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Isle Royale Hub, Detroit, MI (2026)

07/25/2026

Some days on Isle Royale remind you why you keep coming back.

With a few days off and a perfect weather window, I loaded up the Knot Reel and headed for Pickerel Cove Campground, one of the island's quietest and most overlooked campgrounds. The day began with one of the most spectacular sunrises I've ever witnessed, with fiery colors reflecting across water so calm it looked like glass.

From there, I spent the day exploring Five Fingers Bay, venturing into each of its narrow "fingers", an area I had somehow never explored before. While in Stockly Bay, I also walked the short portage trail over to Lane Cove before continuing on.

One finger will have to wait. As I entered the narrow bay just north of Stockly Bay, a loon became very vocal. A moment later I spotted another adult with a tiny loonlet in the middle of the bay. Rather than disturb them, I quietly turned the Knot Reel around and headed back out. That bay will still be there another day.

Along the way I picked up a little beach trash. Every piece removed helps keep this incredible wilderness just a little cleaner.

Photo 1: Sunrise from the rocky point at Pickerel Cove, with the Knot Reel tucked into its protected cove below.

Photo 2: The sunrise reaches its peak, filling the sky with brilliant color.

Photo 3: Glass-calm water reflecting the morning sky.

Photo 4: The Knot Reel beached along a secluded shoreline in Five Fingers Bay.

Photo 5: One of the quiet finger bays.

Photo 6: The entrance to the narrow bay north of Stockly Bay, where I turned around after finding a loon family.

Photo 7: The peaceful back end of another finger bay.

Photo 8: A fresh wolf track pressed into the sand.

Photo 9: The roots of a fallen tree, now home to generations of red squirrels.

Photo 10: Evening looking northwest across Herring Bay from Pickerel Cove Campground.

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07/24/2026

📍 June 18, 2026 • Sunset Around Amygdaloid Island

After spending the day exploring Crystal Cove, Ray decided there was no reason to head back just yet.

With calm water, warm air, and hardly another boat in sight, he pointed the Knot Reel around the outside of Amygdaloid Island, exploring a few tiny coves he'd never tucked into before. Ancient cedar clung to the cliffs, bright orange lichens painted the volcanic rock, and every turn seemed to reveal another incredible view.

As the evening wore on, Lake Superior put on one of those sunsets that reminds you why people keep coming back to Isle Royale. The sky exploded with color, the cliffs glowed gold, and across the lake the silhouette of Ontario's Sleeping Giant slowly emerged on the horizon. It was one of those evenings where there was simply no hurry to leave.

Sometimes the best adventures aren't planned—they're just the reward for staying out a little longer.

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📸 Photo 1: A weathered cedar and brilliant orange lichen
📸 Photo 2: The Knot Reel tucked into a tiny protected cove.
📸 Photo 3: The secluded rocky cove from above.
📸 Photo 4: Looking back into the cove from the boat.
📸 Photo 5: Lake Superior stretching toward the western horizon.
📸 Photo 6: Golden light paints the volcanic shoreline.
📸 Photo 7: Sunset over Lake Superior with the Sleeping Giant on the horizon.
📸 Photo 8: Evening colors reflected between the cliffs.
📸 Photo 9: Blue hour along a quiet Isle Royale shoreline.

07/23/2026

Well... this wasn't quite how I planned to spend my weekend.

While trolling for lake trout with a friend in Tobin Harbor, we stopped at Hidden Lake for a quick break. As I was standing there, what sounded like a fly bounced off my head... except it didn't. Instead, it flew straight into my ear and decided to make itself at home.

To be honest, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined. For the first minute or two it was a little unnerving while it crawled around, but there was never any loud buzzing. It mostly just felt like having water trapped in my ear. Once I put warm oil in my ear, the bug never moved again, which made the boat ride to the mainland much more comfortable than I had expected.

I tried flushing it with water first. Then I stopped by the visitor center, where Ranger Margaret gave me an ear suction bulb to try, but it still wouldn't come out.

Fortunately, the Ranger III was making a rare late afternoon departure that day, so I packed a daypack and hopped aboard. We arrived in Houghton around 10 p.m., where my friend Brian picked me up. We grabbed my car from Justin's house and headed to the ER in Calumet. I was in and out in less than an hour, and the unwanted passenger was finally removed. Turns out it was a Rhyacophila (Green Sedge) caddisfly.

After a few hours of sleep on Justin's comfy couch, I drove to Copper Harbor Sunday morning, boarded the Isle Royale Queen IV, and made it back to the island. Less than 24 hours after the bug flew into my ear, I was back trolling Tobin Harbor like nothing had happened.

Photo 1: The tiny culprit—Rhyacophila "Green Sedge" caddisfly.

Photo 2: The Ranger III after going under the Portage Lake Lift Bridge during its unusual late evening return to Houghton.

Photo 3: At the helm aboard the Isle Royale Queen IV Sunday morning as we crossed Lake Superior back to Isle Royale.

Sometimes the biggest adventures come from the smallest creatures.

👉 Have you ever had an outdoor adventure take a completely unexpected turn?

07/23/2026

📍 June 18, 2026 • Crystal Cove Through Time

Whenever Ray and I make the trip over to Belle Isle, we almost always make the short boat ride to Crystal Cove.

Hidden along the northeast shore of Amygdaloid Island, Crystal Cove is one of Isle Royale's most remarkable historic places. Built in the early 1920s by George McGeath as a private retreat, it featured guest cabins, electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, and a separate generator house—luxuries rarely found on Isle Royale at the time. Many of those original buildings still stand today.

