hk2001,
If you book early you could arrange a water taxi to transport you out of Rock Harbor then spend your 5 days hiking back. My last trip, we hiked out of Rock Harbor then used a water taxi to get back. It isn't cheap but, It allows you to see more of the island.
Questioning authority, Rocking the boat & Stirring the pot - Since 1965
My current plan is to make it to Daisy Farm, (or more preferably Moskey Basin) on Day 1, then spend some back country time in either the vicinity of Mount Saginaw (zone 37) or northwest of McCargoe Cove (zone 5) on day 2.Originally Posted by OCDave
I'm having a hard time estimating our potential speeds on established trails, we're so use to elevation changes in the hundreds of feet per mile that something as flat as Isle Royale is messing with me
Has anyone been to Chippewa Harbor? Looking for an opinion of it from a hangers point of view.
[QUOTE=hk2001;1182954]... Daisy Farm, (or more preferably Moskey Basin) on Day 1...
... Chippewa Harbor? QUOTE]
Daisy Farm on Day 1 is within easy reach of Rock Harbor. The issue will be how many others on your boat opt for the same destination. You may find your choice of sites limited by the time you would arrive. I have arrived in Rock Harbor from both MN and MI. Neither, boat arrived with enough time for me to reach Moskey Basin before dark.
Chippewa Harbor is stunning however, depending on the number of boaters, it can be a bit louder than anywhere else I camped on the island. I have also had the entire harbor to myself, or myself and the rest of my hiking party. We found the group site to offer the best options for hanging our hammocks. From the individual sites you might have to be creative to hang multiple hammocks.
One of the few places you can build a campfire. The water is COLD but diving from the pier is irresistable.
Chippewa Harbor is where we were picked up by water taxi. My preference would have been to get dropped off there night 1 (the advantage of booking early)
Good Luck
Questioning authority, Rocking the boat & Stirring the pot - Since 1965
I am also drooling over this. I found HF on the ISLEforum which still has not approved my request. (if anyone is a member please help me get on)
My two buds and I are planning a trip in August. I have camped quite a few time in northern Wi and UM. We also plan on bringing fishing stuff however I will be the only Hammock camper.
I plan to running a light DIY hammock, bug screen and winter tarp. I was planning on bringing a small chair also but I have decided to thermorest zigzag pad and skip out on the chair. I can camp in the shelters with my buddies on the pad if it comes down to it. They have tents also but told me they stayed in a couple shelters last trip.
I can't wait to be there!!
One of the things that caught my eye while I looked over the site you linked to was this:
Did You Know?
Based on wilderness land area, Isle Royale’s Wilderness is the most densely used of all of the National Parks.
I get the impression it gets quite busy there so I planned on a fall trip to get away from the crowds I hope. Also the mosquitoes and black flies.
Fancee Feest = preferred alcohol stove of "informed backpackers"
It is an island that has many lakes within the island. You can canoe or kayak within the island and arrange for boat pickup on scheduled pickup times. The portages are not that bad and the fishing is often great.
I have a hard time imagining how they come to that statistic. Take Yellowstone for instance (next on my list of NP destinations)
In 2013, Yellowstone received 4,236,339 visitors, and people spent a total of 70,913,250 hours (2,954,718.75 days) in the park, for a average of .69 days per visitor.
In comparison, for 2013 Isle Royale received 16,383 visitors, with a total use of 1,142,314 hours (47,596 days) for an average of 2.9 days per visitor.
Maybe that's where the "most densely used" stat comes from. I understand there's a significant size difference between the 2 ( IR is 571,790.11 acres, Yellowstone is 2,219,790.71 acres)
IR is definitely not the smallest national park, but it recieves the least visitors of the parks. 66 % of all 2012 visitors showed up in July and August, while only 16% showed up in June
While the argument could be made about black flies and skeeters, everything fabric I will be bringing gets treated in permathrin every year, and picardin based insect repellant has done extremely well for me in the Adirondacks. My reason for wanting to go in early June involves fishing. In the inland waters expecially, there will have been very little fishing pressure by then, and the water temps will be perfect for pike
Last edited by hk2001; 01-26-2014 at 09:12.
My friends want to go in August! I rather go off season.I have a hard time imagining how they come to that statistic. Take Yellowstone for instance (next on my list of NP destinations
In 2013, Yellowstone received 4,236,339 visitors, and people spent a total of 70,913,250 hours (2,954,718.75 days) in the park, for a average of .69 days per visitor.
In comparison, for 2013 Isle Royale received 16,383 visitors, with a total use of 1,142,314 hours (47,596 days) for an average of 2.9 days per visitor.
Maybe that's where the "most densely used" stat comes from. I understand there's a significant size difference between the 2 ( IR is 571,790.11 acres, Yellowstone is 2,219,790.71 acres)
IR is definitely not the smallest national park, but it recieves the least visitors of the parks. 66 % of all 2012 visitors showed up in July and August, while only 16% showed up in June
While the argument could be made about black flies and skeeters, everything fabric I will be bringing gets treated in permathrin every year, and picardin based insect repellant has done extremely well for me in the Adirondacks. My reason for wanting to go in early June involves fishing. In the inland waters expecially, there will have been very little fishing pressure by then, and the water temps will be perfect for pike
Does the permathrin mess with material?
With our trip in May bugs were minimal, we lucked out with weather however. It should have sucked, but we got near 70 and sunny every day.
I would not expect that this May. You could probably take a snowmobile to the island.
Not at all.. I've been using Permathrin on the same hammocks, netting, packs, and clothes for years without issue.
I wouldn't want to go in August.. not really concerned about the number of people, but the fishing
I'm entertaining the idea of bushwacking from Lane Cove to NE of Lake Ahmik on day 2, and spending some back country time fishing that lake. This is all just a wild idea at this point. I just really want to make sure I have somewhere to hang, and since I've gone from 1 hanger to three, I want to guarantee no one has to go to ground. I'm scouring the internet for more details on sites on the east end of the isle. Sadly, there's not a lot of information about it when it comes to hammocking.
If you look at the sat photos, there is a massive swamp that runs between Lake Patterson and Ahmik, so hiking the ridge between Stockly Bay and Ahmik is the only access without a canoe.
The ridge between Stockly Bay and lake Ahmik seems relatively easy, the only thing I'm concerned about is the one "Hill" on the ridgeline
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