Isle Royale National Park is one of the least visited national parks in the US, and it is also one of my favorites. It was established as a national park in 1940 and has fascinating biodiversity (more on that below). I went to Isle Royale in September of 2021 after the Michigan Half Ironman, and I was blown away at how remote and beautiful it was.

Here is a guide for how to visit, and the perfect backpacking itinerary.

Where is Isle Royale and how do I get there?

https://npmaps.com/isle-royale/ — Isle Royale is located in northern Michigan on Lake Superior between Canada and the United States.
It is especially hard to access due to how remote it is. You must be in the United States to access the park, and you can access it from 3 ports:
Houghton, Copper Harbor, or Grand Portage

Traveling Logistics

If you are from out of town, you will need to fly into either Duluth or Houghton airports. If you fly into Duluth, you will need to rent a car and drive to Grand Portage. If you fly into Houghton, you can likely take a cab to the ferry station directly. No cars are allowed on Isle Royale, so you will need to park them at the ferry station for the trip.

To access the park, you must take either a ferry or a sea plane. The ferries are much less expensive than the sea planes, but scheduling can be a challenge.

Ferry Options

There are 3 ferries, with schedules varying between shoulder and peak season. For the table:

Days of the week (M: Monday, T: Tuesday, W: Wednesday, H: Thursday, F: Friday, Sa: Saturday, Su: Sunday)

Round trip costs are reflected for an adult with no extra luggage. Note that if you are bringing a kayak, extra luggage, etc, there is an extra fee. Some ferries charge a parking fee. One-way trips are absolutely possible and are half of the round trip cost.

Operating times are reflected for the 2025 season. Please check the websites for each of these ferries for more up-to-date information


Ferry Name	Starting Location	Ending Location	Operating times (2025)	Adult Round Trip Cost	Trip Length
Isle Royale Line	Copper Harbor	Rock Harbor	5/12-6/1; 9/15-9/30: M&F 6/2-6/30; 9/1-9/14: M, T, H, F, Sa 7/1-7/31: M, T, H, F, Sa, Su 8/1-8/31: All	$175	3h 45min
Ranger III	Houghton	Rock Harbor	5/27-9/12: T&F	$160	6h
Ranger III	Houghton	Windigo	6/17, 7/25, 9/12 Tuesdays	$160	6h
Voyager II	Grand Portage, MN	Windigo, McCargoe Cove, Belle Isle, Rock Harbor	5/10-5/25: Outbound (W&Sa) Inbound (H & Su) 5/26-9/14: Outbound M,W,Sa Inbound T, H, Su 9/17-9/26: Outbound: W Inbound: H	$201	2h to Windigo 5.5h to McCargoe Cove 6h to Belle Isle 7.5h to Rock Harbor

So which one is the best? It really depends on transportation. If you are driving, you likely want to go back to the same port. If you do not have a car or are taking transport, then you can go into different ports. I personally took the Isle Royale Line from Copper Harbor, which saved a lot of time on the ferry.

I will also note that the water conditions across Lake Superior can be challenging. We had 6ft waves during our crossing, and a number of people got sea sickness. So a longer ferry like Ranger III or Voyager II could be a rough ride!

Sea Plane Options

There is one plane operator approved by the national park service. Details and pricing for Isle Royale Sea Planes show:

Flights only depart from Hubbell (just north of Houghton)
Flights go to Rock Harbor or Windigo
You cannot fly with camping fuel, and will need to purchase it in the park
One-way flights are $275/person
Round trip flights are $396/person
Parking is $8/day
Day trips can be organized
Planes operate from 6/6 - 9/13

When is the best time of year to visit?

The park is officially open April 16-October 31 (it’s closed outside these times due to weather). Note that the ferries, which are the cheaper option to get to the park, and sea planes operate from mid-May to mid-September. So the best time to visit would be when the ferries / sea planes are operating. Otherwise, to get to the park outside of summer, you will need to find a private boat or plane.

I went towards mid- to end- of September; I think I was on one of the last ferries run by Isle Royale Line from Copper Harbor and the weather was absolutely amazing. Bugs were not an issue, and the fall air was gorgeous.

Day trip vs Camping

I highly recommend camping! You will get a much better experience and be able to see more of the island. A day trip really wouldn’t do it justice.

If you really want to do a day trip, your options are either:

Sea Plane ($396 round trip) to either Windigo or Copper Harbor
Round trip ferry from Copper Harbor ($175 round trip), which would give you 3 hours at Rock Harbor

Where do I sleep? What do I eat?

**Camping:** Each campsite has structures with 3 wooden walls and a mesh screen. You can set up your sleeping equipment (pad, sleeping bag) inside these structures and there is no need for a tent.

**Lodge:** There are lodges at both Rock Harbor & Windigo (Rock Harbor Lodge / Windigo Camper Cabins). You will need to book these well in advance. These areas also have food for purchase, either at the restaurant or camp store.
**Food:** If you are backpacking or camping, you must bring all your own food in from wherever you take the ferry! There are some stores that you can purchase food at (see above in the Lodge section), but it is extremely limited. We brought everything we needed, including camp stove / fuel which you can bring on the ferry.

Suggested 4-day Itinerary from Rock Harbor

Backpacking loop starting at Daisy Farm; Day 1 (Yellow), Day 2 (Pink), Day 3 (Blue), Day 4 (Green)

Note that when I visited in September 2021, the Isle Royale Queen IV ferry dropped us off at Daisy Farm. This backpacking trip reflects distances from Daisy Farm, but the loop can easily be modified from Rock Harbor.

Day 0: Drive to Copper Harbor and camp overnight near the ferry. I did this national park as part of a longer road trip so had a car with me! I camped at Trails End Campground, which was great because the check-in for the ferry is early at 7am.

Day 1 (Yellow):

8am - 12pm: Ferry from Copper Harbor to Daisy Farm, where you check in with National Park Service. Note that traditional arrival location is Rock Harbor, but I will write this as what I did so distances reflect actuals.

12pm - 5pm: Hike 12.5 miles / 480ft elevation gain, exploring north of Rock Harbor & hike down to Rock Harbor to camp for the night

Day 2 (Pink):

9am - 4pm: Hike 15.5 miles / 1,500ft elevation gain from Rock Harbor to McCargoe Cove campsite.

While this is a longer day, you get to traverse across a ridge line which includes the Mount Ojibway lookout and experience views across the whole island. We were originally planning to camp at Lake Livermore, but there were algae blooms on some of the internal lakes and the park service advised not to filter water from these lakes. Therefore, we extended our hike a few more mailes to McCargoe Cove and let me tell you, it was absolutely spectacular! By far my favorite campsite of the trip.

Day 3 (Blue):

9am - 1pm: Hike 8.5 miles / 700ft elevation gain from McCargoe Cove to Moskey Basin

I opted for a shorter day today after 2 longer distance days. Plus, Moskey was my second favorite campsite nestled in a cove. We saw moose and beavers on this day.

Day 4 (Green):

9am - 11am: Hike 4 miles / 400ft elevation gain

A shorter day today was necessary as the ferry left around 12p / 1p. Before taking off on the ferry, we made some lunch and piled our bags up so they could be loaded onto the boat.

1p - 4p: Ferry back to Copper Harbor

I hope this guide helps you plan your trip to Isle Royale! Leave me a comment below if this was helpful to you!

4 days Backpacking in Isle Royale National Park