Isle Royale National Park
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| Isle Royale | |
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| Designation | National Park |
| Location | Michigan USA |
| Nearest City | Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | Template:Coor dm |
| Area | 571,790 acres 2314 km² |
| Date of establishment | April 3, 1940 |
| Visitation | 19,260 (2002) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| IUCN category | Ib (Wilderness Area) II (National Park) |
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 50 miles (80 km) in length; it and multiple smaller islands along with all water to 2.5 miles of the outer islands make up the park. The island was once the site of a fishing industry, native copper mining and a resort community. Isle Royale National Park was established on April 3, 1940. It was designated a Wilderness Area in 1976 and an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980. It is a relatively small national park at 894 square miles (2314 km²), with only 209 square miles (542 km²) above water. It 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.
It is accessible by floatplane and by ferry during the summer months from Grand Portage, Minnesota and Houghton and Copper Harbor in Michigan. Private boats travel to the island mainly from Thunder Bay, Ontario, the closest city to the park. 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. Due to 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, only some 20,000 people a year visit Isle Royale, fewer than visit the most popular national parks in a single day.
The park 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 6-8 hours, the ferries that make this voyage on a daily basis have only a 2-3 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. It is claimed 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, a six-hour trip from the park, so it only travels one way each day, overnighting at the island. Currently it makes the crossing there and back only twice a 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 spring and autumn. The Voyager, also out of Grand Portage, circles the island with an overnight at Rock Harbor, providing water taxi service for lakeside campgrounds.
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The park's two developed areas are Windigo, at the southwest end of the island (docking site for the ferries from Minnesota), with a campstore, showers, campsites, and 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 boat dock.
Sleeping accommodations at the park are limited to the lodge at Rock Harbor, and 36 designated wilderness campsites. The campsites vary in capacity, but typically include a small number of three-sided wood shelters (the fourth wall is screened) with floors and roofs, and a number of 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; 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.
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. 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 of hiking trails. There are also canoe/kayak routes, many involving portages, along coastal bays and inland lakes.
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.
List of some islands around or in Isle Royale
- Amygdaloid Island - has a ranger station
- Beaver Island - has a campground
- Belle Isle - has a campground
- Caribou Island - has a campground
- Grace Island
- Johns Island
- Long Island
- Menagerie Island - has a lighthouse
- Mott Island - summer park headquarters
- Passage Island - has a lighthouse and short trail
- Raspberry Island - has a nature trail
- Rock of Ages - has a lighthouse
- Ryan Island (Siskiwit Lake) - the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake in the world
- Tookers Island - has a campground
- Washington Island - has a campground
- Wright Island
External link
- Official site: Isle Royale National Park (http://www.nps.gov/isro/)
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