Scoville Point Loop

Start at the Rock Harbor section trailhead just beyond the Recreation Hall and the Rock Harbor Lodge Ojibway building. The exposed side is a jumble of shoreline rock and roots under open sky; watch your feet, because the rocks get slick during and after rain. It is a rewarding way to begin if you want the open-water side while you are fresh. The Tobin Harbor return runs through forest on a smoother dirt tread, with raised boardwalk stretches and steps. At the fork, keep to the full route to Scoville Point; the short Stoll Memorial loop leaves out the point.

The two paths meet for about the last half mile, then climb the rocky face to Scoville Point. There are steps cut into the stone and rough slabs, so this is not a roadside-style overlook. Take time to move around on the bare rock and look out over Lake Superior. Boats, small islands and a wooded far shore can give the view some scale. For a photo, put the rock pools and slabs in the foreground and the water beyond; the point is most distinctive when the shoreline and open lake appear together. Keep children close around the cliff edges.

Interpretive signs cover the island’s natural and cultural history. About halfway to the point, look for three small pits in the bedrock. A National Park Service natural-history account connects those pits, and a plaque at the point, to Albert Stoll Jr., a Detroit newspaperman who helped bring attention to the island. The trail’s memorial gives you something specific to notice on the way out, beyond the changing water and forest.

Rock Harbor is on an island reached by boat or seaplane; vehicles stay on the mainland, and the trailhead is reached on foot from the harbor. The Rock Harbor village has a store, restaurant and restrooms near the start, but there are no documented services along the walk. Carry water before leaving the village. This is a summer-season route. The trail itself needs no reservation or activity fee, though the park entrance fee may apply. Pets are not allowed; the park requires an approved veterinary certificate on file for each service-dog visit.

If 4.2 miles is more than you want, the separate Stoll Memorial loop shares the beginning and is listed at 1.8 miles on the Rock Harbor guide map. It makes a shorter forest-and-shore walk, but does not include the full circuit to Scoville Point. Neither route is barrier-free: the boardwalks require steps, the Rock Harbor start drops steeply to a bridge, and the point’s final climb uses steps carved into rock.