Isle Royale National Park

Isle Royale National Park lies in the northwest corner of Lake Superior, a spectacular wilderness island reachable only by boats departing from Houghton and Copper Harbor, Michigan and Grand Portage, Minnesota. Or, by seaplane with Royale Air Service out of Houghton. If you like being without a car, bike or other wheeled transportation, this is the place for you. Getting there takes five hours by boat and forty-five minutes by seaplane. But it's worth it. Once there you are greeted by an ecological paradise with three forest types, an area of boreal woodlands left over from the ice-age, on a piece of land measuring nine miles wide and ...

Isle Royale National Park lies in the northwest corner of Lake Superior, a spectacular wilderness island reachable only by boats departing from Houghton and Copper Harbor, Michigan and Grand Portage, Minnesota. Or, by seaplane with Royale Air Service out of Houghton. If you like being without a car, bike or other wheeled transportation, this is the place for you. Getting there takes five hours by boat and forty-five minutes by seaplane. But it's worth it. Once there you are greeted by an ecological paradise with three forest types, an area of boreal woodlands left over from the ice-age, on a piece of land measuring nine miles wide and forty-five miles long. Due to its remote location Isle Royale is the least visited of our national parks. That doesn't mean there isn't anything to see or do here. Greenstone Ridge Trail runs forty miles along the island's spine climbing to an elevation of 1000 feet and offering excellent views and opportunities for moose-spotting. There is superb canoeing and kayaking the inland waterways. Check the visitors center in Rock Harbor for National Park Service guided hikes on the trails, or to Rock Harbor Lighthouse and the Edisen Fishery.

About the Expert

Frances Folsom is the author of CitySpot Palermo, a contributor to the Reiskits guides to Milan and Italy's Lakes Region, and Thomas Cook's Independent Traveller USA.