually free.
Isle Royale's rocky shoals have long formed a hazard to passing boats. Ten major shipwrecks have occurred in park waters in the last 150 years and these sunken ships — preserved almost intact in the lake's cold waters — are now a mecca for scuba divers. Preregistration at a ranger station is required.
