Our July 2016 trip to Lake Superior continued with a boat ride from Copper Harbor to Rock Harbor in Isle Royale National Park on the Isle Royale Queen IV. Rock Harbor is the only front-country area in the park. The ferry is operated by a park concessionaire and features daily round-trips to the park during the height of the summer season. With a scheduled departure of 8:00 AM, the boat arrives in Rock Harbor arround 11:30 AM. Two other concessionaires operate boats from Grand Portage, Minnesota to Windigo on the southwest end of Isle Royale. A seaplane concessionaire flies between Houghton and Tobin Harbor, a short walk from the Rock Harbor Visitor Center. Finally, the park service operates the Ranger III twice weekly from Houghton, Michigan to Rock Harbor.
Due to our schedule and reservations at the lodge, our only transportation options were the Queen IV and the seaplane. We chose the less expensive option of the ferry. Ticket prices for summer 2016 were $63 each one-way or $126 for a round-trip passage. The published rates for all concessionaires are approved by the park service on a periodic basis.
We left Copper Harbor in the early morning fog on time. During the crossing the fog lifted enough to provide a glimpse of blue sky before closing in again as we approached Rock Harbor. The captain was one of the sibling-owners of the boat and part of the second generation of the family providing transportation to the island.
For visitors staying at Rock Harbor Lodge, luggage is tagged and loaded on the top deck of the boat. At Rock Harbor, the luggage is unloaded and delivered to the guest rooms. For visitors camping on the island, bag packs are also loaded onto the top deck and returned to their owners at the Rock Harbor dock. This provides more space for passengers on the enclosed lower deck. Most seating in the main cabin is arranged around tables with each row having booths for four on each side and booths for six in the middle. This makes about half of the passengers travel facing backwards. Smaller forward and mid-cabins allow large groups such as Boy Scout troops to sit together. Access is also provided to the open deck at the bow of the boat. While there are no seats in this area, several passengers sat on the small raised deck above the forward cabin to enjoy the cruise. In addition, there is a smoking deck at the rear of the vessel. Bottled water, soft drinks and snacks are sold in the mid-deck. Two marine toilets are also located there.
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| An unnamed island east of Porters Island |
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| Copper Harbor Lighthouse |
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| Leaving the harbor |
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| Lake Superior |
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| Looking back at Copper Harbor |
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| A break in the fog |
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| The clouds descend again |
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| Raspberry Island comes into view |
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| Islets near Smithwick Channel |
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| Rock Harbor Lodge |
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| Rock Harbor Visitor Center and Marina |
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 park website is https://www.nps.gov/isro.
The Isle Royale Line website is http://www.isleroyale.com/.
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