Isle Royale Backpacking Trip for Women 50+ - June 7-11, 2019
Limited to only 5 Participants.
5-day backpacking trip on Michigan’s rugged Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior, one of world’s largest freshwater lakes. This island trip is specifically geared toward women age 50+ who would like to continue developing backpacking skills while enjoying the wilderness with a certified trip leader. Spend your days backpacking stunning trails and your nights in campsites on protected bays near the shores of Lake Superior.
Independence and Empowerment
We provide all major high-end, lightweight gear for participants to use. We also provide all food for the 5 days on Isle Royale. Each participant will need to be able to carry a full backpack (about 30 pounds) approximately 4 miles each day on designated trails. With professional guidance, participants will set up their own tent and prepare their own food.
Your trip leader is a NOLS-Certified Wilderness First Responder with over 25 years of wilderness backpacking experience. Instead of having your guide handling everything, this is an opportunity for you to continue learning the skills needed to make this sport your own. You will learn how to set up a tent, use a backcountry stove and water filter, protect your food, and more.
Scenery
With over 100,000 acres of protected wilderness, Isle Royale is home to myriad songbirds, colorful migrating waterfowl, a large moose population, Red Fox, turtles, a handful of Gray Wolves and more. If we listen carefully, the Common Loon will lull us to sleep with its extraordinary call. Maybe we will even hear the Wolf’s coveted howl.
The entire island of Isle Royale is a National Park accessible only by boat or plane. This place is remote. All 36 campsites are accessible only by watercraft or on foot. There are no roads and no vehicles. And no bears. Campsites on the periphery of the island have traditional campsites as well as sheltered camping facilities that we can use, if vacant.
We will be deep in a lush boreal forest in its late Spring splendor, surrounded by flowers unique to the island such as the rare and lovely Ram's Head Lady's Slipper orchid. Once we set up camp each day, we will have optional day-hike options to great viewpoints, including a fire lookout tower.
Staying in Touch with Loved Ones
Trip leaders always carry a beacon locator device, which can be pre-programmed to send “check-in” messages to loved ones by text or email so that they know where you are currently located and that everything is going well. In the unlikely event of an emergency, the beacon locator device can also be used to trigger help.
Goals
Our goal is to create peers on the trail and to help you leap-frog the hard lessons. And to have a lot of fun doing so!
Trip Rating: 2 - Beginning Backpacker (Click here for Ratings Descriptions)
- $1,395*
*Friendly note: If this is your first-ever backpacking trip, “Backpacking 101 - Classroom Orientation” (free) is highly recommended prior to departure (see "Upcoming Trips" for orientation schedule). This separate orientation provides hands-on instruction to familiarize you with gear, clothing and lists prior to hitting the trail. Learn key essentials such as how to pack a backpack, use a water filter and stove, set up a tent, run through your gear list, and more. If you live outside of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, we can discuss alternatives to the Classroom Orientation.
Itinerary:
Note: All times listed below use Eastern Time. Isle Royale and Copper Harbor are both in Michigan.
Friday, June 7th - Ferry to Isle Royale, backpack to our 1st night’s wilderness campsite
7:15 am - Meet at Ferry Launch in Copper Harbor, MI for check in
8:00 am - Isle Royale Queen IV departs Copper Harbor, MI for Isle Royale
~11:45 am - Arrive at Rock Harbor, MI (on Isle Royale)
Enjoy a quick restaurant-served lunch (included in trip fees)
Backpack 2.7 miles to our 1st night’s wilderness campsite on the shore
Familiarize yourself with your feet, your gear, and the outdoors
Set up camp and explore the surrounding area, day hike, or relax at our camp
Mt. Franklin is a 3.4-mile roundtrip day hike (optional)
~6:00 pm - Dinner in camp
Spend our 1st night sleeping in the lush wilderness
2.7 miles, lunch and dinner included (breakfast is on your own)
Saturday, June 8th - Backpacking to our 2nd night’s wilderness campsite
~7:30 am - Rise and shine, eat breakfast and break camp
~9 am - Aim to be on trail
Backpack 4.4 miles to our 2nd night’s wilderness campsite on the shore
12:00 - Enjoy lunch either on trail or at our new campsite
Set up camp and explore the surrounding area, day hike, or relax at camp
Mt. Ojibwe Firetower is a 3.4-mile roundtrip day hike (optional)
~6:00 pm - Dinner in camp
4.4 miles, includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all snacks
Sunday, June 9th - Backpacking to our 3rd night’s wilderness campsite
~7:30 am - Rise and shine, eat breakfast and break camp
~9 am - Aim to be on trail
Backpack 3.9 miles to our 3rd night’s wilderness campsite on the shore
12:00 - Enjoy lunch either on trail or at the new campsite
Set up camp and explore the surrounding area, day hike, or relax at our camp
Interior Lake Richie is a 4.6-mile roundtrip day hike (optional)
~6:00 pm - Dinner in camp
3.9 miles, includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all snacks
Monday, June 10th - Water Taxi to Rock Harbor (on Isle Royale)
~7:30 am - Rise and shine, eat breakfast and break camp
9:30 am - Take water taxi to charming Rock Harbor (on Isle Royale)
Note: The water taxi is weather-dependent
10:30 am - Arrive in Rock Harbor (on Isle Royale)
Set up camp or check into the Lodge or a Cabin
NOTE: Rock Harbor has several accommodation choices. Camping is included in trip fees. If you choose to stay at the cozy Rock Harbor Lodge or a Housekeeping Cabin, those costs are not included in the trip fees. Be sure to make your own lodging reservations well in advance.
