Heading out to the island on the Voyaguer II Wednesday, landing in Windigo. Plan is to head to Siskiwit Bay, passing Island mine, for the first night. Has anyone done the feldtmann loop clockwise, having skipped Island mine and have a general idea how long it took you? My one previous trip to the island I averaged a little over 2 mph with stops included. This time I'll be going alone, as opposed to with my partner, and anticipating the same(maybe slightly slower), however I'm looking for others experience as I have never done this loop before.

I'm heading to the island for a 7 night backpacking trip in mid-September. I'm planning to carry an extra day's worth of food in case of a ferry delay on the return, but given the recent two day delay I'm now wondering if I should take enough for two extra days, especially with the RH store closed during shoulder season.

Does anyone have any advice or experience or opinions on this? I was kind of hoping there would be a secret hikers' box stash of extra food for delayed ferry passengers, because I don't want to carry the extra weight, but I think this is probably just a fantasy.

On a more minor note, could anyone speak to the current bug situation? Can I leave the bug net hat at home and get away with a tiny bottle of DEET?

Any other recommendations for shoulder season, especially related to cold/rain gear?

Hi everyone. Me and my two boys are heading to the Windigow side for one night next weekend. We’re hoping to camp at the Washington Creek Campground but not sure if we should be concerned about availability since it’s first come first serve. Anyone have any experience camping on the island this time of year? Also, I’d love any general recommendations as far as an itinerary goes (my sons are 13 and 11). Our plans are pretty simple….one night on the island, arriving and leaving Windigow. Thanks in advance!!

First time on the island, and wow, as someone who has done all of the Teton Crest and section hiked the AT, PCT, and JMT, this island kicked my butt! Nearly every campsite had breathtaking beauty, and all the backpackers were exceptionally nice. My group saw 4 moose (including a cow and her baby), a few foxes, osprey, griebes, loons, turtles, frogs, butterflies, slugs, chipmunks and squirrels, a bald eagle, and lots of snakes. Loved it a lot, would def return. The Minong is no joke!

Day 1 - ferry from copper harbor, backpacked to Lane Cove, saw a fox on the way, beautiful sunset

Day 2 - to Moskey Basin (our #1 campsite) over Mount Ojibway on the greenstone,, stopped at Daisy Farm for lunch and a great swim, got very lucky and snagged a shelter and it was magic. Saw a moose at dawn in the basin.

Day 3 - to McCargoe Cove, up the Indian Portage trail around chickenbone (no water here due to algae blooms), met a man who had a scary face to face with a wolf, got a shelter overlooking the cove and it was also magic until a group of REALLY loud guys on a fishing trip showed up on a boat and made a ton of noise past midnight :/

Day 4 - to Todd Harbor (our close second fav campsite) on the Minong, booked it to snag the only shelter there, and it was perfect napping, listening to the waves and the wind in the birches.

Day 5 - to North Lake Desor on the Minong, and the rocks killed our feet and ankles. Trail magic: a random stranger helped me fill and carry water up the trail to my group at Little Todd. (thanks, Eric, you rock). Saw a moose in the distance along the way (we spooked it on accident and it ran), watched an osprey hunting on the lake at dusk, then the rain started.

Day 6 - to Washington creek, packed in a break in the rain and booked it over the Minong and it was HARD. the rain came for us in sheets, and the cold hit us as gale force winds blasted us on the high ridges. No lightning or thunder, so we kept at it, but it was a rough second half of the day as temps dipped to low 40s and we were soaked. Washington Creek was FULL due to various seaplane and ferry cancellations, so we had to camp in overflow group sites.

Day 7 - ready to take a seaplane out, we discovered early flights were canceled and all ferries were canceled. Someone on our group did see a moose and her baby cross the group campsite into Washington creek! Seaplane ended up coming just for our flight time before shutting down again. I feel bad for those who were stuck and hope they found a way, but very grateful to make it out.

Superb trip, next time I would give the group a zero day in the middle at Todd or Moskey,

A yearly event for me, Isle Royale with Northern Lights dancing over it. This past Monday I sat on an island and watched them dance from my Pillar Point. Got 2 more fishing trips planned this fall there, hoping for another show and good weather!

Here is the Isle Royale Lake Superior forecast through Tuesday. As of now The Queen IV has canceled tomorrow's ferry and the Ranger III is canceled tomorrow as well and is now scheduled to come to the island Saturday with a Sunday Departure

Went out to Glenn island in Tobin Harbor the night we had the Northern Lights. This was my favorite shot. There was a bit of the Aurora still out as well.

August 23-28th we hiked 45 miles from Windigo on the Minong Ridge and took the Indian Portage Trail to drop down to Chippewa Harbor.

