Isle Royale National Park guide · 1 min read
Crossing Lake Superior by Ferry or Seaplane
Visitors reach Isle Royale National Park by ferry or seaplane, and the park's ferry is the Ranger III.
The vessel is 165 feet long and can take up to 128 passengers, run by a nine-member crew. Its home port is Houghton, Michigan, where the journey begins. Vehicles stay on the mainland.
Isle Royale lies 56 miles across Lake Superior from the Keweenaw Peninsula. The Ranger III covers 73 miles to Rock Harbor in about six hours, and during its first hour it moves through the Keweenaw Waterway and passes beneath the world's largest lift bridge. Once out on Lake Superior, the largest fresh water lake by surface area, the scenery shifts to a craggy shoreline covered in lichen. Near the entrance to Rock Harbor Channel, the historic Rock Harbor Lighthouse comes into view. Trips to Windigo pass the Rock of Ages Lighthouse before turning into Washington Harbor.
The Houghton Visitor Center on Lakeshore Drive serves as the mainland base for the park, set on the waterfront along the Portage Canal. Rangers at the desk can answer questions about your trip. You can buy Ranger III tickets there, get help planning, look through the park store, and watch a short orientation film.
For air travel, Isle Royale Seaplanes is the only company flying passengers to the park by seaplane. Its base and dock are in Hubbell, Michigan, beside the Keweenaw Waterway, and daily flights leave from there for Windigo and Rock Harbor.
Private boaters need a boating permit, which they can pick up at the Houghton Visitor Center before setting out for the island. Transportation options also run from Minnesota, where Grand Portage lies 22 miles from the island.
