Houghton Visitor Center - Isle Royale National Park

The Isle Royale National Park visitor center in Houghton, Michigan is unique in that is is more than 50 miles from the park. Situated on the Portage Canal, the visitor center is part of the winter headquarters complex for the park. The summer headquarters is on Mott Island about four miles southwest of the Rock Harbor Lodge. While the island and park is closed from November 1 until April 15, the headquarters staff and year-round rangers relocate to Houghton. The home port for Ranger III is also at Houghton, just across the driveway from the visitor center.

Although housed in a double-wide office trailer, the visitor center contains most of the usual amenities including restrooms, information desk, bookstore/giftshop, and a small seating area for viewers of the park's video presentation entitled An Island Wilderness.

Some of the unique signage style of Isle Royale

Exterior information kiosk

Visitor Center

Bookstore and information desk

Supplies for rebuilding boardwalks

Park offices

NPS Barge Beaver

Buildings across the Portage Canal in Hancock

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.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/isro.

Return to Copper Harbor on the Isle Royale Queen IV - Isle Royale National Park

Our July 2016 visit to Isle Royale National Park concluded with a return trip to Copper Harbor aboard the Isle Royale Queen IV.

Rock Harbor Lodge

Another view of Rock Harbor Lodge and Isle Royale

Cloud patterns above Lake Superior

The Keweenaw Penninsula comes into view

Cirrus clouds above the lake

Clouds and light

Cumulonimbus clouds above the penninsula

Placid water as we near the penninsula

Channel marker

Lighthouse and radio beacon

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.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/isro.

Rock Harbor to Tobin Harbor - Isle Royale National Park

The roundtrip walk from the Rock Harbor Visitor Center to the Tobin Harbor seaplane dock and boat rental area is about 0.3 miles. We walked over to Tobin Harbor just to see what was there during our July 2016 visit to Isle Royale National Park. Tobin Harbor is the quieter side of the Rock Harbor area as the low ridge blocks most of the noise of the passenger ferries and supply vessels. It is also much more sheltered from the weather than Rock Harbor.

A single-lane paved road leads up the hill from the visitor center

To reach Tobin Harbor, turn left here onto the Tobin Harbor Trail

Follow the wide gravel trail to the first junction...

...and turn right on the obviously more traveled trail

Pass some of the ten cabins that are available for rent

Head down the packed gravel trail toward the water

A kiosk provides information for visitors arriving by personal boat

An unnamed islet west of the dock in Tobin Harbor

An unnamed islet northeast of the dock

Rental kayaks and canoes

The park service has cleared off part of the hillside above the dock

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.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/isro.

Guided Hike from Hidden Lake to Lookout Louise - Isle Royale National Park

Our July 2016 visit to Isle Royale National Park continued with a hike from Hidden Lake to Lookout Louise, a round trip distance of two miles. The first 1/3 mile from the dock is relatively flat, but the average grade is over 8% for the final 2/3 mile. The trailhead is over ten miles by foot from Rock Harbor, but less than two miles by kayak. Unfortunately, kayak rentals were suspended for the day due to wind. So we booked the guided tour that included transportation from dock to dock as well as an intern to lead the hike. Approximately twenty people made the trip. The intern was from the North Woods of Minnesota and had spent quite a bit of time at Isle Royale over the years. His comments on the flora, fauna, geography, geology, and history of the island were much appreciated by the group.

Topographic map with GPS route

Elevation profile

The Sandy at the Hidden Lake dock

Hidden Lake

One of many boardwalks along the trail

Typical path conditions of dirt, rocks and roots

More rocks and roots

Camouflaged boulders 

Trail winds through the boulders

Monument Rock

Lack of soil prevents forest encroachment on this meadow

A very large boulder beside the trail

Another view of Monument Rock

Greenstone Ridge trail junction

Another open field

A single-plank width boardwalk

The entire island was logged nearly a century ago and the new forest is extremely slow-growing

The trail winds through grasses and thimbleberry

Thunder Mountain on the Sibley Penninsula in Ontario, Canada (22 miles)

Duncan Bay with Five Finger Bay in the distance

Lake Superior and the Canadian shoreline

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.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/isro.