While Ray was visiting, an NPS maintenance crew happened to arrive and graciously invited him inside several of the historic buildings, giving us a rare look at interiors that most visitors never get to see.

Walking through Crystal Cove is like stepping back in time, and it's one of my favorite places to explore anywhere on the island.

👉 Follow Isle Royale Hub for more hidden history, wildlife, and daily adventures from Isle Royale National Park.

📸 Photo 1: Crystal Cove in the 1930s.

📸 Photo 2: The Knot Reel tied up at the Crystal Cove dock.

📸 Photo 3: The east side of the historic Main Lodge.

📸 Photo 4: One of the original guest cabins.

📸 Photo 5: The generator and pump house.

📸 Photo 6: A bedroom inside the Main Lodge.

📸 Photo 7: Another view inside the Main Lodge.

📸 Photo 8: The kitchen and dining area.

📸 Photo 9: An NPS maintenance boat at the dock. Ray was kindly invited inside several of the buildings.

📸 Photo 10: Another historic view of Crystal Cove in the 1930s.

07/22/2026

📍June 15–19, 2026 • A Few Quiet Moments Between Shifts

Life on Isle Royale isn't all work. Ray and I still find time to sneak away whenever we can. Some evenings it's chasing lake trout. Others it's paddling across a glassy Tobin Harbor, watching a storm build over Rock Harbor, or simply watching a cow and a calf moose wander by.

Here's a look at a few of those moments from one week in June.

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07/21/2026

I thought the loons were going to be the highlight of the evening... I was wrong.

While quietly kayaking through Tobin Harbor at sunset, I had stopped to watch a loon pair with their two loonlets. Then I heard branches snapping deep in the woods. A few seconds later, this magnificent bull moose stepped onto the shoreline and began walking the edge of the harbor as if he owned the place.

That's the thing about Isle Royale—you never know what the next bend, paddle stroke, or sound in the forest will reveal.

Moments like this are why I keep coming back.

🫎🌅

👉 Follow Isle Royale Hub for more wildlife encounters, daily adventures, and life on this incredible island.

07/20/2026

📍 June 11, 2026 • One Last Day in the U.P.

With an early morning flight out of Marquette the next day for my daughter Alyssa and son-in-law Jake's wedding reception in Detroit, I had one final day to enjoy Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

My first stop was Sturgeon River Gorge. I hiked down to the falls without seeing another soul—just the sound of rushing water and what felt like a couple hundred hungry mosquitoes. Along the trail I found a few unexpected companions, including a beautiful butterfly and a garter snake searching for its next meal.

From there I continued north to Marquette, spending the afternoon exploring Presque Isle Park before climbing Sugarloaf Mountain. The view from the overlook never disappoints, and I even spotted a Northern Flicker perched among the pines.

As evening settled in, the rain finally caught up with me at Marquette's historic ore dock. It was the perfect ending to one last U.P. adventure before spending the night near the airport and catching my flight home the following morning.

👉 Follow Isle Royale Hub for more adventures from Isle Royale, the Keweenaw, and Michigan's incredible Upper Peninsula.

07/19/2026

That unmistakable red eye—a Common Loon resting quietly on her nest along the shoreline of Lake Superior. Calm, patient, and completely focused on protecting the next generation.

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07/19/2026

📍 June 10, 2026 • Return to Detroit

Sometimes the best plans are the ones you change. I had planned to leave Isle Royale aboard the Queen IV on Thursday, June 11, but with storms in the forecast I decided to catch the Ranger III a day early to ensure I made it back to Houghton. From there, I could enjoy one more day in the U.P. before flying out of Marquette on Friday morning for my daughter Alyssa and son-in-law Jake's wedding reception in Detroit.

The Ranger III greeted us with one of my favorite Lake Superior companions—fog. There's just something about hearing the ship's fog horn echo across the lake that never gets old. As the day went on, the skies slowly cleared as we made our way into Houghton, passing familiar landmarks before arriving at Isle Royale National Park Headquarters.

Before picking me up, Justin made a quick stop to restock our tackle boxes with RJ Lures casting and jigging spoons, including a few new fluorescent colors we'd been wanting to try. We then headed to his house, where I'd spend the night before continuing on to Marquette the following morning for my flight south.

It was a change of plans that worked out perfectly—and another memorable crossing of Lake Superior in the books.

👉 Follow Isle Royale Hub for more daily adventures, stories, history, and behind-the-scenes moments from Isle Royale and Lake Superior.

07/18/2026

📍 June 6, 2026 / PART 3 – Blake Point & Merritt Lane, Isle Royale National Park

After leaving Porter Island, I pulled into the shelter at Merritt Lane for a quick bite to eat before deciding to end the day at one of my favorite places on Isle Royale—Blake Point.

I beached the Knot Reel in the small protected cove just south of the point and hiked out to explore. What I found surprised me. There was still a remarkable amount of ice clinging to the shoreline, far more than I expected this late in the season. Seeing snow and ice beside warm evening sunlight was a reminder that spring arrives on Isle Royale at its own pace.

As the evening wore on, I watched the sun sink toward the horizon while Lake Superior remained almost perfectly calm. Then, almost on cue, the fog began creeping in from offshore. The temperature dropped quickly, the colors softened, and Blake Point took on an entirely different mood. I lingered until the last light faded before making my way back to Merritt Lane, where another peaceful night on the island awaited.

👉 Follow Isle Royale Hub for more daily adventures, hidden corners of the island, and the wild beauty of Isle Royale through every season.

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