 |
Home |
| Parks | |
| About the Site | |
| News |
|
Isle Royale National Park (2)
|
Island Views
Isle Royale National Park is defined by dense forests, mountains and ridges, and spectacular coastlines along Lake Superior. The marks of civilization are few in the park, and the beauty of nature everywhere. A sampling of some of the areas in the park is presented below.
Scoville Point Area The eastern point of the main island (Isle Royale) is Scoville Point. This arm of land can be seen as the ferry approaches the island from Copper Harbor or Houghton, at the right extreme of the picture below.
The area near Scoville Point is typical of much of the coast of Isle Royale--rocky and forested up near the lake.
The land around Scoville Point is very rocky.
Some of the many smaller islands which surround Isle Royal itself can be see from the shore in the Scoville Point area.
Tobin Harbor Tobin Harbor is an inlet of water north of the peninsula where Rock Harbor is located and a short hike from it.
Tobin Harbor is also the site of the seaplane dock.
Tobin Harbor is surround by forested hills and some trails which run along its sides. This is characteristic of many of Isle Royale's coastline which is fjordlike in appearance.
There are some islands in the harbor as well.
Mt. Franklin There are a number of peaks and vantage points which can be found along the ridges which run along the length of the island in its interior. One of the nicest is Mt. Franklin. A view from its summit looking north are shown below.
Another view is shown here.
The summit is marked by large boulders which provide an excellent vantage point for views of the entire island. Below is a view looking toward the northwest. This picture reveals the islands ridge and valley topography, Greenstone Ridge of course being the highest.
The summit of Mt. Franklin is along the Greenstone Ridge Trail. The clearing at the summit is an excellent place to enjoy a lunch after a long hike and take in the spectacular view.
Forests, ponds, and the great lake itself can be seen from this promontory.
The picture below shows the northwestern section of Isle Royal, with Lake Superior in the distance. Mt. Franklin is 1080 feet; the highest point on the island is Ishpeming Point at 705 feet.
Other The "spine" of the island is the Greenstone Ridge. Below is a shot of the south slope of the ridge near the Mt. Franklin Trail.
There are a lot of rocks, and rocky areas along the coast.
The rocks on Isle Royale are volcanic in origin, and specifically basaltic. Rocks along the shoreline also reveal some glacial striations, created when the great layers of ice scraped across the island.
The dark colored rocks reveal their volcanic origins.
The coast of the island varies considerably. In some places the forest comes down to the water line, while in others there are rocky bluffs. Below is the south coast along Rock Harbor, with some islands across the channel.
Suzy's Cave is an inland sea arch located on the strip of land between Rock and Tobin Harbors. It was created when the water level of Lake Superior than in current times.
Numerous small islands are found in the waters around Isle Royale as well as in the inlets and harbors which indent its coast.
Most of the island is heavily forested, although in the late 1800's copper miners burnt off a great deal of the forest cover. In the 1890's and beyond 1910 there were some unprofitable logging operations instituted. And in 1936 fire which lasted from July 23 to September 15 destroyed 20% of the island's vegetation. But all of it has grown back in most places. The boreal forest includes stands of balsam fir and white spruce, paper birch and aspen. Sugar maple and yellow yellow birch can also be found.
In places the forest undergrowth can be thick and almost impenetrable, as can be seen below. Thimbleberry is among the other plants which grow in profusion on the forest floor.
Fog
For the spring or early summer visitor it is not unusual at all to find the island and the surrounding lake covered by mist or fog.
As it's surrounded by the cold waters of Lake Superior, fog and mist are visitors even during the warm summer month.
The ferry can barely be seen at Rock Harbor through the mist.
As the mists creep across the harbors and inlets the islands seem to float above the surface.
The mist covers the water seen through the forest.
The mist can be seen blowing across the water.
This is a view of the fog shrouded south shore of Isle Royale.
And here is another shot of the island seen through the fog.
- Next Page for Isle Royale National Park -
- All photographs ©Patrick Holleran, Shannon Technologies, 1994-2008
- Commercial use of the images contained in this document without express written consent is strictly prohibited.
- Comments and other remarks can be sent via e-mail to parkvision@shannontech.com