During that time we saw 2 moose, a fox, a whole bunch of otters, beavers, loons, eagles, and heard owls hooting in the distance while Northern Lights and the Milky Way soared overhead at night during the New Moon Phase.

Temps were dropping at night/mornings to a brisk 50 degrees, and daytime temps were low to mid 60s. Perfect hiking weather, but chilly camp time. Only rained on us when we already had the tent set up or were in a shelter. Bugs weren’t really bad at all. I never used my spray or head net. Trails were muddy and there were some tricky parts on the Minong between the 2nd and 3rd beaver dam head to North Lake Desor from Windigo. Otherwise pretty smooth sailing!

Day 1 2 hour ferry from Grand Portage, MN to Windigo Windigo to North Lake Desor - 12.53m Stayed at site #2, first campground I’ve ever had to myself on Isle Royale. Finally experienced solitude out there.

Day 2 North Lake Desor to Todd Harbor - 11.11m Stayed at site #2

Day 3 Todd Harbor to West Chickenbone Lake - 9.65m Stayed at site #4

Day 4 West Chickenbone Lake to Moskey Basin - 6.19m Stayed at Shelter #3

Day 5 Moskey Basin to Chippewa Harbor - 6.23m Stayed at Shelter #2

Day 6 5 hour ferry from Chippewa Harbor to Grand Portage.

Heading to IR late September for 4 nights. I realize we could get anything weather-wise. I want to prioritize securing a shelter each night but have had trouble finding a definitive list of what campsites have them and in what number. Simply googling it suggests not many sites have them—but other posts/reviews I’ve seen make them sound rather plentiful. Can anyone point me to an accurate listing? Thanks!

Finally some Northern Lights last night from the Tobin Harbor seaplane dock. Its been about 3 months since I last saw them here on Isle Royale. The Canadian wildfire smoke has finally been gone from around Isle Royale for about 3 weeks now. More photos to come soon.

Day 1
10 am Seaplane departure; Departed Rock Harbor ~1230
Rock Harbor to Moskey Basin via Tobin Harbor Trail to Rock Harbor Trail at Three Mile
Lots of wolf tracks, thimbleberries galore and some blueberries. Trail was overall pretty straight forward. It was a long day and we arrived around 1830, we were in overflow area with 3 additional groups but there was space. Two separate bear boxes as Moskey.

Day 2
Moskey to McCargoe Cove; Departed 845; arrived 1400
All the shelters were taken, but the individual sites were wide open. Site 1 has a sign that said not to use due to wasps. Really liked this site, but the individual sites are up a pretty steep hill. The dock was deep enough to jump off and the sunrise here was awesome.

Day 3
McCargoe to Little Todd; Departed 0900; arrived 1700
We initially planned to go to Todd Harbor, but the shelter was taken (all other sites open), so decided to push on to Little Todd to make our penultimate day easier. Todd looked cool and has nice, spacious sites. Little Todd was super crowded and all sites were doubled up. Each site had fire pits and water access which was super cool.

Day 4
Little Todd to N Desour; Departed 0730; arrived 1130
This section on the trail was fairly up and down and through thick underbrush, but overall easy to follow. N Desour was cool. Good spacious sites and tons of waterfowl on the water. Only 3 sites that each have two spaces for different groups. We really enjoyed this short day and the ability to rest up before the final haul and hanging by the lake.

Day 5
N Desour to Windigo; Departed 0630; Arrived 1330
This section of the trail was the hardest in our opinion, but did have great views. There is a section between the two river crossings that is through a very dense bog and we did get lost, thankfully AllTrails got us back on the trail, but it really wasn't clear where we went wrong. The trail did have some cool views of the Lake. The Windgo store was a welcome sight and we really enjoyed the ice cream and food. We took the 1700 seaplane out.

PROs
Bugs were not bad. The worst experience with bugs was in the more boggy part on the trails and was manageable with bug spray. We never ended up using the bug nets we brought.

Probably 50% of the trail was coated in berries predominantly thimbleberries, but also raspberries and blueberries. They were all ripe and more than we could eat.

Weather was amazing. Humid at times, but sleeping temps were great.

We only saw a fox, wolf prints, and lots of sweet birds and waterfowl.

CONs
All the PROs above, I think it led to the campsites being crowded. While we didn't see many people on the trails, but we were doubled up on 3/4 nights. Most people were accommodating, but at Little Todd some groups were not as much. It was fun sharing stories and there was space away from the sites to have your own relaxation, but certainly wasn't the isolating experience that I thought it might be. In the future I would go during the shoulder season.

