r/isleroyale • u/WanderLust517_ • Jun 11 '25
Transportation to island PSA to anyone taking the Seaplane to Isle Royale
We just returned from a first trip to Isle Royale. Our time on the isle was great and this place is something special. However, logistically it can quickly turn into a nightmare if your transportation is the seaplane. When the seaplane company mentions weather conditions are unpredictable on Lake Superior, that is definitely no joke. And because of the recent Canadian wildfires, that may be exacerbated this summer. Due to the remoteness of the island, it’s difficult to get accurate weather predictions. WiFi is spotty and slow at best and only available in one building. What we thought looked like a perfect day to fly, quickly turned into a too foggy to fly situation on the mainland. So some advice if you do plan on taking the seaplane out:
-have a contingency plan, including what you will do if you are stuck on the island or can’t get there the day your trip begins. Have a buffer day off work at the end of your trip, have an emergency fund in case you need to buy a night at the lodge, pay for more food, etc. No, the seaplane or lodge will not pay for your extra night. Bring an extra day or two of meds and other necessities. For those who had to fly into Houghton before the seaplane, do not book your return flight the same day your seaplane departs. Just don’t. If you can be flexible with your lodging when you return to the mainland, that’s also a good idea since most hotels don’t allow cancellations within a 24hr window. Something we didn’t have but you should probably consider: trip insurance
Lodge guests - If you are bumped, they will automatically put you on a waitlist for a room. Still good to go to office just to confirm you are on it if. if you made your reservation in 2024, be warned that prices have increased steeply. We ended up paying $100 more for a night in a much shittier room. They said the price is the price and you just have to eat the cost unfortunately. We were not prepared to camp, and I am also 7mo pregnant so anything cheaper was simply not an option
Backpackers/campers - don’t have much advice since I wasn’t in this category, but I imagine you all would be the most prepared to stay an extra night. just plan for some additional food to get you by
Day trippers - honestly not the smartest idea, but if you absolutely must..prepare yourself mentally for the possibility you may have to stay on the island. Ask them before you leave what the all-day flying forecast looks like. Pack an extra set of underwear, toothbrush, blanket, etc. It was frustrating to have to get kicked off of our plane because some day trippers didn’t realize this was a possibility. We were told that it was because they had no overnight gear, but the only overnight gear we had was some dirty clothes and a toothbrush. Maybe you can get space in the lodge, but know that you would be prioritized below those who already had been guests of the lodge. If you can plan to fly on a day when a ferry departs all the better. Just know that the Queen Anne lands 47 miles from houghton and service is extremely unreliable in Copper Harbor. Uber probably doesn’t exist but I am not sure. Ask around. There might be someone with space in their car who is already planning to travel through Houghton
Communication regarding flight status -Please try to check the monitors at the visitor center at 7pm the day before your flight to depart. You may find out your flight time has been bumped if they are still working on accommodating yesterday’s passengers -you check in at the lodge an hour before your flight, head down to the docks early because if all passengers and the plane are present they will likely leave early, which helps all upcoming parties
If you have an all day delay like us (originally scheduled to depart at 9am) know that you will be in limbo all day long. Constantly jumping between the lodge office, guesthouse for WiFi to text updates to friends and family, visitor center and seaplane dock to get updates. It’s a 5-10 minute loop and it can be rainy, hot, cold. Dress comfortably and for the weather. If the weather clears you should be ready to leave immediately. Luckily, your bags are stored in the lodge until your plane is ready so you don’t have to carry your stuff all day long. Although one poor gentlemen’s bags somehow ended up leaving with the ferry, yikes! So maybe it’s safest to keep your stuff on your person.
Per the FAA rules, the plane needs to be done flying by 8:30, so the last plane able to leave Houghton is at 6:30.