Shower and clean up
12:00 - Enjoy lunch at a quaint restaurant at Rock Harbor (included in trip fees)
Explore the surrounding area, day hike, or relax at Rock Harbor
Scoville Point is a 4.6-mile roundtrip day hike (optional)
Rock Harbor also rents out canoes or kayaks to explore beautiful Tobin Harbor (these options are not included in our trip fees and are not guided)
6:00 pm - Dinner at a quaint restaurant at Rock Harbor (included in trip fees)
Includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all snacks
Tuesday, June 11th - Explore Rock Harbor, return to the mainland
Rise and shine at your own pace
Enjoy breakfast at a quaint restaurant in Rock Harbor (included in trip fees)
Explore Rock Harbor
Day hikes, relaxing in Rock Harbor, photography, and more
Rock Harbor also rents out canoes or kayaks to explore beautiful Tobin Harbor (these options are not included in our trip fees and are not guided)
12:00 - Enjoy lunch at a quaint restaurant in Rock Harbor (included in trip fees)
2:15 pm - Meet at Ferry Launch in Rock Harbor, MI for check in
2:45 pm - Isle Royale Queen IV departs Rock Harbor, MI back to Copper Harbor, MI
~6:30 pm - Arrive at Copper Harbor, MI
Breakfast and lunch included
Maximum of 5 Participants. Minimum of 2 Participants.
POLICIES FOR ISLE ROYALE BACKPACKING TRIP FOR WOMEN 50+
REGISTRATION:
Once you have signed up for a trip, you will receive a receipt by email with a link to Waiver and Health Assessments, which need to be signed and returned to us prior to trip departure.
Registration for a trip is not complete until we have had the opportunity to speak with you via telephone about the demands of the trip.
To get the most out of your trip, we suggest that you have a medical physical 90 days prior to departure.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN TRIP FEES:
Roundtrip ferry transport between Copper Harbor, MI (the Upper Peninsula) and Rock Harbor, MI (Isle Royale)
Water taxi to our 1st night’s campsite
National Park Fees for all 5 days
All food while on Isle Royale, which includes 4 restaurant meals
All camping while on Isle Royale
A hot shower, if you opt to camp your final night on Isle Royale
All major gear while on Isle Royale: solo tent or shared double tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, backpack, hiking poles, water filtration equipment, cooking and eating gear
We use only high-end, lightweight equipment to help you have a comfortable trip
We will share with you our comprehensive packing list indicating exactly which personal items to bring. This list can also be used for your future backpacking trips.
Coaching to help you learn to backpack on your own
Experienced trip leader who is a NOLS-Certified Wilderness First Responder
Group first-aid kit
Beacon-locator device
Transaction processing fees
Commercial use authorization fees
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN TRIP FEES:
Transportation to/from Copper Harbor, MI (the Upper Peninsula)
Lodging or camping at Copper Harbor, MI prior to ferry launch
Meals in Copper Harbor, MI
Car parking at Copper Harbor, MI ($30 max.)
Indoor lodging options at Rock Harbor the final night on Isle Royale. (Camping at Rock Harbor and a hot shower are included in trip fees, if you choose that option.)
Personal items as indicated on our packing list that we will share with you
Alcoholic beverages
Gratuity for your trip leader is at your discretion
Personal trip insurance is not included
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING:
To have a successful trip, you need to have appropriate footwear (backpacking boots or trail shoes that have been broken in) and adequate rain gear, in addition to your clothing and personal items, which will be clearly indicated on the gear list that we provide to you. You must arrive prepared with these or we reserve the right to refuse admission onto the trip in order to keep you and other trip participants safe. If this unlikely event happens, we will unfortunately be unable to refund the cost of your trip.
CANCELATION AND REFUND POLICY FOR ISLE ROYALE:
If you wish to cancel your registration, please note the following deadlines:
21 days prior to your scheduled trip, we will refund 85% of the trip cost
10 days prior to your scheduled trip, we will refund 50% of the trip cost
Less than 5 days of a scheduled trip, we will be unable to refund any portion of the trip cost
Backpack The Trails LLC reserves the right to cancel a trip without cause. We will do our best to ensure that this never happens. In the unlikely event that this happens, you will be notified as soon as possible, upon which time you can request a full refund or choose a different, similarly-priced trip, if there is still space available.
TRANSFER POLICY:
If you wish to transfer your registration to a different trip, please note the following deadlines:
21 days prior to your originally-scheduled trip, 85% of your trip cost is transferrable
10 days prior to your originally-scheduled trip, 50% of your trip cost is transferrable
Less than 5 days of your originally-scheduled trip, none of the trip cost is transferrable
INSURANCE:
Backpack The Trails LLC carries business insurance and does not provide travel insurance to clients. You may wish to consider purchasing your own travel insurance before heading out on trail.