Isle Royale Kayaking & Backpacking Tours

Isle Royale National Park Kayaking & Backpacking

***New for 2026*** We now offer three different tours.  Our Classic Kayak Tour, our most popular, is a great option for those that want to see the best of Isle Royale,  a little bit of everything, and have us take care of everything, including your stay in Copper Harbor.  Our Adventure Kayak Tour is for those that want to get a little further out and have more opportunity to kayak in Lake Superior.  Although many of the sights will be the same on both tours, the Adventure tour is best suited for those with kayaking experience that would like to cover greater distances and spent an additional day on the island.  Lastly, we are excited to launch our Backpacking Tour this year.  Hike the Greenstone and have the opportunity to explore more of the interior of ISRO.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Copper Harbor is one of two ports in Michigan providing passenger ferry service to Isle Royale National Park, which is one of just five National Park Service sites in Michigan! Isle Royale is the largest island in the largest freshwater lake in the world, and is one of the least visited National Parks — it’s said that more people visit Yellowstone in a day than Isle Royale in an entire season.

Isle Royale and the Keweenaw Peninsula are both closely related. They are a mirror image to each other, sharing the same Michigan county, the same Great Lake and in fact, are part of the same bedrock! Composed of some of the oldest exposed rock in the world, the unique geologic compounds, mineral deposits, parallel spiny ridge lines and botany are virtually identical. Eagles, loon, and waterfowl inhabit both, however, Isle Royale is also home to wolves, moose, and otters. What’s more both showcase premier Midwestern wilderness areas ideal for paddling adventures and are two of the best places for kayaking in Michigan.

Isle Royale offers some of the best kayaking in Michigan! An Isle Royale kayaking trip offers a true wilderness experience unlike any other place in the world! Hiking and boating are the only means of travel, as no vehicles are allowed on Isle Royale. The island has over 150 miles of shoreline and numerous barrier islands and fjord-like bays that can best be explored in a sea kayak.

The three-hour, 56-mile journey on board the Isle Royale Queen IV across the world’s largest freshwater lake, is the start to your adventure. Gain a first-hand perspective on just how large the BIG lake is and perhaps have a close encounter with a behemoth 1000 foot freighter while in route.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By water or by trail, you can’t go wrong!

For those comfortable in the water, kayaking gives you the opportunity to see the island from a unique perspective and also be able to check out some of the smaller islands around ISRO.  For others, backpacking is a great way to get deeper into the interior of ISRO and also not have to worry about changing weather affecting the lake.  If you are unsure whether you’d like to hike or paddle ISRO, give us a call and we can run through all the pros/cons of each.  They are both amazing ways to see ISRO so it comes down to what would be a better fit for what you hope to see and do on the island.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quality vs. Quantity- Group Size:
We limit the number of guests per tour so that our groups have flexibility and mobility larger tour groups do not. This allows us to react real-time to weather changes and by traveling by kayak we can take advantage of the smaller boat-only accessible campsites and avoid some of the inland campsites with higher capacities.

Our quaint groups are also afforded the advantages that come from having fewer people. We focus on pairing couples, solo travelers, and mixed groups compatibly so that our group members are more united and supportive towards one another — no one gets lost in the crowd or feels left out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Itinerary:

We work with tour participants to develop an itinerary that best meets the ambitions, physical abilities, and experience of every group, while the trip duration and current weather forecasts have an impact on where we will visit. In general, we tend to highlight both the southeast and northeast areas of the Island.  For kayaking, ISRO’s finger-bays and barrier islands host an area of truly world-class sea kayaking opportunities.  For backpacking, hiking the Greenstone Ridge is an awe inspiring experience that one will not soon forget.  For some of our shorter tours the group may prefer to set up a base camp whereas in many other tours camp will be set up in multiple locations in order to explore more of the island.  As mentioned previously, participants ability and mother nature are the two primary factors in dictating our tour schedule.

It is also recommended to schedule a few days beforehand or afterward to explore the Keweenaw Peninsula. It’s rude to play favorites and one would not wish to offend the Keweenaw Peninsula by only visiting her more celebrated sister, Isle Royale. Geologically these two share the same foundational volcanic bedrock and have incredibly similar rocky shorelines, uninhabited barrier islands, and unique rock formations — making the Keweenaw Water an epic exploration. What’s more, the Keweenaw Peninsula is the more human populated sister, meaning she arguably boasts a more robust heritage and list of “things-to-do” for outdoor adventurers, historical buffs, and the curious explorers in general.

Additionally, Copper Harbor is not just a “Gateway to Isle Royale” – it’s also “Where the Road Ends and Adventure Begins.” Pre or post your isle adventure, consider booking a stay in the Harbor for a night or two (or maybe a whole week?)! Michigan’s northernmost town located at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula — with a year-round population of about 100 hearty souls — the Harbor’s summer residency swells to around 300 and all of the village’s artisans, shops, restaurants, and motels are entirely (and refreshingly) Mom & Pop owned and operated. Sort of a weird combination of Isle Royale, Moab, British Columbia, Telluride, Idyllwild, Sedona and Key West all blended together with a distinct U.P. flavor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let a Professional Guide guide you:

No fuss, no muss, a guide helps to ensure a true care-free adventure. Let the guide deal with all the supplies, gear and equipment, the permits and ferry boat tickets. Let the guide submit a planned itinerary (note: NPS uses these as a starting point for search and rescue, passing along messages, and monitoring campground usage), and let the guide be responsible for weather forecasts, warnings, and safety. Let the guide reveal hidden bays, a diversity of trails, historical sights and secret spots and knowledge that experience has taught them. Let the guide delight your appetite with a bountiful and high quality menu, and filter your water too. Ultimately, let the guide bring your group together for an unforgettable trip of a lifetime! Meet An Isle Royale Guide: Click Here!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IMPORTANT BOOKING DETAILS:

– Reservations are suggested to be made far-in-advance to guarantee availability — space is limited in both tour group and on ferry.
– Tours can be confirmed with a 50% deposit.
– All trips have a mandatory Orientation on the first day of your tour.  Those that chose our kayak tour will also participate in our Water Safety Course in which participants will be taught how to perform a wet exit, paddle-float re-entry, and a t-rescue.
– Participants need only to provide a compact sleeping bag, pad, their personal items and a sense for adventure (view Suggested Packing List)!
– Cancellation Policy: 50% deposits are refundable, minus a 15% cancellation fee, with notice any time prior to 90 days of scheduled activity — otherwise non-refundable.   This is due to the very limited capacity of our permit and as such we highly recommend the purchase of third-party trip protection insurance to cover any unplanned medical issue or a family emergency that would prevent you from taking your trip.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are interested in adventuring with us please fill out our brief Interested Parties Questionnaire.  We will then be in contact with you to answer any questions you may have and to book your tour.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Related Adventure Journal posts:
Where Moose are Loose
Eco-Minded? Paddling Isle Royale is Perfect!
Swapping the Backpack for Kayak
Isle Royale – Open Water Dreaming

5-Star Trip Advisor Reviews of Isle Royale Tours: Click Here!

Featured on National Geographic’s 25 amazing places to inspire future journeys and remind us why we love to travel!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~