Rock Harbor Lodge

Rock Harbor Lodge is Isle Royale's only full-service lodging complex, set on the island's northeastern shore at Rock Harbor. It makes sense if you want a private room, meals and boat services in one place. There is no road access; you arrive by ferry, seaplane or private boat.

The complex has 60 lodge rooms for up to four people each, with a private bath and Lake Superior view, plus 20 duplex housekeeping cottages for up to six, with a private bath and kitchenette. The buildings line a rocky, wooded shoreline. The lake setting and all-in-one services are the main draws. Room condition and value are not uniform, so weigh those against the convenience of staying near the docks.

The dining room serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, including fresh Lake Superior trout. The Greenstone Grill has pizza, burgers and sandwiches. The gift shop carries souvenirs and photo supplies; the dockside store sells groceries, freeze-dried food, stove fuel and camping and boating supplies. Showers and laundry are also listed near the dockside store.

The marina adds a water taxi, fishing and sightseeing charters, and motorboat, canoe and kayak rentals. These services make the lodge a useful hub for exploring beyond the shoreline, though operations are seasonal.

The Stoll Memorial Trail starts just past the Recreation Hall and Lodge Ojibway building. Its figure-eight route gives you options of about 1.9, 3.2 or 4.2 miles to reach Scoville Point. The wooded Tobin Harbor side and the rockier, more exposed Rock Harbor side feel different; wet rocks can be slippery, and the point has cliff edges.

The resort began as Kneut Kneutson's Park Place at Snug Harbor around 1900. He added cottages and a dining room and advertised tent space. In 1920, his daughter Bertha Farmer took over and pushed improvements. A two-story, 16-room Craftsman guesthouse began rising on the lakeside rocks by 1922, with electric lights and hot and cold running water. Early visitors came for organized dances, berry-picking and greenstone outings, and Kneutson led boat trips and told island stories. The dock could take large steamers, including the 321-foot South American.