Isle Royale, Michigan
XX trail
One of the least visited parks…
Isle Royale has the distinction of being the least visited, but most re-visited, national park in the lower 48 states. The “least visited” element is driven by accessibility as the park is not easy to get to. It is located on an island in the northwest part of Lake Superior 15 miles off the shore of Minnesota (though it is technically considered part of Michigan). You can only get there via a multi-hour ferry ride (unless you have your own boat) or seaplane. If you aren’t planning to sleep in a tent (which we were certainly not), there are limited accommodations on the island. Finally, the park is only open about 6 months out of the year due to the severity of winter. These things all combine to make visiting the park a logistical challenge to say the least.
The “most revisited” part is driven by how appealing the park is to the people who do make it there. Whether it is the natural beauty, the rugged wilderness, the peacefulness, the wildlife, or the sheer isolation, there are many things that draw people back.
Sea Plane
Take off
We flew over on a seaplane to maximize the time we had on the island. It is about a 35-minute flight from Michigan, and there are several flights a day making it highly convenient. Once we got there, we dropped our bags at the lodge and headed out on a hike.
Harbor on Isle Royale
It is hard to explain how beautiful the park is. The waves of Lake Superior crash against the rocky shore on the east side of the island, while on the west an endless pine forest runs right down to the water’s edge. The hikes are mostly flat, but also mostly rugged. The trails are rocky and covered with tree roots which means you really have to watch were you step almost the entire time. The effort is worth it. The scenery is unbelievable and almost doesn’t seem real at times. We took a lunch with us which we enjoyed on the shores of a quiet bay at the north end of the island. We went off-trail a few times so we could sit on the rocks and put our feet into the cool, crystal-clear waters of the lake.
In addition to its beauty, the island is also noted for its wildlife…particularly the moose and the wolves. There are about 500 moose and 35 wolves on 200 square miles of island. Despite this population density, we never saw either one. The rangers explained that the moose, despite their size, are incredibly stealthy, and that you will only see a wolf if it wants you to!
We learned one other thing about wolves as well. While on the trail, we came across a distinct “skunk smell”. We knew that could be from either an actual skunk or weed. As there are no skunks on the island and we were completely alone on the trail, we were stumped. Later, we overheard another park visitor asking about the same smell. The park ranger informed him it was wolf urine! So, next time you smell skunk coming out of the car next to you, remember, it might not be weed. It could be that their pet wolf just peed in the back seat.
We did see a few bald eagles (which is always cool) some squirrels, and one snake that almost slithered right across Christina’s foot! Unfortunately, the animals we saw the most of were the mosquitoes! They were everywhere and totally relentless. Despite covering virtually our entire bodies with clothing and bug spray, we came away with a crap-ton of bites!
We spent one night on the island in a room overlooking the lake where we could hear the lapping of the water along the shoreline all night long. It was quite lovely. The next morning, we had planned to canoe some of the bays on the island, but dense fog prevented that. So, we added on another hike before heading back to the lodge for a couple of cold beers on the deck overlooking the water and our return flight back to the mainland.
We definitely came away with an understanding of why people revisit the park so frequently!
