|
Ben Kilpela's
ISLE ROYALE Home Page
Page 1 of Photo
Essay
Page 2 of Photo Essay
Page 3 of Photo Essay
Page 4 of Photo Essay
Page 5 of Photo Essay
Page 6 of Photo Essay
Page 7 of Photo Essay
Isle Royale Queen
IV
|
Hello, the author of these pages is Captain Ben Kilpela, one
of the skippers of the Isle Royale Queen IV, the
passenger ferry that takes people from Copper Harbor, Michigan, to Isle Royale National Park. This photo essay will give you
an overview of a visit to Isle
Royale. The essay consists of seven pages of pictures of trails and
facilities, wildlife, and other features of a great national park.
There are three or four thumbnails on each page. Click on each photo
for a full-size version and use your <back> button to return to the web
page. I hope you will call us at the Isle Royale
Queen IV offices for more information or reservations: 906-289-4437.
Note on Photography: The photos in these seven pages were shot with our
business's first digital camera, a Sony Mavica, in
1999. Despite their relatively low quality, I believe these photos still give
one a good overview of the island. I hope you will think so, too.
The best journey to Isle Royale begins and ends in Copper Harbor, Michigan (of course!), the port from which sails the Kilpela
Family's ferry, the Isle Royale Queen IV.
Ferries to the island have been sailing out of Copper Harbor since the ‘20s. This is a view of our former ferry the
Isle Royale Queen III approaching the dock in
central Copper Harbor, taken from the nose of Brockway Mountain just outside the town. As a family, we've
been doing this for 35 years, and we visited Isle Royale on many occasions before my father and mother
bought the Queen II in 1971. Check our
new boat, the fast and comfortable Isle Royale Queen
IV, at the Kilpela Family’s Ferry
Service web site and elsewhere on my site.
After the 3 hour crossing (54 statute miles
of open Lake Superior), the Queen IV arrives at the islands that form the rim
of Rock Harbor, the main entry point into Isle Royale,
which is on the far northeast end of the island. This shot shows some
of these spectacular outer islands and islets, which are accessible only by
boat or canoe. Hundreds of small gems surround Isle Royale and offer it shelter; they are one of the best
reasons to bring a canoe or kayak to Isle Royale, which has become a Mecca for paddlers. We haul canoes and kayaks on
the Isle Royale Queen IV, for reasonable fees, and
you need to make reservations for your boat as well as yourself. In addition,
the Rock Harbor Lodge (located next door to the main dock) rents Lund boats, outboard motors, canoes, and kayaks.
Once on Isle Royale, shortly after 11:00,
your stay begins with a short, informative orientation lecture from a park
ranger, which you see happening here under the canopy right on the main Snug Harbor dock. Though the backpackers on this day had
to gather under the canopy for the lecture, the rain soon let up.
|
