Parking
No road access or parking at either end; reach the southern junction on foot from Greenstone Ridge and finish at Minong Ridge.
Overview
About Hatchet Lake Trail
Why go
- A direct backcountry link between two major ridge trails.
Heads up
- The steep drop to the lake is followed by a climb onto Minong Ridge.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Isle Royale map
Full mapElevation702–1,070 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Isle Royale Tour Guide
Your drive to Hatchet Lake Trail, 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Hatchet Lake Trail
A ridge-to-ridge linkHatchet Lake Trail is a 2.
Hatchet Lake Trail is a 2.6-mile, one-way connector between the Greenstone Ridge and Minong Ridge trails. It drops to Hatchet Lake, then climbs back to Minong; allow about two hours one way at a steady pace.
Down to Hatchet LakeFrom the Greenstone Ridge junction, the path descends sharply toward the lake, about 0.
From the Greenstone Ridge junction, the path descends sharply toward the lake, about 0.3 mile in. The connector continues east, then north across the middle stretch before its climb to Minong Ridge.
Campground accessHatchet Lake Campground is reached by a separate spur, roughly half a mile from the Greenstone…
Hatchet Lake Campground is reached by a separate spur, roughly half a mile from the Greenstone junction; it isn't the end of the through-route. The campground has an outhouse and a water source, which should be treated. Overnight camping requires a permit.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Isle Royale
308 sightingsMooseMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
93 sightingsWolfMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
77 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
150 sightingsLoonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
24 sightingsTrumpeter SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
71 sightingsBeaverMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Isle Royale. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
