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Wild Island

Isle Royale National Park
Spring/Summer 2011
Wild Island
Looking for a vacation that will transport you to a place so remote, so finely tuned to nature, that you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped back in time? Set sail to an absolutely pristine paradise — Isle Royale National Park — located on the largest island in Michigan’s Lake Superior.

This 45-by-9-mile island, reachable only by boat or seaplane, was established as a National Park in 1940. In 1980, it was declared an International Biosphere Reserve. Home to moose and wolves — which coexist without the presence of bears — the island is also the home base for adventuresome nature lovers during the summer months.

Stay at the island’s only accommodation (apart from campsites), the Rock Harbor Lodge. Featuring rooms with private baths and also mini cottages, the lodge complex arranges boat transportation from the mainland to Isle Royale and back.

Let the lodge outfit you to explore the island; it provides rental motor boats, kayaks and canoes at the full-service marina, as well as guided fishing and sightseeing tours, allowing visitors to get up close and personal with the island’s wild side. A whopping 165 miles of hiking trails mean that there is much to explore — including the 40-mile-long Greenstone Ridge Hiking Trail, which usually takes at least four days to complete. Kayakers and canoers will also want to check out the many secluded inland lakes and bays. Be sure to catch a serene island sunset and, if you can time your visit right, the eerie glow of the Northern Lights.