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Isle Royale National Park is a U.S. National Park in the state of Michigan. Isle Royale, the largest island in Lake Superior, is over 45 miles (72 km) in length and 9 miles (14 km) wide at its widest point; the park is made of Isle Royale itself and multiple smaller islands, along with all water up to 2.5 miles (4 km) beyond the outer islands. Isle Royale National Park was established on April 3, 1940, was designated as a Wilderness Area in 1976, and was made an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980. It is a relatively small national park at 894 square miles (2,314 km²), with only 209 square miles (542 km²) above water.

Human history

The island was once the site of a fishing industry, native copper mining and a resort community. Because numerous small islands surround Isle Royale, ships were once guided through the area by lighthouses at Passage Island, Rock Harbor, Rock of Ages, and Isle Royale Lighthouse on Menagerie Island.

Natural history

Ecology

Isle Royale National Park is known for its wolf and moose populations which are studied by scientists investigating predator-prey relationships in a closed environment. There are usually around 25 wolves and 1000 moose on the island, but the numbers change greatly year to year. In rare years with very hard winters, animals can travel over the frozen lake from the Canadian mainland. To protect the wolves from canine diseases, dogs are not allowed in any part of the park, including the adjacent waters.

Geology

Isle Royale greenstone (chlorastrolite, a form of Pumpellyite) is found here, as well as on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is the official Michigan state gemstone.

Recreation

The Greenstone Ridge is a high ridge in the center of the island and carries the longest trail in the park, the Greenstone Ridge trail, which runs 40 miles (60 km) from one end of the island to the other. This is generally done as a 4 or 5 day hike. A boat shuttle can carry hikers back to their starting port. In total there are 165 miles (265 km) of hiking trails. There are also canoe/kayak routes, many involving portages, along coastal bays and inland lakes.

Services

The park has two developed areas: Windigo, at the southwest end of the island (docking site for the ferries from Minnesota), with a campstore, showers, campsites, and a boat dock; and Rock Harbor on the south side of the northeast end (docking site for the ferries from Michigan), with a campstore, showers, restaurant, lodge, campsites, and a boat dock.

Sleeping accommodations at the park are limited to the lodge at Rock Harbor and 36 designated wilderness campsites. Some campgrounds are accessible only by private boat; other campgrounds away from the lakeshore are accessible only by trail or by canoe/kayak on the interior lakes. The campsites vary in capacity but typically include a few three-sided wood shelters (the fourth wall is screened) with floors and roofs, and several individual sites suitable for pitching a small tent. Some tent sites with space for groups of up to 10 are available and require a special permit. The only amenities at the campsites are pit toilets. Campfires are not permitted at most sites; gas camp stoves are recommended. Drinking and cooking water must be drawn from local water sources (Lake Superior and inland lakes) and filtered to avoid parasites. Hunting is not permitted, but fishing is, and edible berries may be picked from the trail.

Access

The park is accessible by floatplane and by ferry during the summer months from Grand Portage, Minnesota, and from Houghton and Copper Harbor in Michigan. Private boats travel to the island mainly from Thunder Bay, Ontario, the closest city to the park.

Isle Royale is not popular with day-trippers because of the scheduling constraints of transportation to and from the park; with a round-trip travel time of 6-7 hours, the ferries that make this voyage on a daily basis have only a 3-hour layover at the island. These ferries may delay—and in some situations cancel—trips during heavy weather.

The Ranger III is a 165-foot (50 m) boat operated by the National Park Service, said to be the largest piece of equipment in the National Park system. It carries 125 passengers, and canoes and kayaks, and operates out of Houghton, Michigan. This is a six-hour trip from the park, so it overnights at the island before returning the next day, making two round trips each week, June to mid-September. The Isle Royale Queen out of Copper Harbor, Michigan, and the Wenonah, out of Grand Portage, Minnesota, operate round-trips daily in peak season, less frequently in early summer and autumn. The Voyageur, also out of Grand Portage, crosses up to three times a week, overnighting at Rock Harbor and providing transportation between selected lakeside campgrounds.

Because of the difficulty of travel and the hazards of wilderness survival during the winter months, it is the only major National Park Service park to close entirely for the season. Because of the relative difficulty of reaching the park and its seasonal closing, less than 20,000 people a year visit Isle Royale, fewer than visit the most popular national parks in a single day.

List of islands

References

External links

1940 establishments | Landmarks in Michigan | National Parks of the United States | Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Isle-Royale-Nationalpark | Isle Royale National Park

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Isle Royale National Park".

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