After we checked in to the Rock Harbor Lodge on Isle Royale, we decided to hike the Stoll Trail to Scoville Point. The trail is named in memory of Albert Stoll, Jr, conservation editor for The Detroit News, who championed the creation of Isle Royale National Park from the early 1920s until it was established in 1940.
The trailhead is near the easternmost lodge building. The trail stays near the coast all the way to Scoville Point, but the return route is further west near the shore of Tobin Harbor. The loop trail is listed as 4.2 miles by the park service. However, the park service lists the end of the trail as Smithwick Mine. Adding the distance from the mine back to the lodge pushes the total to 4.4 miles. The trail elevation varies by about 50 feet from the shoreline to its high point. The fog that shrouded the island when we arrived finally lifted while we were on the trail. We hiked in late July 2016.
Topographic map with GPS route
Beginning of the trail
Visibility improved as the fog lifted
The first of several boardwalks
The trail quickly devolved to a single track
A few of the many islets in Rock Harbor
Another boardwalk
Mushroom
Bridge over a drainage
A carpet of Bunchberries (Cornus canadensis)
More boardwalk
Single-track through the forest
Scentless Mayweed (Tripleurospermum inodorum)
Fruticose lichen
Foliose lichen (left) and Crustose lichen (right)
Bat Island from the trail
Remnant of a prehistoric copper pit
Open forest near the shore
Lake Superior
Shoreline
A painted trail marker
Another type of trail marker
An unnamed islet marking the southern edge of Rock Harbor
Trail through the boreal forest
The trail skirts a rock outcrop
Small waves crash ashore
Wood lily (Lilium philadelphicum)
The path wanders across the rocks
A small gravel beach
Another view of the beach
End of the loop, out to the point and back along this same path
Offshore rocks in shallow water
Water continues to erode the rock
Rock wall creates a reflecting pool
More pools
A pair of unnamed islets
A small cove
The channel leading to the small cove
Back in the forest
Gull Rock
More islets along the rocky shore
Birds nesting on Scoville Point
Waves crashing on submerged rocks at Scoville Point
South Government Island and Flag Island
Tobin Harbor
Artist-in-Residence workshop
Back on the loop trail
Reflections in Tobin Harbor
Shallow water of Tobin Harbor
Deeper water to the northeast
Sunlight reflecting off the water
Lush vegetation almost overtakes the boardwalk
The trail turns inland through the forest
Remnants of Smithwick Mine
Barricade around Smithwick Mine
Entry to Isle Royale National Park is free. However, the park charges a daily user fee of $4 per adult (over 11 years) per calendar day. This fee is not covered by the Interagency Annual Pass, Interagency Senior Pass, or the Interagency Access Pass. In addition, this is the only national park that completely closes for the winter. The island is closed from November 1 through April 15.
