What to Bring: Isle Royale

This wild and diverse island archipelago offers magnificent scenery as well as glimpses of wildlife, rugged offshore sea stacks and islands, unique flora, and historic structures, surrounded by the crystal-clear waters of Lake Superior. On clear nights, the skies are spectacular. You can shoot the Milky Way right off your balcony at the lodge. Because the park follows strict dark-sky guidelines, you will need a flashlight to go anywhere at night.

Climate & Conditions:

Island temps are typically 5-10 degrees cooler than the mainland. Rain in September is quite common. Fog and winds off the lake can be impressive and could affect our sailing/flying days or times.

Facilities:

Rock Harbor at Isle Royale has an NPS Visitor Center (with maps, books and gift items), a General/Convenience Store, the Greenstone Grill Restaurant & Gift Shop (open limited hours) and a small art gallery. In addition to Rock Harbor Lodge, there are Housekeeping Cabins near the Sea Plane Dock at Tobin Harbor, about a ¼ mile from the lodge (uphill both ways).Emergency Medical Services: NPS maintains a small First Aid Station at Rock Harbor, but the nearest hospital is many miles across Lake Superior, so this is not a good place to have a medical emergency. If you have any chronic or emerging health concerns, please be sure to check with your doctor in advance of your trip.

Trails:

Since the Rock Harbor area trails mostly run along the shoreline, the views are amazing! However, the trails are slippery, uneven, littered with boulders, not always easy to follow, and often strenuous. Boardwalks have been constructed through marshy areas, but they are narrow, sometimes just the width of a single board, so a hiking pole can be helpful. Isle Royale is glorious! And so, it’s best enjoyed at an easy pace. There are too many photo opportunities and trip hazards for rushing. Watch your step whenever you roam off trail as many ancient mining sites are scattered across the island.

Wildlife:

Will you see a gray wolf? The chances are pretty good. The likelihood of seeing a moose is low, however, since their numbers are shrinking. You will probably spot one of the tall red foxes that wander the woods by Rock Harbor. You may also see an otter, a beaver, an eagle or other migrating birds. No deer, coyotes, or bear. Not very many biting bugs in September. No ticks.

WIFI: 

“The Guest House” , a small two-story building near the harbor offers (often unreliable) WiFi from about 7am-7pm. At best, it is a weak signal, not strong enough for making phone calls. There is no cell coverage at all at Isle Royale.Traveling to/from Isle Royale: Weather conditions will dictate whether your boat or plane leaves or arrives on time. If traveling by ferry, be sure to stop by the NPS Visitor Center or the Rock Harbor Lodge office on the morning of departure to find out when you need to be at the dock. It can vary greatly, could be hours earlier or even a day later than expected. Best place to wait for news regarding an uncertain departure time is at The Guest House. In terms of luggage weight limits, the Isle Royale Queen out of Copper Harbor typically does not weigh your luggage. Technically, they can charge extra for overweight luggage. But, I always bring overweight luggage on that ferry and have not yet been charged. The sea plane out of Houghton, however, does weigh your luggage and will not allow it to be even slightly overweight.

Buying Stuff:

The remoteness of Isle Royale combined with the end-of-season timing of our trip means that we can’t count on availability of even the most basic supplies. Since everything is transported via ferry, the store is usually out of lots of stuff and the restaurant menu is limited. So, bring everything that you absolutely need and a duplicate of those essentials, if possible. Make sure to take enough for an extended stay, in case the weather delays our departure. You may be able to pick up a souvenir on the island, but if not, there are shops in Copper Harbor and Houghton. You can get your NPS Passport Book stamped on the island. I plan to just stamp a blank

sticker at Isle Royale and put the sticker in my Passport Book later.

Gear Suggestions

• Basic First Aid supplies, Prescriptions and OTC Medications, including Dramamine. If seas aren’t too rough, I rely on “Motion Eaze” essential oil drops for motion sickness.

• Water bottle, Snacks, Breakfast items (their café opens late).

• Waterproof hiking boots, rain pants/jacket. If space allows, consider bringing an extra pair of hiking boots. (You won’t need knee-high water boots, though).

• Several warm layers, including hat, gloves and handwarmers. Wind chill on the ferry could be in the 30’s-40’s.

• Hiking pole and knee pads

• A headlamp and flashlight or two with extra batteries.

• A cell phone with satellite communication technology and/or a satellite rescue beacon, such as the Garmin InReach.

• Chargers for your camera battery, cell phone, flashlight, headlamp, etc. A small portable charger might be helpful too.

• Extra memory cards & camera batteries. Rocket blower & lens cloths. Filters, remote shutter, extra lens caps.

• Your camera manual downloaded to your phone.

• Two camera bodies if possible and at least two lenses. Wide angle and ultrawide angle lenses, plus a medium length telephoto will probably be most useful. (I plan to bring my 14-24mm and 24-120mm lenses.) There may be an occasional

opportunity to use a long lens (like if we see a wolf). If you don’t need a heavy tripod, consider bringing a lightweight one.

• A laptop? I’m not planning to bring mine. I will bring a boatload of memory cards, though, for sure.

Download this page as a PDF file

Questions about gear? email us at info@visionlandscapephotoworkshops.com