View of Rock Harbor

The following is a description of a 19-day adventure to Isle Royale National Park. The trip includes driving more than 900 miles to Copper Harbor and back, a ferry over the rough water of Lake Superior and two weeks of hiking to one end of the 45-mile long island and back. Part three of the first day is a hike along the Rock Harbor Trail to Daisy Farm Campground.

Section Stats:
Date: August 29, 2011
Length: 8.2 miles
Difficulty: Moderate

With orientation and my other administrative activities at the “civilized” Rock Harbor behind me, it is high time I get on the trail and head for Daisy Farm, the first night’s campsite as stated on my Isle Royale itinerary.

As I climb uphill and away from the Ranger’s Office, I wonder whether I am on the correct path after passing what appears to be residential housing. I feel less unsure when the path becomes more gravel–like and shelters start appearing on both sides.

On Isle Royale, the shelters are referred to as Adirondack shelters, or simply, Adirondacks. I assume this is due to their shape, since they have the same general shape as Adirondack lean-tos. Unlike lean-tos, these shelters are not made of logs, are quite larger (you can stand up inside without bumping your head!) and most importantly are fully screened in front so as to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes or black flies. Obviously, the visitors to Isle Royale National Park are not as hearty as those hiking the trails of the Adirondack Park. Or, maybe the mosquitoes and black flies are much more vicious here.

Past the many shelters, the trail continues through a coniferous forest before passing a trail with a sign mapping out the location of several tents sites. A small map etched in metal and fastened to a piece of wood on a waist high pole. I stop briefly to examine the layout of the tenting sites before returning to my hike toward Daisy Farms.

Although Daisy Farms is my goal for the day, there is another campsite about half way called Three Mile Campground. It is already after noon and if for some reason, I cannot make it the 8.2 miles to Daisy Farm, there is always the alternative of staying at Three Mile. Unfortunately, staying at Three Mile would screw up my whole itinerary (or necessitate hiking a longer distance tomorrow to make up for it), plus the risk of the closest campground to Rock Harbor being full is much more likely.

The sky is still dark and overcast, although occasionally a ray of sunlight escapes from a sliver of a gap between the threatening clouds. The thought of a rainy eight-mile slog on my first day puts a spring in my step, which otherwise might have been lacking.

Soon after leaving the Rock Harbor Campground behind, the trail becomes less road-like, resembling a well-worn footpath. The dark, cracked soil betrays the dry conditions of the island, as well as suggesting very muddy conditions during the wetter periods of the year. Thick, mature spruce and balsam fir trees border the trail, along with a ground cover of low-lying coniferous shrubs and herbaceous vegetation. Non-vegetated, bare ground is at a premium along the trail.

Often the trail leads through areas of uprooted coniferous trees, suggesting some violent storm in the recent past of the island. From many of the tree limbs hangs a prodigious amount of Old Man’s Beard, giving the forest a ghastly and threatening appearance. From the condition of the forest on the island seen so far, bushwhacking would be a great challenge. Thankfully, I did not plan any bushwhacking, doing so is never wise in an unknown area; it is always best to know what one is getting into first.

Forest along Rock Harbor Trail

Blowdown along Rock Harbor Trail

The trail winds through forest but often returns closer to the water’s edge, leaving the hard-packed soils behind for the partially-vegetated but often exposed bedrock along shore. Occasionally, when the trail is located along the shoreline, there is access to a pebble-strewn beach along Rock Harbor. The ridge of islands to the southeast blocks most of the view out into Lake Superior.

At one point along the trail, I walk down along the rocky shoreline and observe a common loon floating out in Rock Harbor as it comes in for a closer look. The loon is obviously quite curious, but never moves much closer toward shore. Soon the loon loses interest and returns to its quest for a mid-day meal, as it periodically submerges its head within the cold waters while the threatening gray sky lurks overhead.

Common Loon on Rock Harbor

Threatening clouds over Rock Harbor

The trail remains open and close to shore most of the way, until I reach a side trail heading north. A signpost nearby indicates the trail leads to Suzys Cave, the black letters appearing burned in the wood vertically. The cave is named for Suzy Tooker, a fisherman’s daughter who frequently played here many years ago as detailed in Isle Royale National Park: Foot Trails & Water Routes (an essential reference for anyone planning a trip to Isle Royale).

A steep climb along a short trail leads away from the shoreline up to Suzys Cave. As I nearly crest the ridge, the dark open maw of the cave stands before me. Its opening is impressive, but upon getting closer, the interior proves fairly shallow, with greenish tint to the interior walls. The unimpressive depth is not surprising as the cave is actually an inland sea arch, carved by wave action many years ago when the Lake Superior shoreline was much higher.

