Isle Royale National Park: Foot trails & water routes

by Jim Dufresne

Book Overview

Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior offers a unique wilderness experience. Unlike many national parks where tourists spend only a few hours gazing at the sights, Isle Royale visitors stay in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898860822
• ISBN13: 9780898860825
• Release Date: January 1984
• Publisher: Mountaineers
• Length: 136 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The best guide to hiking Isle Royale

This seems to be the only guide dedicated to Isle Royale, so we are all lucky that it's a good one. He describes the hikes in some detail and describes the features of each hike well enough so that you can plan what you want to do. Dufresne divides the book into long hikes, short hikes, and canoe trips and portages. The long hikes are multi-day backpacking trips, while the short hikes are day trips out of the two ranger stations (Rock Harbor and Windigo). The book also has some helpful background information about the park and NPS rules. My only complaint is that the mileages listed for some long hikes don't capture the whole distance. For example, Dufresne counts the Feldtmann loop as 24 miles, starting at Windigo and ending at the junction of the Island Mine trail and the Greenstone Ridge trail. Sorry, but you have to get back to the boat, and it's another 7 miles to Windigo from that junction. This means that the loop is 31 miles long, not 24 miles. To avoid surprises like that, pick up the Trails Illustrated map of Isle Royale, which has mileages on it, to supplement this book.

Wouldn't have gone without it

This book was our bible on our 10 day excursion to Isle Royale (royal like a king, not like royale with cheese). Coupled with a good topo map, we were able to get around the island with ease. Was also great for planning our route before the trip. This book tells you everything you need to know for a backpacking/fishing trip to this beautiful place.

Foot trails and water routes

Visit the largest island in the largest lake in the largest island in the largest lake in the world. Isle Royale National Park: Foot Trails & Water Routes will tell you how to get there. See if it, too, has a lake with an island with ... Isle Royale National Park has nice hand drawn maps. It rates the difficulty of hikes and it gives trail distances, elevations and hiking times.

Great for before and during....

This book is great for before and during your trip to Isle Royale. My group had a trip all planned before we went. When we got there we completely changed what our plans were and luckily we had this book to help us with those changes. Descriptions of the trails and campgrounds are good. Overall, this is the best book I think anyone can find on the subject. Good Hiking!

Indispensable guide for backpacking/canoeing/kayking IRNP

An excellent guide to the park. Indispensable for planning a backpacking, canoeing, or kayaking trip. "Foot Trails" section of the book includes descriptions of all the trails, including difficulty, mileage information, and scenic views along the way. "Water Routes" section of the book includes information needed for a canoeing or kayaking trip, including routes, portages, & campsites. The book also includes some information concerning island history, geology, and biology. If you buy only one book about Isle Royale National Park, this is the one! Small and light enough to carry on your trip. Combine this book with a Trails Illustrated topographical map of the park, & you'll have the basic information necessary to plan your trip.