Mount Ojibway Trail

Mount Ojibway Trail is a 3.4-mile out-and-back from the Daisy Farm dock and campground to Ojibway Tower on Greenstone Ridge. The climb itself is about 1.7 miles, then you retrace the same path to get back. Allow 2 to 3 hours. This is a short but steep island hike, a good choice if you are already at Daisy Farm and want a real climb with a historic lookout at the top. If you are starting elsewhere, getting to the trail takes its own planning; this is not a roadside trailhead.

The route leaves the Daisy Farm campground and climbs toward Greenstone Ridge. The tread is about 18 inches wide, with rocks and roots, so the footing takes attention. The ascent is steep, and the narrow trail gives you little room to wander while looking around. A short wooden boardwalk crosses the mapped route in its upper stretch, about half a mile before the tower. Trail conditions can change, so carry a map and compass and know how to use them. For this standalone hike, you return on the same corridor. The 5.1-mile Daisy Farm Triangle is a different outing that adds Daisy Farm and Greenstone Ridge trail segments; it is not the length of this hike.

Ojibway Tower stands on Mount Ojibway at the eastern end of the island. The tower room is closed, but visitors can climb partway up the outside stairs for a wider view of the island's interior lakes and bays. On a clear day the ridge and water carry the view toward the island's far eastern end. For a photo that says where you are, include some of the steel tower and the forested ridge instead of framing only open water.

After a major 1936 fire, the Civilian Conservation Corps built the island's first fire towers in 1939, including a timber tower at Mount Ojibway. A steel tower replaced it at the same site in 1964. The lookouts were later retired from fire spotting; Ojibway now carries communications equipment that supports park operations. Isle Royale's three historic towers were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021 for their connection to fire management.

There is no road access or car parking at Daisy Farm. Reach the dock by private or rental boat, water taxi, or passenger ferry, or hike in on the Rock Harbor Trail. Arrange the island transport before setting aside time for the hike. The campground has seasonal vault toilets, food lockers, and non-potable water, but no camp store or potable water; bring your food and drinking water. The trail has no reservation or activity fee, though park entrance fees may apply. Pets are not allowed. If you stay overnight, a free camping permit is required; that rule is for camping, not the day hike.