Isle Royale Explorer Long Play
Sea Kayaking Isle Royale National Park on Lake Superior
This is a magical place wrapped up in ancient rock, thimbleberries and the unforgiving waters of Lake Superior. This unique island park with its moose and wolves is a popular destination for backpackers, but since it is an island we thought that it would make more sense to explore it by kayak!
There will be plenty of time for day hikes, brisk swims, good lake trout fishing, kayaking and listening to the loons. Like you, no two of these trips are the same. We plan these trips together with you based on the weather outlook, personal tastes, goals and skills. Our style is not to bag miles, but to take a deep dive into Superior kayaking and the island’s nature AND culture. No one has guided more trips here than we have or developed deeper relationships with the park staff.
NOTE: In many ways this trip is similar to our Explorer trip, but this is MORE exploratory. Paddling skills for this will be on par with the Explorer option, but this trip is longer, with more flexible camping otpions and range further from our start point. Where we will get to and how long we spend in each place is based on weather… and whether we want to move or stay. Think flexible, fun, and more ambitious. This can be used as a Level 3 Trip Leader Training trip, if so desired.
To ensure your safety and maintain the flexibility of small camps, we limit this trip to only five participants.
Paddling Skills
Isle Royale Explorer trips are appropriate for intermediate paddlers – this means that you should be comfortable paddling 8-15 miles/day in 2-3 ft seas in up to 15 knots of wind and be familiar with group rescues. If you are not, we do offer a number of weekend skills workshops to help you grow those skills.
Sample Itinerary for 11 Day trip
(includes 2 travel days)
Day 1:
Arrival Day in Copper Harbor. Rendezvous in Copper Harbor at 4:30 PM at the Minnetonka Resort for a quick backcountry packing orientation.
Day 2
7 AM meet-up at the dock of the Isle Royale Queen for the 3.5 hour ride to Rock Harbor. Organize and pack for the short paddle to the first campsite.
Days 3-9
The heart of the trip–you’ll find yourself paddling an average of 4 or 5 hours/day sandwiched with day hikes, fishing, shooting photos, looking for Moose and listening to the music of our largest freshwater sea. We may choose a layover at a particularly nice campsite to give us more time to explore and linger a bit. You should be prepared for temps between 40- 80…bring a wool hat and a swimsuit. We’ll be covering 60 to 100 miles total with some days being relaxing and some challenging. You can count on learning lots of new paddle skills and having a truly spectacular experience.
Day 10
In the afternoon, we’ll be ferried back to Copper Harbor for a last group dinner and a good night’s sleep at the Minnetonka.
Day 11
Travel day: you move on to your next adventure, whether a drive home or an extended exploration of the fabulous Keweenaw Peninsula.
Dates for 2026
- September 11-21
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Note: These trips fill fast, but we will have a wait list. Please call 248-224-1044 or email to check availability or to be wait-listed.
What’s Included:
- One night lodging before and one after in Copper Harbor (double occupancy – single occupancy rates available)
- Round-trip ferry for you & your kayak
- National Park permits & daily user fee
- Expert sea kayak guides
- All group gear (tents, kitchen gear, dry bags, safety and camp gear)
- Gourmet backcountry meals
What’s Not Included
- Travel to/from Copper Harbor
- Kayak rental (available—reserve early). If need a kayak, please add that as an add-on to your booking, to be sure we have one for you.
- Personal Items: Be sure to review the packing list. It is important that you review this list early on in case you have questions or need to order gear.
- Travel Insurance (strongly recommended)
- Guide gratuities (10+% suggested)
Kayaking Equipment
We do not include kayaks on this trip because most paddlers at this level have their own. Your boat should be a touring kayak at least 16 feet long, with front and rear bulkheads. High performance expedition-equipped rentals are available from us with prior reservation: They include PFD, carbon hybrid paddle (Werner Shuna is our standard), sprayskirt and pump. We will transport your rental boat for you. We offer a variety of sizes and models from Current Designs, Wilderness Systems and NDK…with drop skegs and day hatches.
FAQs
Registration
NOTE: If a booking date shows on the calendar below, there is space available but always feel free to call or email with specific questions. If the trip is full and you’d like to be waitlisted, give us a call.
Reservations are held with a $500 deposit. The price below reflects the full amount, including service fees; However, your initial payment will be a $500 deposit (assuming you book 30+ days prior to the course).
The remaining amount due will be automatically charged to your credit card 30 days before the trip.
NOTE: You must choose the date of the trip you want before clicking on BOOK NOW. Be sure you are on the right month! You may need to choose the fare you want and then zero out the fare that the system initially chooses. Let us know if you have any difficulty.
What registration option should I choose?
- Joining by yourself? Choose Single Occupancy
- Joining as a couple or with a friend? Choose Double Occupancy
- Joining by yourself but willing to share a room? Choose Double Occupancy but realize we will adjust the price to single occupancy if we can’t find you a roommate.