Guide to Isle Royale National Park
Get off the beaten path one of the most remote national parks in the United States. Spend the day at Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior hiking and spotting moose. Catch the ferry in Michigan or Minnesota and find the perfect place to camp for the night to stay for a bit longer.
Things to do at Isle Royale National Park
Hiking and camping are the primary things to do at this national park. We were limited to 4 hours here, so we were constrained in the hiking we could do.
Hiking
There are several hikes that start at the Windigo visitor's center. We considered doing one of the longer 6-9 mile hikes, but we were worried we wouldn't have enough time to finish with the short amount of time we had on the island.
We ended up doing the hike to Grace Creek Overlook. The first part of the trail is flat and scenic as it follows the shoreline of the island along Lake Superior.
The middle of the hike starts going a bit uphill as it cuts inward into the island. This part is wooded. We didn't see any exciting wildlife. While we didn't see a moose, we did see a moose antler along the side of the trail.
The hike finishes at an overlook with a good view out over the island. It's about a 3.6 mile round trip hike that took us under 2 hours. The trail was relatively easy overall.
Moose watching
After getting back from our hike, we really wanted to see a moose. There are many moose on the island and the park rangers told us there had recently been a lot of moose sightings at the campground.
The campground was a short quarter mile walk away. On our walk, we passed people who had just seen a moose, but we didn't catch a glimpse of it.
Once we got to the campground, we were in luck. Not only did we see a moose, but it was in the water. We stood and watched it eating in the water for at least half an hour.
Where to eat around Isle Royale National Park
Other than snacks at the visitor's center, there's no food on Isle Royale. Many people pack picnics, but we ate after we got back. We actually didn't eat in Grand Portage. The day before, we ate on our drive through Grand Marais. After the ferry dropped us off in Grand Portage, we drove to Duluth for the night and ate dinner there.
Dockside Fish Market
Grand Marais
This was a great stop for fresh fish. We all enjoyed our fish and chips outside on their patio overlooking the lake.
Sydney's Frozen Custard
Grand Marais
We had to get some dessert as we were exploring Grand Marais. We built our own Sydnami (custard with toppings blended into it) and loved it.
Duluth Grill
What looks like a classic American, family style restaurant really impressed us with their menu. Our favorite thing was the Wak-o Tacos, but we loved everything.
Getting to and around Isle Royale National Park
Being an island, this is one of the harder national parks to get to. There are four ferries and one sea plane that provide transportation to the park. There are no vehicles allowed on Isle Royale.
The ferries depart from Grand Portage (Minnesota), Houghton (Michigan), and Copper Harbor (Michigan). The sea plane departs from Houghton.
From Grand Portage, it's a 1.5 hour ferry ride, from Houghton, it's 5-6 hours, and from Copper Harbor, it's 3 hours.
Most of the ferries stop at either Windigo or Rock Harbor on opposite sides of Isle Royale. The Voyageur II ferry stops at a couple of extra places on the island as well.
We chose to take the Seahunter III ferry from Grand Portage since we needed to leave from the Minnesota side. For a day trip, leaving from Minnesota is more practical since the ferry ride is much shorter.
Our ferry wasn't the nicest, but it got us there and back. Seating was limited inside and it was raining on our way back. Most of the seats didn't have back rests.
This is the most expensive national park we have ever visited. The ferry cost $76 per person. This doesn't include the $7 per person daily fee that the park charges to enter and remain at the park. If you have an annual national parks pass, you don't have to pay the daily fee for the park.
Since there are no vehicles allowed on the island, walking is the primary way to get around. Canoes and kayaks are available to rent.
Where to stay around Isle Royale National Park
Grand Portage is conveniently located by the ferries on the Minnesota side. Stay at Grand Portage Lodge & Casino since it's one of the only places to stay in Grand Portage.
Best time to visit Isle Royale National Park
Temperatures in the summer are very comfortable, so I would recommend visiting then. We had bad luck with rain while we were there, but it's hard to plan around the rain.