Suzys Cave

Interior of Suzys Cave

Upon returning to the main trail, a group of three middle-aged men heading toward Rock Harbor arrive at the intersection. We chat for a short while, and based on the accents (and their own admission), they are from Minnesota and Wisconsin. Having started at Windigo on Friday; they were heading back today aboard the Voyageur II. They were coming from Moskey Basin, and could not stop singing its praises, indicating it was one of the prettiest places they had been on the island. Perhaps it is worth looking at whether I can work Moskey Basin into my itinerary at some point.

After they depart, I snack on a granola bar before resuming my hike toward Daisy Farm. Before finishing my snack, a solo hiker approaches from the northeast. I recognize the young man from the boat; his long braided hair combined with a long, unkempt beard, which only someone from John Muir’s era would love, made for a strong impression. He inquires about whether the short trip up to Suzys Cave is worth the effort, to which I inform him of its less than specular depth. He chooses to move on down the trail toward Three Mile campsite.

View along Rock Harbor Trail

The trail remains mostly on open rock for the next couple miles to Three Mile campsite. Scattered about the rock are low-lying, coniferous shrubs, occasionally joined by a coniferous tree growing through a crack in the stone.

The sky quickly transitions from completely overcast to mostly clear, and my mood changes accordingly. The trepidation of navigating along wet and slippery bare rock vanishes with the threatening clouds, slowing my aggressive pace slightly as I reach Three Mile campsite.

With over four miles left, I barely slow down at Three Mile, taking just a few minutes to glance around before moving on. Most of the shelters appear taken, which leaves me unsettled as it bodes ill for my chances of obtaining a shelter for the night.

Soon after hiking through the campsite, I reach an intersection with the Mount Franklin Trail leading off to the north. The sign is almost the halfway point of my day’s hike, indicating Daisy Farm is still 4.2 miles away to the southwest. My watch indicates it is almost two-thirty, with the first half of the hike taking approximately 2 hours, my estimated time of arrival at Daisy Farms stands at 4:30 PM, at the earliest.

The trail continues along the rocky bluffs of Rock Harbor’s shoreline. It is much rougher than the first half of the trail, with more open bedrock and less forested areas, and thus it entails greater care.

View along Rock Harbor Trail

Wildlife appears more abundant along this section of trail. An old moose track cast in the dry, hard mud is my first evidence of these large ungulates on the island. A small snowshoe hare hops away erratically, obviously scared up by my presence. Numerous garter snakes slither off away from the trail, apparently disturbed from sunning themselves; they too are celebrating the now shinning sun. I briefly stop to observe a red-eyed vireo and a yellow-rumped warbler with young perching on branches of nearby trees along the trail.

As I hike down the trail, I notice a large antenna rising over the tree tops off to the southeast on one of the islands. As I draw closer, I realize the antenna is located on Mott Island, at the National Park Headquarters. Along with the antenna is a large water tower, several long buildings, a long dock with several boats and an orange crane. There appears to be little activity, although there are several boats of varying sizes along the dock.

Shortly after observing the Headquarters, I arrive at the remains of the Siskowit Mines. These mines are the oldest ones along Rock Harbor, having operated from 1847 to 1855. All that remains now are several shallow pits, some filled with green, algae-infested water, while others contain nothing but leaf litter. Old split-rail wooden fencing surrounds the pits closest to the trail, with a large wooden sign warning of the pits’ presence. After wandering around the few pits closest to the trail, I continue on, growing anxious to reach Daisy Farms.

National Park Headquarters on Mott Island

While continuing along the trail, I spot a plover running along a gravel beach. As I watch the bird, but unable to identify it, I hear a roaring engine off to the southwest. After a short time, a barge comes into view, speeding along northeast, apparently back toward the Park Headquarters. The sight and sound of the large boat is entirely incongruent with the natural surroundings of the harbor.

For a short stretch the trail travels through a wetland on a series of wooden planks. This is one of the few segments of the trail where Rock Harbor is not obviously apparent and viewable, although it is only a short distance away. The wetland has a very Adirondack feel to it, with the plank bridging winding its way through the grassy wetland. While viewing a bird flying over, I lose one of my binoculars lens caps in the surrounding vegetation. Luckily, after several minutes I found it down in the thick, herbaceous vegetation.

When the trail returns to the open bluffs, a white lighthouse is visible to the south, on the opposite shore across Rock Harbor. A quick look at my National Geographic map of the island (another must have for anyone planning on exploring the island), reveals it to be the Rock Harbor Lighthouse. More importantly, it stands as a signpost, heralding the arrival of Daisy Farm just a short distance down the trail. Since the lighthouse is directly east of Daisy Farm, the campsite must be less than a mile away now.

Siskowit Mine

Pool in Siskowit Mine

Within 15 minutes, the trail enters the edge of a large clearing filled with tall grass and rimmed with many encroaching hardwood saplings. The small kiosk, with a plentiful amount of announcements behind a locked Plexiglas door notifies me of my arrival at Daisy Farm.

At it is just past 4:30 in the afternoon.

Now I just need to find an open campsite for the night….

Plank along Rock Harbor Trail

Daisy Farm clearing

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