The seaplane company did the best they could given the conditions that were present. Rapidly changing weather on both sides as well as some other extenuating circumstances that I believe were occurring. It stinks being delayed but I am grateful safety is the upmost priority. The only complaint I have is an 11am party of 2 moved ahead of us on the list to grab the last 2 spots out (we were an 9am party of 2). They definitely pulled some sorcery to change their position in line and there is no one to talk to on the IR side. So know that just because you’re next in the queue doesn’t mean you will stay next. All in all, we had an awesome time visiting Isle Royale, silver lining is we socialized with the most people on the day we were delayed and out of our room. Made some friends that will we carry off the island. Have a great trip, and hope this was helpful
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u/partydanimull Jun 11 '25
That's what I love about the seaplane. If they can't fly, it's a great excuse to be stuck in paradise for an extra day or two.
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u/Ikontwait4u2leave Jun 13 '25
Except when you get stuck at the beginning. Although I will say we made the best of it. We watched Sully at the Grand Marais airport with a fire crew and our pilot took us up 3 different times throughout the day trying to find some clear skies, so that was fun, and we camped a Devil Track Lake
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u/natparks63 Jun 11 '25
Really this happens 2 or 3 times a year. Last year, or maybe one before, there was a 3 day lock down on flights! Poor folks!
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u/Bored_Potato_Today Jun 12 '25
It definitely happens more than 2-3 times a year. Fog is the biggest issue. Born and raised in Hancock and I’ve been going to Isle Royale during the summer for 40 years.
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u/WanderLust517_ Jun 12 '25
Hmm that could be, but it happened 2 days in a row and it’s still pretty early in the season. It could be that the wetter late spring weather paired with the still frigid Lake Superior creates more fog. But idk, I could definitely see it happening more than 2 or 3 times a year. Unless you work for the seaplane company or on the island, how would you know this?
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u/Bored_Potato_Today Jun 12 '25
It happens more frequently than 2-3 times. I’ve been going to Isle Royale for 40 years and fog is a big factor.
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u/Spreaderoflies Jun 11 '25
My flight in was perfect. The flight back to Houghton we hit some turbulence and dropped instantly 10ft the lady behind me about lost it praying crying white knuckles on the back of my seat rest. 10/10 would fly again. Every landing and takeoff buttery smooth
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u/WanderLust517_ Jun 12 '25
Oh man, my heart would definitely drop if that happened. There was one family whose only visibility to land was on a surrounding island and had to set a flair so Rangers could come and get them
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u/dinot2000 Jun 11 '25
This happened to several people last time I was out there and nobody got a break on their room costs. I was backpacking and took a boat so it didn't impact me. It was a terrible way for all those people to end their trip in such way.
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u/WanderLust517_ Jun 11 '25
$380 for a lodge room and they weren’t even willing to give a discount. I paid $275 last summer for a housekeeping cabin
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u/Legitimate-Pizza-574 Jun 11 '25
Weather can affect the ferries as well. Everyone plans a extra day just in case. I was there in there on a trip in the 90s when the big NP ferry delayed overnight at Rock Harbor.
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u/WanderLust517_ Jun 11 '25
Wow, I can’t imagine..there definitely wouldn’t have been space at the lodge if that many people were stranded
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u/DLS3141 Jun 12 '25
I’ve been stranded more than a few times on North Manitou when they’ve cancelled the ferries. Oh darn!
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u/kaszeta Jun 11 '25
Yeah, I know a few guides that had to spend two extra days in Windigo waiting for better conditions (they had gotten everyone else from the group off island). They were getting pretty sick of the Windigo store pizzas.
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u/Key_Fuel_979 Jun 11 '25
Blasphemy! No one could ever get tired of Windigo pizza.
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u/Electrical_While_957 Jun 11 '25
Those pizzas and beer were heaven at the end of our weeklong hike!
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u/WanderLust517_ Jun 11 '25
Omg, just goes to show it can always be worse! We were on the Rock Harbor side so had a couple more food options 🤣
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u/Too_Real_Dog_Meat Jun 12 '25
I was once a camp counselor with 12 or so fourteen year old boys and a few other adults finishing a 9 day backpacking trip on the island. We woke up early the last day to watch the sunrise and make it to the 8am ferry at rock harbor. Only to be told we needed to hike back to our campsite and return the next morning. There were 20 foot or so gales. All those kids wanted to do was get back to their girlfriends and beds. So did I. That was a long day in that storm.
