r/isleroyale • u/thereisnoopepesilvia • 5d ago
Backpacking Isle Royale 6 Day Trip Report
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.
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u/HGpennypacker 5d ago
You spotted some otters! I kept my eyes out for them but was told they are very elusive.
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u/thereisnoopepesilvia 5d ago
They love swimming underneath the docks at all the harbor campgrounds. Around dusk was usually a good chance to see them, and then we also watched one hunt fish at the Chippewa Harbor dock at mid day. That one was really neat because the water is so clear and shallow there you could really watch all of its movements. It was like an aquarium almost!
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u/mtnsdogs 5d ago
What kind of camera were you using? Love the pictures.
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u/thereisnoopepesilvia 5d ago
Canon EOS R with a lightweight 24-105 lens on it. That was on my shoulder with the Peak Design plate. Also brought a little pancake 16mm 2.8 for the night sky, and a lil lightweight tripod for low light usage.
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u/AnxietyRough977 2018 5d ago
Great photos! Is the red sky sunset photo from Todd Harbor? Making me excited for my trip in a couple weeks.
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u/DMCinDet 5d ago
wonderful.
unrelated question, are there ticks on the island?
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u/ResearcherOdd2996 5d ago
There's only one species on the island, I believe, and they're not really known to bite humans. I think they're "moose ticks".
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u/thereisnoopepesilvia 5d ago
Yeah can’t say I’ve picked up any there from my memory but I’ve definitely seen moose and rabbits covered with them.
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u/mushluvs 5d ago
I went cross country (in between camping sites) camping a few weeks ago on the island and when I rolled up my tent in the morning, there was thousands of tiny ticks under my tent. I was afraid that they were gonna bite me at some point since I wasn't able to completely wipe them off my tent, but they never did over the few days I was out there
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u/losthiker68 5d ago
I'm planning a similar first two days (leaving via Rock Harbor). How long did it take from the time you stepped off the boat until you were on the trail? I've done longer hikes on steeper terrain but that late start on day 1 concerns me.
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u/thereisnoopepesilvia 5d ago
The Voyageur II got into Windigo around 11 EST and sadly with the way our packs came off the boat we were the last ones for permit check in. Think we started hiking around 11:45 if memory serves me right. Any other trail that fine, but that push to North Desor made it tough with time and storms approaching.
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u/Mad-Moose-2018 2d ago
Amazing photos! We’ve had rough luck the last couple of times with the ferry over and then with fires rerouting us. Still a beautiful place every time.
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u/RestaurantOver6464 2d ago
Great photos and great trip. We were there in early June , but our trails only overlap at Moskey Basin. We swam there after our hike and got up and caught the sunrise:) Beautiful spot.
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u/Practical-Camp-1972 2d ago
great photos! looks like Sleeping Giant is in the background of one of them...I have to go there sometime for some outdoor photography-only been on the Ontario side of Superior...
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u/mushluvs 5d ago
Where did you see the moose? I hiked the Minong a few weeks ago and was kinda bummed at the lack of wildlife near the ridges. I saw two moose last year, one near Little Cove and one near McCargo. Last year I went we were told there were about 800 on the island. This year they are telling us there are 500...
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u/Human31415926 5d ago
Beautiful photos. Really well done.
What a trip, what an island.