Visiting Isle Royale

PARK OPEN DATES April 16 to October 31

CLOSURE DATES November 1 to April 15 wilderness integrity, vehicles and wheeled devices, with the exception of wheelchairs, are not allowed on Isle Royale. Hiking, boating, canoeing and kayaking are the best — and only — ways to experience its expanse.

The Flora And Fauna

Having once crossed an ice bridge between Isle Royale and the Canadian mainland, park residents include red foxes, otters, beavers and massive moose. Gray wolves have also populated the park since the late 1940s.

Integral to the ecosystem, wolves help stabilize the moose herd, as they prey on the old, young, ill and injured among them. Moose provide stable winter hunting for the wolves, leading to the species’ dramatic comeback. Joining them are a wide array of amphibians, mollusks, birds and insects, some rare and others found only in the park’s inland lakes or streams.

Isle Royale is also home to over 600 flowering plants, including a number of rare species. Mosses form lush carpets, while nearly 30 species of ferns flourish and 600 different species of lichen cling to bedrock and balsam firs.

The Weather

Featuring a moist continental climate, Isle Royale sees comfortable summers and frigid, snowy winters. Generally, it’s partly cloudy year-round, with temperatures that fluctuate between -1 F and 76 F. Wondering about the best time of year to visit? It depends on what experience you seek, though warm-weather activities are best enjoyed from early July through late August.