ParkwolfGet the app
Intermediate Lake Campground in Isle Royale National Park

Campground · Isle Royale National Park

Intermediate Lake Campground

A tent-only overnight for paddlers crossing the island's inland lakes.

Type
Campground
Nearest trail
2.4 mi
DirectionsMap
Parkwolf audio tour17 stories across Isle Royale’s roads

Overview

About Intermediate Lake Campground

Why stop

  • Three tent-only sites on the interior paddling route.

Heads up

  • A 0.4- or 0.6-mile portage is required to reach it.

Map

Where it is

Loading the Isle Royale map
Full map
CampgroundIntermediate Lake Campground48.03378, -88.72266
Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your stop

Before you go

8 active Isle Royale alerts

  • ClosureSeasonal park closure begins November 1Isle Royale closes to public use November 1–April 15 because extreme winter weather threatens visitor safety; the closure extends 4.5 miles into Lake Superior from the island.Official details
  • ClosureCamping closures at east-end campgrounds and Zone 9Camping restrictions are in effect at four east-end campgrounds and Off-trail Camping Zones 9–13 and 30–38 because of increased human-wildlife interactions and food-storage concerns.Official details
See all 8 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Isle Royale Tour Guide

Your drive to Intermediate Lake Campground, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Isle Royale National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

  • 17 audio storiesacross Isle Royale’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Moose, Wolf, Bald Eagle, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 39 trails, 83 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
JMJamesApp Store review
Download Parkwolf on the App StoreGet Parkwolf on Google Play

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Intermediate Lake Campground

An overnight on the inland lakesIntermediate Lake Campground is a small, three-site, tent-only campground on Intermediate Lake…

Intermediate Lake Campground is a small, three-site, tent-only campground on Intermediate Lake along Isle Royale’s interior Chain of Lakes. It is a backcountry stop for canoeists and kayakers, not a drive-up campground, and private boats cannot reach it. It makes sense as an overnight on an inland paddle route, rather than a base for car touring.

Plan for the portageFrom Siskiwit Lake, reach Intermediate Lake by a 0.

From Siskiwit Lake, reach Intermediate Lake by a 0.4-mile portage; from Lake Richie, the carry is 0.6 mile. Those distances help plan the route, but carrying a canoe and gear makes each portage a bigger commitment than walking the same distance. The annual stay limit is two nights from June 1 through Labor Day.

Bring suppliesFood-storage lockers are listed year-round, but there is no camp store, ice, or firewood for…

Food-storage lockers are listed year-round, but there is no camp store, ice, or firewood for sale. Bring the provisions you need for the overnight. The campground information does not identify a potable-water source or describe its toilet facilities, so plan water and sanitation before you launch.

campingcanoeingkayakingbackcountry

Wildlife

Wildlife in Isle Royale

All Isle Royale wildlife maps
Moose308 sightingsMooseMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapWolf93 sightingsWolfMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapBald Eagle77 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapLoon150 sightingsLoonMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapTrumpeter Swan24 sightingsTrumpeter SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapBeaver71 sightingsBeaverMost seen around 8 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Isle Royale. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Intermediate Lake Campground

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ModerateLake Richie Trail1.9 mi · 1.3 hr · 2.4 mi awayA narrow backcountry connector through wetlands and rocky outcrops.EasyLake Mason Access Trail0.6 mi · 24 min · 3.2 mi awayA short side trip to the bluff above Lake Mason.ModerateIndian Portage Trail10.6 mi · 8 hr · 3.4 mi awayA rugged 11-mile crossing through Isle Royale’s inland lakes.ModerateEast Chickenbone Trail1.6 mi · 1.3 hr · 3.4 mi awayA forested connector with glimpses of Chickenbone Lake.ModerateMinong Mine Trail2.2 mi · 2 hr · 3.8 mi awayA rugged detour into Isle Royale’s ancient copper workingsModerateChickenbone Lake Loop6.4 mi · 3 hr · 3.8 mi awayA forested lake loop with a short, repeated McCargoe Cove approach.

More stops nearby

Campground · 1.2 mi awayLake Richie Canoe CampgroundThree tent sites on a remote canoe-only lake route.Campground · 1.9 mi awayWood Lake CampgroundThree boat-to tent sites on the inland canoe route.Campground · 1.9 mi awayLake Whittlesey CampgroundA three-site stop in the island's inland paddling country.Campground · 2 mi awayLake Richie CampgroundA lakeside overnight on the interior paddling routeCampground · 2 mi awayWest Chickenbone CampgroundA backcountry lake camp reached on foot or by portage.Campground · 3 mi awayEast Chickenbone CampgroundFour forest sites for an inland night, not a lakeside stay.Campground · 3.3 mi awayChippewa Harbor CampgroundFour shoreline shelters make a remote harbor stop easier to plan.Sight · 3.4 mi awayMinong MineCopper mining here spans 4,500 years on a remote trail spur.

Parkwolf’s Isle Royale ranking

Top sights in Isle Royale

All 83 places
  1. 1Rock Harbor LighthouseSight
  2. 2Scoville PointSight
  3. 3Lookout LouiseSight
  4. 4Edisen FisherySight
  5. 5Mount FranklinSight
  6. 6Ojibway TowerSight

Take Parkwolf to Isle Royale.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Download Parkwolf on the App StoreGet Parkwolf on Google Play