Isle Royale Forums

Does anyone know how I can get on and off island from 5/2 - 5/6?
The advertised IR planes or boats are not running. I would need some other alternative.
I'm located in MN. Willing to go to thunder bay if I could get dropped off at windigo and picked up at rock hard that weekend.

Any ideas or suggestions? It means a lot for me to go during that time. I don't want to reschedule.

I can't say this strongly enough: That's too early to be on the island. There's a reason that none of the transportation services run at that time -- early May is effectively the transition between winter and spring on the island. The very first park employees will probably be arriving at the island by that time or slightly before, and they'll be likely dealing with deep snow in many places. There will be no services of any kind.

Anybody taking you to the park "for hire" would need a license from the park service, which basically means the transportation services you've already identified (which won't be running). Otherwise you'd need a private boat that can handle Lake Superior, and the knowledge of how to navigate long distances in open water in a very dangerous shoulder season.

thanks for the insight @dcclark. I get that it's a transition between seasons. I would like to still go then but seems probably impossible now.
I understand that it could be rougher weather too.
Looks like the only option would be to have a friend with a large enough vessel and experience on lake superior to drop me off at windigo and pick me up at rock harbor.
It's a spiritual trip in nature so I want to go during that time but I realize I'm probably out of luck for it to happen.

For perspective, the first NPS boat of the season (and staff), literally just arrived at Mott Island (park HQ). They've been waiting since 4/15 for a weather window.

The larger issue at hand is park staffing, the park isn't staffed to assist you in case of emergency yet. For practical purposes they're barely staffed enough by the time the first boats arrive in my experiece.

Maybe try for other locations in the NorthWoods that are not as access-limited, where you could enjoy a similar seasonal environment. Superior National Forest, maybe something on the edge of the Boundary Waters. Or Porcupine Mountains in upper Michigan. Or any number of similarly amazing places in Canada - Sleeping Giant comes to mind. Drive in and park, then head off on foot for your 4-day trip. Isle Royale is pretty special, but so are other places around the Lake Superior basin!

The Border Route trail in Minnesota is in parts of the BWCA.