It’s only at the end of a three-hour cruise on the open water of Lake Superior, when you finally reach the shores of Isle Royale National Park, that you begin to understand why Midwesterners calls this chunk of land the most pristine piece of wilderness in the region. Yes, wilderness, one of the most overused words in the English language. Any green space the size of a suburban backyard seems to fit the bill these days.  But here at Isle Royale, 56 miles from the mainland of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, there are no roads, no power lines, no airplanes flying overhead, and rarely another boat, except for the infrequent freighter making its way to Thunder Bay, Ontario. Disembark into a web of thick northern boreal forest and you’ll feel like Thoreau plopped down in the Maine woods, circa 1857. 

Alas, you must earn the good things in life. To reach Isle Royale, you fly through Detroit or Chicago to Marquette, Michigan, drive 90 minutes to Copper Harbor, and then take the quicker of two ferry options (the National Park runs their own 6-hour boat ride to the island from Houghton) on Superior. No wonder Isle Royale is the least visited National Park in the contiguous United States, with annual attendance rivaling Yellowstone’s weekly visitation numbers.

            (Photo by Jim Scurlock)