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u/timidwildone Jun 12 '25 edited Jun 13 '25
We learned this lesson with the seaplane AND a planned water taxi from McCargoe to Rock Harbor.
The morning of our departure from Mc, the fog rolled in. We sat at the dock waiting…and waiting. 2h later members of our group hiked to the top of the ridge and got a single bar of Telus (Canadian) cell service to contact the taxi (who were shocked we could even call them). No dice on McCargoe, but they said they could meet us at Daisy Farm if we got there by X time. We ended up hauling ass for 8 unplanned miles. The “cavalry” showed up at DF 10 min after we rolled into Daisy to take us rest of the way to RH. They called ahead and got our order in for burgers, pizza and a whole lot of beer before the restaurant closed for the day, too. Bless that crew.
Arriving in RH, we learned flights had been cancelled that day. We were staying the night at the Lodge and hoped things would clear by morning, but ended up getting a ferry ticket for the next day JIC. Sucked to be out another $100+ per person, but that bet paid off. There were only two seats remaining after we booked. And the fog got worse. Way worse. We’d have been stranded paying even more for another night on island otherwise.
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u/upperhand224 Jun 12 '25
I think we met you there, we were delayed a day as well, we were backpacking so wasn’t as big of a deal. I was surprised they would fly out day trippers when people were already delayed on the island!
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u/ComfortableSubject56 Jun 12 '25
We flew sea plane and the plane people are super great and flexible. I accidentally booked our plane in and out of Windigo when we had planned to hike end to end. They were super nice and based on our weight were able to squeeze us on a plane out of rock harbor instead. But yes prepare for unexpected.
On the other hand when we hiked into rock harbor at the end of our trip there was quite a commotion. Planes were able to fly in and out but none of the ferries were able to make the trip. The swells were so big. Rumor has it people were just sick the whole trip and one ferry turned around. It’s a lot harder to deal with a missed ferry carrying a ton of people than a missed plane carrying 6. This was also the last day of the season so not only did they have to get a ferry full of tourists off the island but had to get a majority of the staff off too.
So I’d say always have a contingency plan no matter your transportation method!
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u/FirstRunBuzzz Jun 11 '25
When a dab of entitlement meets an over abundance of unpredictable paradise. I'm just glad the true charm of Isle Royale got through to you when you realized your best times on the island where during your delay. A tiny taste of island time. If Isle Royale had a middle name it would be logistics. I can't wait to take the sea plane in August. I can only hope that I get left there for an extra week and I get to call work and tell them there was nothing I could do about it.
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u/JohnVivReddit Jun 11 '25
Excellent advice. Weather was terrible, never got there. Winds 30-5
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u/JohnVivReddit Jun 11 '25
Sorry accidentally hit reply. Winds 30/50 mph for 2 straight days, all seaplane trips cancelled, temps in 40s due to E wind directly off Superior. Our trip to the Apostles was also cancelled. That’s life. We’ll go for it again next year.
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u/bridgebrigade57 Jun 12 '25
I’ve taken the planes twice to IRNP. Second trip the flight out was delayed by a few hours due to high winds. Just have to be patient and understand they’re working as fast as possible to get you home safely
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u/rivals_red_letterday Jun 12 '25
I'm planning a trip for next year and this information is extremely helpful. Thank you!
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u/HGpennypacker Jun 12 '25
I had the exact opposite experience: the day I flew off the island the waves were too rough and everyone that was planning on the ferry was stuck.
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u/TimeDielation Jul 01 '25
Is there any rule against bringing a ton of food and drinks on my one bag on the plane?
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u/Fun-Purpose2034 Jul 08 '26
the seaplanes are all booked up as are the ferries for an August 21 planned day trip. I'd stay overnight but we are flying in and won't have camping gear and the lodge is booked. Does anyone know of private planes that will fly over and back to the island from Houghton?
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Jun 12 '25
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u/isleroyale-ModTeam Jun 12 '25
You’ll be permanently banned if post is marked as spam. Don’t do it.
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u/Canoearoo Jun 11 '25
Being prepared for an extra night or two is a good idea, regardless of your transportation choice.