10 Tips for Exploring Remote National Parks like Isle Royale
So you want to go off the beaten path and explore one of the lesser traveled 63 National Parks? Well you've come to the right place.
In this ten-minute read, we'll show you ten things we learned about remote parks, using Isle Royale as an example.
These are lessons we learned from experiencing Isle Royale National Park first-hand. All of these tips apply to Isle Royale specifically, yet virtually all of them apply to other remote parks, too.
But first, check out this short YouTube reel of our 2024 trip to Isle Royale National Park:
1) Remote Parks like Isle Royale are Not Easy to Get To
Nope, this is not a park where you can just "drive right in." People love the Grand Canyon and Zion, Great Smoky Mountains, Acadia, Yosemite, and Yellowstone because much of those parks you can see from the comfort of your vehicle. Isle Royale couldn't be more different. To reach this park, you will need to book passage on one of the Lake Superior ferry options, or charter a seaplane.
2) Super Remote Parks are Not Always Open Year-Round
The further away a park is from "civilization" the more difficult it is to maintain facilities and park infrastructure, especially during the winter months. Parks like Isle Royale are only open for part of the year, as travel to the island is all but impossible during winter. Isle Royale is typically open from mid-April until the end of October.
3) Pack for Any Weather
An old saying for those who make their homes in the northernmost regions of the contiguous U.S. is that you can, "Experience summer's beginning, middle, and end, all in one day." By that it's meant that the summers up north are so, so short, sometimes it feels like they last for just a day. Isle Royale does get hot summer days sometimes, but it's best to pack for any weather condition and be prepared for anything, than it is to be caught in the wilderness without the proper gear.
4) Expect the Unexpected
Remote parks require one to be flexible with their schedule, because access to and from the parks can shift with weather and other factors. “The unpredictability of Lake Superior dictates everything that happens out there,” said Liz Valencia, manager of interpretation and cultural resources for the park. “Schedules may change, and there’s nothing you can do about it. When you’re there, you’re at the mercy of the lake and the island.” People have had to double the length of their stay on the island due to bad storms that prevent travel to and from the mainland.
5) Remote Parks Often Maintain a Deep Connection to Indigenous Tribes
Just about every park in the U.S. has a connection to Indigenous Peoples, but remote parks especially so. “Isle Royale and the waters around it are a part of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s (Ojibwe) ancestral lands,” says Valencia. “To us, it’s Isle Royale. But to them, it’s Minong or ‘A Good Place.’” Visitors to the island should be mindful of Indigenous cultural sites and burial grounds.
Thankfully, all park buildings and human-constructed infrastructure were built far away from Indigenous cultural sites. Staff writer Ren Brabenec poses with ADG's 63 Illustrated National Parks at the Isle Royale gift shop in the photo below:
6) Plan to Walk, A Lot
Remote national parks often have limited infrastructure, and Isle Royale is no exception. While visitors can hire water taxis to take them to various drop-off locations around the island, on-island transportation is entirely human-powered. The island's trail network is well established, but keep in mind the rangers must also rely on human-powered transportation, so if a tree or other obstruction temporarily blocks a trail, it may be days or weeks before it is removed. Visitors must go around the obstruction and do their best not to disturb the natural landscape in doing so.
7) Mind the Wildlife!
Remote parks don't always mean more likely encounters with wildlife, but they often do, and that's absolutely the case at Isle Royale. Case in point, the island's park rangers have recently had to implement new food storage practices for campers and backpackers, as the island's wolf population has become more prone to raiding human food stores.
8) Always Have a Backup Plan When Exploring Remote Wilderness Areas
One of our team members visited Isle Royale National Park in 2022, and he and his father just so happened to become trapped on one side of the island while a raging, human-caused wildfire prevented them from getting back to safe harbor. Thankfully, the pair had a backup plan and were able to rendezvous with National Park Service rangers for a coordinated evacuation. A frightening experience, to say the least, but the trip could have been far more dangerous had the travelers not had a backup plan.
The photo below was shot on-site by Nashville-based photographer Laura Partain. It depicts ADG staff writer Ren Brabenec assisting an elderly camper in an NPS-led evac of the north shore of the island during the Mount Franklin Wildfire.
9) Don't Expect to Have a Specific "Aha!" Moment
Visitors to national parks are often looking for "the big moment" or the "epic view" or the "perfect photo op." But at the super remote national parks, it's not always about finding an iconic landmark, taking the perfect selfie photo, or crossing a certain activity off the bucket list (like climbing Angel's Landing at Zion National Park). At remote, wilderness parks like Isle Royale, it's more about immersing yourself in the landscape and letting the full experience set in. "If you asked 12 people what their favorite places were on the island, you’d get 12 different responses,” said Ranger Valencia. “There is no single, iconic ‘Aha!’ spot in the park that everyone talks about. It’s more of an immersive experience.”
10) Prepare to Experience True Wilderness
One can prepare and plan all they wish, but remote, distant parks like Isle Royale are truly wild places, and they often have plans of their own. Few people have captured that factor as well as the founding individuals who played essential roles in preserving these places. In the case of Isle Royale, an unimposing sign placed carefully on the Stoll Trail on the island’s southeastern side has a quote from Albert Stoll, Jr., an excerpt from the journalism that compelled the federal government to designate the island as a national park. “Isle Royale is a part of an entirely different world than the one in which we labor daily,” wrote Stoll. “It knows nothing and cares less of the triumphs of modern civilization.”
Decorate with the Art of Adventure
We hope you have the experience of a lifetime during your remote national park journey, and we invite you to decorate with the art of adventure when you return.
Our national park poster art and travel art depicts all 63 of the national parks in a vintage art style reminiscent of the early 20th century poster art and vintage travel art that first promoted these iconic places. Check out our Isle Royale art here, and if you're making plans for a different remote national park trip this year, the full collection of award-winning national park art can be viewed here.
Happy Trails,
- Ren Brabenec
Anderson Design Group Staff Writer
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