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Isle Royale National Park (3)
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Trails
Isle royale is unusual among national parks in that there are no roads on any of the islands. There are two main ways to see this wilderness park: by boat, perhaps a canoe or kayak, and by foot. While there are no roads on Isle Royal there are 165 miles of foot trails. Most of the trails are relatively easy to hike, as there are no mountains of the Rocky or Cascade variety here. In this section a description of a sample of some of these trails can be found.
Tobin Harbor Tobin Bay is a nine and a half mile long inlet north of the peninsula upon which Rock Harbor and Scoville Point sit. The trail runs along the south shore of the harbor and provides views of the water as well as Greenstone Ridge to the north.
As with most trails on the island, being removed from major impacts of civilization, it's not unusual to find wildlife along the route. The trail runs through forest canopy of birch, spruce, and fir.
Tobin Harbor Trail itself runs for about 3 miles in total. The trail is relatively popular because it starts very close to the Rock Harbor Lodge and the boat dock where the ferries from the mainland arrive. It's also relatively level, climbing and dipping gently along the shore of the harbor.
Probably the most attractive feature of the trail are the beautiful views of Tobin Harbor which it affords. Here's a view looking toward the northeast across the harbor from the trail.
Looking toward the northwest, it can be seen that there are a number of islands in the harbor. That's Greenstone Ridge in the background, the "spine" of the island.
The water can just be seen through the trees.
Stoll Trail The Stoll Trail runs along the south shore of the island from Rock Harbor Lodge out to Scoville Point. It provides a relatively accessible wilderness experience for folks who come ashore in Rock Harbor or who are staying in Rock Harbor Lodge.
In places the trail runs near the coast and provides views of Lake Superior and some of the small barrier islands south of Isle Royale. These islands buffer the winds and high seas of the lake and create calm water in the harbor Kneut Kneutson first dubbed "Snug Harbor."
The trail is relatively easy but in a number of places in crosses the face of some of the rocks which are found along the coastal areas.
Stoll Trail winds in and out of dense forests found on the peninsula.
The trail remains in sight of the water here.
In places the trail runs inland as well, necessitating the occasional planks across the bogs which are found in lowland areas of the island.
Mt. Franklin Trail Mt. Franklin, along the Greenstone Ridge, is one of the higher promontories on the island at a bunch of feet. Access to this promontory is provided by the Mt. Franklin Trail.
The Mt. Franklin Trail features a pretty healthy climb up to the Greenstone Trail. In the section below it comes out of the forest and across rocky bluffs, where the trail itself is marked by rock cairns (also visible).
The trail runs through several types of forest, including open areas of birch and aspen. These types of trees are the first to colonize an area after it has been cleared, as in the case of fire.
Dense forest along the route alternates with meadows and other opens spaces.
Some of the open spaces are wet--bogs and swamps, such as the ones picture below.
There is a long plank bridge over one such bog, shown on the right. Many inland areas of the park have poor drainage, and such wet areas are not uncommon.
Thick green grasses grow in the bogs and along the streams.
Greenstone Ridge Trail The most well known of the footpaths on Isle Royale is probably Greenstone Trail. This trail runs almost the length of the island along Greenstone Ridge, a length of about 40 miles. A section is shown below.
The trail can be challenging in some places but in many others it run comfortably flat along the top of the ridge.
The trial provides access to most of the highest places on the island, which are located at intervals along Greenstone Ridge. Below, a section of the trail is shown is it approaches the summit of Mt. Franklin, which is the rocky outcrop at the end of the trail to the right.
Along the ridge there are open spaces, such as the one shown below.
Suzy's Cave Trail The Rock Harbor Trail runs in an east-west direction along the south coast of the island, while the Tobin Harbor Trail runs parallel to it along Tobin Harbor. The short Suzy's Cave Trail connects the two, crossing a small ridge, and provides access to Suzy's Cave, pictured below. The cave is actually an inland sea arch. formed when the level of Lake Superior was much higher than at present.
Rock Harbor Trail Another of the more well-known of Isle Royale's trails is Rock Harbor Trail. This trail runs along the south coast of the Island at Rock Harbor for 9.5?? miles. It provides lovely vistas of the rocks and forested coastline along the harbor. The popular Rock Harbor campground is about 2.7 miles east of the lodge and dock area in Rock Harbor along this trail.
The trail does not feature substantial altitude gain or loss, but does offer some challenges as it passes over the rocky bluffs along the coast. One of these very rough portions of the trail is shown below.
Rock Harbor trail has been rerouted in the past because of problems with erosion. Another section of the Rock Harbor Trail as it passes along the harbor coastline and across the rocks is shown below.
Kneutson Trail Kneutson Trail is a "mini-trail" which leads from the lodge area in Rock Harbor to an old boat dock in the harbor. It follows the edge of the harbor and provides views of the current boat dock and visitor's center.
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- 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
