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Start from the beginning with Backpacking Isle Royale Part 1: Planning & Training.

Next episode: Part 4: Minong Ridge Trail and Minong Mine

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Camping on Isle Royale – the basics

On Isle Royale, you generally stay in a designated campground. You can get backcountry permits, but I’m not going to cover that here. Campgrounds can have group sites (tent sites for larger groups), tent sites, and shelters. A campground may not have all of these – many campgrounds do not have shelters.

Isle Royale shelters

If you aren’t familiar, the shelters on Isle Royale have three walls, and the front is screened in, with a door. You can get a bit of breeze, and stay away from bugs. It’s a lot of room for one person, but I love to stay in the shelters. It gives me a place to spread out my gear and organize, and is so much better than being cramped in my tent.

Shelters and tent sites are first-come, first-served. Some people say you have to share your shelter, others say you don’t. I’ve never had anyone ask to share one with me. If it was raining, I’d offer it to others. During my trip, I didn’t see that many other people at the sites I was at, so it was never an issue.

Water & toilets on Isle Royale

Each designated campground also has water – meaning access to water. This will be a lake where you can get water to filter or boil.

There is also at least one outhouse/latrine at each campground. They were pretty well stocked with toilet paper while I was there, but I would never bet on that. Bring your own, just in case. I always bring coreless backpacker toilet paper rolls.

Arriving at Daisy Farm Campground

My feet were very sore as I arrived at Isle Royale’s Daisy Farm Campground. The rocky trail and heavy pack had done my feet in. Once in my shelter, I switched from my hiking boots to my sandals. My shelter, #12, looked out toward the water. I went down to the water and splashed some on my face to cool down. Back in my shelter, I remember I had my chair with me (a Helinox Zero ultralight chair – it weighs about a pound). I unpacked it and sat down to rest my feet. The chair was worth the weight!

Once my feet felt better, I settled in to my shelter, organizing my gear so I would be prepared for the morning. The other shelters closest to me were empty – it felt like I was the only person on the island.

Moose in the morning

I woke shortly before the sun in my very quiet and comfortable shelter. I had pulled out the map to look at the route for the day, when I heard something outside. I looked out the screened-in front of the shelter and saw a moose casually strolling down the trail. I could see another one a bit farther down by the water, too. I watched her go by, then she turned toward the water, too.

I went down to the waters edge and watched them both near the shoreline (from a safe distance, of course). I had seen 3 moose in 2 days – that was setting the bar pretty high for the rest of the trip.

The sun rose shortly after that, the cloudy sky turning gold. There were loons floating on the calm water, which was reflecting the golden color of the sunrise. It was a perfect morning on Isle Royale.

On the trail – plants and animals on Isle Royale

After breakfast, I headed out on the trail toward McCargoe Cove. I enjoyed the wildflowers along the way, seeing daisies, irises, and lady’s slippers. The purple pitcher plants were in bloom as well, their exotic blooms looking like something from another planet.

I stopped to watch a snowshoe hare nibbling grasses along the edge of a plank boardwalk.

Amazing Isle Royale views

The trail was easier than the Rock Harbor Trail was yesterday. There were still some rocky parts, and some occasional steep sections (Michigan steep, not mountain steep).

I had some amazing views along the way. There’s a short side trip to a lookout point with nice views, and a couple of spots along the ridge where you can see for a ways. There was one place that overlooked a lake, and on this hot, sunny day the water sparkled like diamonds.

Trail snacks

I found blueberries and raspberries along the trail – a lovely trail snack. I was hoping for thimbleberries, which I’d never had before, but it was early in the season and they were still blooming or had unripe berries.

Sore feet

With a couple of miles yet to go, my feet were very sore. The same thing had happened the day before. I figured it was the rocky terrain and the heavy pack. It wasn’t until after I returned from this trip that I discovered it was actually my boots causing problems for my feet. The pain would continue to get worse day after day.

McCargoe Cove

I reached McCargoe Cove – my tracker logged 9 1/2 miles. I stayed in shelter #4, nestled up in the trees with a view of the water. There was another group or two at the campground, but it wasn’t crowded or busy.

As I was getting settled in, I noticed that every time I walked up to the shelter, there was a garter snake sunning itself near the front of the shelter. It slithered away under the shelter every time I went in. Later, I was inside the shelter going over the map when I saw something sticking out from the edge of the doorframe about 3/4 of the way up the door. It twitched and I realized it was the snake’s tail. It had climbed up the outside of the door. Just as I reached for my camera, it dropped from the door and slithered away again.

The dock at McCargoe Cove

McCargoe Cove has a dock at the campground. I took my chair down and spent the evening down there enjoying the fading sun and the gentle breeze.

I watched butterflies and loons, and saw a turtle rapidly swimming toward shore. I absorbed the peaceful tranquility of the island as the moon rose in the sky. I heard a noise just behind me, and turned to see a turtle digging a hole to lay her eggs.

Moose, snowshoe hare, a snake, and now a turtle laying eggs. It was a perfect end to an amazing day on Isle Royale.

Next: Isle Royale part 4: Minong Ridge Trail and Exploring Minong Mine

Missed the beginning? Read Isle Royale part 1: Planning & Training