Isle Royale National Park (redirected from Isle Royale National)

Isle Royale National Park (roi`əl), 571,790 acres (231,575 hectares), comprising about 200 islands, in Lake Superior, NW Mich.; est. 1940. Isle Royale, 210 sq mi (544 sq km), is the largest island in Lake Superior; Greenstone Ridge extends along its entire length. Glaciated, the island has many lakes, streams, and inlets and remains a roadless, forested wilderness. Its abundant wildlife includes beaver, fox, moose, timber wolves, and many birds. The French, lured by the fur trade, named the island in 1671. Isle Royale became U.S. territory in 1783 and was ceded to the United States by the Chippewa in 1843. It was mined for copper from 1843 to 1899; large areas of forest were burned to expose the ore and to build settlements. In the early 1900s the island was a popular vacation retreat. See National Parks and Monuments (table).

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Isle Royale National Park

Island national park located in northwestern Lake Superior, northwestern Michigan, U.S. Established in 1931, it has an area of 571,790 acres (231,575 hectares) and includes Isle Royale, the largest island in Lake Superior, measuring 45 mi (72 km) long and 9 mi (14 km) across. Its forested wilderness, with streams and inland lakes, hosts more than 200 species of birds. Travel is possible only on foot or by canoe, and ferry service is available from mainland Michigan and Minnesota.

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Isle Royale National Park

Parks Directory of the United States / US National Parks / National Parks

Address: 800 East Lakeshore Dr
Houghton, MI 49931
Phone: 906-482-0984;
Fax: 906-422-8753;
Web: www.nps.gov/isro/
Size: 571,790 acres.
Established: Authorized on March 3, 1931. Wilderness designated on October 20, 1976. Designated a Biosphere Reserve in 1980.
Location: In the northwest corner of Lake Superior, accessible only by boat or seaplane. Passenger ferries are available from Houghton or Copper Harbor, Michigan, or from Grand Portage, Minnesota. Seaplane service is available from Houghton, Michigan to Rock Harbor or Windigo on Isle Royale.
Facilities: Campgrounds, picnic area, rest rooms (é), cabin rental, lodging, groceries, restaurant/snacks, boat rental, visitor centers (é), self-guided tour/trail. Park is open to the public from mid-April through October.
Activities: Camping, hiking, swimming, scuba diving, boating, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, wildlife viewing, sightseeing cruises.
Special Features: This forested island, the largest in Lake Superior, is 45 miles long and 9 miles wide at its widest point, and includes submerged lands which extend 4.5 miles out into the lake. The roadless island is distinguished by its wilderness character, wildlife that includes timberwolves and moose, pre-Columbian copper mines, and historic lighthouses and shipwrecks.

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See other parks in Michigan.