Overall, it was a really cool trip and I enjoyed the hiking, views, and berries. I would probably go during shoulder season in the future

Another beautiful sunrise here at Snug Harbor. This is my morning sunrise spot and I am always amazed at how few people I see out here with me. MOST mornings I am the only out here. If you are ever here in Snug Harbor come join me on the rocks.

According to the website here it says the Washington Harbor Store will be closing Sept 6th of this year. As far as I can tell, Rock Harbor lodge services all those amenities at Washington Harbor like showers, gas, laundry, and boat rental, etc. which will be concluded by then– but my main concern is potable water.

Is the potable water at Windigo seasonally dependent upon those facilities being open? Or is it separate? Just trying to get an idea for planning when I'm there on the 8th-11th. I did see that the Windigo Visitor Center is open until the 20th. thanks!

Algal blooms have been identified at Chickenbone Lake, Lake Richie, Lake Desor, and Todd Harbor.

Consider these when planning your routes if you’re going to the park soon. You cannot purify or filter a bloom source to make it safe to drink.

My very experienced (PCT, CDT, hayduke, etc) partner is planning a backpacking trip to the Isle next week. She's thoroughly researched/planned her trip, but is having some trouble answering a few questions. She's getting a little nervous about the trip, so I thought I'd check in here for advice from folks who've made the trip. Her questions are below and we'd appreciate any and all thoughts/advice! Thanks!

If I get injured (like a painfully walkable leg/ankle/foot) or ill and want to leave the island early, is it possible to get on an earlier ferry back to my car? (From Rock Harbor on IR to Copper Harbor MI). Or worse case, from Windigo on IR to Grand Portage on a boat I don't already have a return ticket for?

If I send a box via the ferry to Windigo, why left on dock? I understand that delays in my own itinerary are possible thru my research, but if I am delayed, does my food box really just get left on the dock until either I pick it up or an animal does? How is this safe for animals or humans? It's like hearing we have to plan to be flexible, but the support systems make being flexible challenging. There isn't/can't be a bear box at the dock at least to keep it safe from animals until it gets picked up? I was told to address the box in a way that included the RANGER STATION (c/o voyaguer boat, windigo ranger station, isle royale park, grand portage mn)

The info on the NPS website also says packages mailed to Windigo or stored at Rock Harbor have to be "non perishable" and "no food". What's the point of a package if not to send more food to myself? I can assure you my food is shelf stable, non perishable, but it IS food.

Curious if anyone has any mosquito reports from late August or early September. Headed up for the first time a week after Labor Day, Rock Harbor to Windigo. Wondering what our group should expect for biting insects as this is our first time on Isle Royale.

Sunday, 8.24

Images from Moskey Basin on Sunday August 24th. This evening I knew from my experiences here that it was setting up for a beautiful sunset so I hung on out for it on the point just south of the dock at Moskey Basin starting at 7pm. While standing around and doing some time-lapse photos there were many people hanging out on the dock too. I figured they were there for the sunset as well. But around 15 minutes before sunset everybody left. And about 3 minutes later the Sun emerged for one of the most spectacular sunsets I have seen. A double rainbow suddenly appeared and eventually a faint double rainbow as well. Then at sunset the skys lit up with colors and the show continued for a good 30 minutes. And not a soul around to see but me.

Seeing a ton of posts about the difficulty of tackling Windigo to Rock Harbor in 3 days - is this due to the terrain or the planning logistics? Many folks also mention hiking the White Mountains when discussing fitness - this can’t possibly compare to tackling the Pemi-Loop in 3 days, right?! I was thinking of trying to tackle this over the long weekend (yes, I am that last second of a backpacker lol). I suppose that is of course if I can snag a sea plane or ferry reservation… Would appreciate any input on this before I start the 12hr drive to Houghton, thanks!

I'm taking the Queen to the Island in mid-September. On my first trip to the Island I took the Ranger, where all permits are done during the trip. I know permits & orientation for Queen passengers is done after arrival - roughly how long does that take? Just trying to get an idea for when I'll actually be able to hit the trail (because, honestly, I'm ready to hit the trail now).

Some images from Moskey Basin Sunday and Monday

9 day trip in mid July. Woke up at 5:30 am to this sunrise at Feldtman Lake.

Hi again! I’m really close to picking an itinerary, but at this point it really comes down to whether I want to see/camp at Chippewa Harbor versus seeing Hugginin Cove and camp at Washington Harbor. The other stops are fairly consistent between the two itineraries.

What do you guys prefer between the two, and why?

From my research, both look beautiful, but Im leaning towards Hugginin/Washington as it seems more remote and there’s a higher chance of seeing a moose.

Caught at least 6 garters and one northern redbelly snake which i regretfully didn't take a picture of. The copper garter and the red garter were truly special