Two Week Itinerary: Isle Royale National Park and the Great Lakes Road Trip
I don’t know how Isle Royale National Park came onto my radar, but once it was there I couldn’t get it out of my head. The opportunity to visit presented itself in June of 2019, and I had enough time away from work to build a whole national parks road trip around it! Adding on Voyageurs and Indiana Dunes were no-brainers, but I really struggled choosing between Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Pukaskwa National Park for shorter visits. In the end I scrapped Pictured Rocks and included Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Pukaskwa National Park in Canada, because I didn’t think I would have nearly enough time to see what I wanted to see at Pictured Rocks (I think I was right about this). This itinerary covers my two-week Great Lakes extravaganza, including Voyageurs National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Pukaskwa National Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and Indiana Dunes National Park.
Seeing it all written out, the back half of the trip looks as rushed as it felt. Trying to include Pukaskwa and Sleeping Bear Dunes was mainly so that the drive would be broken up a bit, but these parks could have easily hosted longer visits. Hopefully my itinerary will be a great guide for your future trip, with a little more time built in!
DAY ONE: Travel Day
I drove from Chicago, IL to Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota. I spent a few days at the beginning of my trip visiting family in Chicago, so this itinerary begins in Chicago and ends in Atlanta, GA. If I had been driving straight to Voyageurs from Atlanta, it would have taken two travel days on the front end of the trip instead of one.
STAY: Ash River State Forest Campground, just outside the park
DAY TWO: Voyageurs National Park
I did not charter/rent a boat and arrived one week too early for ranger programs and water taxis, so I saw what I could of the park from the mainland...which is not much.
In the morning, I hiked the moderate Blind Ash Bay Trail and got caught in a thunderstorm. Later, I spent the afternoon driving to Kabetogama and Rainy Lake visitor centers.
I would not recommend visiting this park without a watercraft of some kind! I missed out on so much that Voyageurs has to offer, and don’t feel like I really go to see this park.
STAY: Ash River State Forest Campground
DAY THREE: Voyageurs National Park
After tearing down camp, I drove about 1.5 hours to Crane Lake, with a goal to hike the very scenic Vermilion Gorge Trail.
I stopped in at the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN before driving the rest of the way to my accommodations in Grand Marais, MN.
The Hungry Hippie Hostel was a phenomenal place to regroup and prepare for my upcoming backpacking trip. I stayed in the bunk room, but since my visit two years ago they have added canvas-sided tents and a taco shop!
STAY: Hungry Hippie Hostel in Grand Marais, MN
DAY FOUR: Isle Royale National Park
I was up at 5am in order to pack the car and make it to Grand Portage in time. The ferry ride from Grand Portage to Windigo lasts two hours. After acquiring my backpacking permit, I was off for a hike!
STAY: South Lake Desor Campground
DAY FIVE: Isle Royale National Park
Continuing along the Greenstone Ridge Trail, I caught some great weather and great views from the top of Mount Siskiwit.
STAY: West Chickenbone Campground
DAY SIX: Isle Royale National Park
Still on the Greenstone Ridge, I climbed up the Mount Ojibway fire tower before dropping down to Daisy Farm.
STAY: Daisy Farm Campground
DAY SEVEN: Isle Royale National Park
I hiked the rest of the way into Rock Harbor in the morning. The afternoon was spent doing all the front country things--I took a shower, caught a ranger program, had dinner at the Greenstone Grill, and took a short evening hike on the Stoll Trail.
I watched the sunset from the America dock before retiring to my campsite for the night.
STAY: Rock Harbor Campground
DAY EIGHT: Ontario, Canada
The ferry ride back to Grand Portage from Rock Harbor took all morning, and I was back on the mainland by early afternoon.
After passing through customs into Canada, I stopped for poutine in Thunder Bay (the restaurant wasn’t great so I’m not listing a recommendation) and drove to Pukaskwa National Park for the night.
This was too long of a travel day. In hindsight, I wish I would have gotten a hotel or airbnb somewhere nearby, like in Thunder Bay or maybe even back in Grand Marais again.
STAY: Hattie Cove Campground in Pukaskwa National Park
DAY NINE: Ontario, Canada
The most exciting thing I did at Pukaskwa National Park was taking a shower, but not because this park has nothing to offer. After nearly 50 miles of hiking in the days prior, a more relaxing visit to this park seemed appropriate. I wandered along the boardwalk and beach, enjoying yet another great view of Lake Superior, before moving on.
I arrived at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore around 8:30pm and watched the sunset at camp that night after another long travel day.
STAY: D. H. Day Campground at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
DAY TEN: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Half a day was enough time to climb the dunes, take the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, and stroll through Glen Haven Historic Village. Sleeping Bear Dunes could easily be a trip in and of itself (any of these parks could), but I continued on in the afternoon to Indiana Dunes National Park.
STAY: Dunewood Campground at Indiana Dunes National Park
DAY ELEVEN: Indiana Dunes National Park
Scattered thunderstorms and general end-of-the-trip exhaustion kept me from doing much hiking on my one full day in Indiana Dunes National Park. Instead, I packed in all the sights--Mount Baldy (and a walk to the beach here), 1933 Century of Progress Homes and Kemil Beach, the Bailly Homestead/Chellburg Farm area, the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education, and Marquette Park.
After a day of exploring the park, I went to the Portage Lakefront Pavilion for a sunset ranger program...and it was storming out, so I was the only guest who showed up. Funnily enough, it ended up being a super interesting ranger program, where I chatted with the park ranger for an hour about what makes Indiana Dunes so special (and deserving of it’s name change from “national lakeshore” to “national park”).
STAY: Dunewood Campground at Indiana Dunes National Park
DAY TWELVE: Travel Day
I drove back to the Center for Environmental Education in the morning to hike the Miller Woods trail, but it was very washed out from all the rain. Not feeling like hiking through deep puddles, I said goodbye to Indiana Dunes and drove the final ten hours home to Atlanta.
I hope this gets you thinking about taking your own Great Lakes road trip!
