Isle Royale Forums

Can someone give me info which campsites on IR have shelters? And how many shelters are there at each? Going to IR in early September 2015 and debating whether to haul tent.

For safety reasons, I would never consider not taking a tent/tarp to Isle Royale, even if I planned to stay exclusively in shelters. What would you do if you were injured in between campsites and had to spend the night? In an emergency I could put up with the bugs; but I couldn't easily handle adverse elements like rain/snow/cold.

The NPS annual newsletter, The Greenstone - 2015 has a chart on page 6 outlining all the amenities of every campground including the number of shelters. In general, no inland campgrounds have shelters. Almost all campgrounds on Lake Superior do have at least one shelter. My strong advice is to always bring a tent or at least a ground cloth, rain fly, very good bag and are experienced staying warm with just those. Given all that you might as well bring a tent. Your chances of getting a shelter in September are higher but not at all guaranteed. Also, September can have remarkable cold spells and shelters offer protection from rain and bugs but not the cold. I will personally and also see others sometimes pitch the tent INSIDE the shelter to stay warm.

I’ll be the contrarian here.

After Labor Day, the number of people going to Isle Royale drops dramatically. I visited the SW part of the island last year, right after Labor Day, and had no problem finding an open shelter anywhere in my travels. The tent and tent paraphernalia I brought along was just added weight and bulk that I really didn’t need. I was sorry I brought it along.

I think I would still bring at least a bivy sack or emergency blanket set-up.

I've been in September twice and also not had a problem getting a shelter. Up early hike hard and plan short hikes and you'll likely be rewarded.... With that said.... I ALWAYS HAD A TENT AND NEVER THOUGHT IT WAS DEAD WEIGHT. It's just too important especially at that time of year for possible weather extremes