Trip Report - Minong Ridge Trail
I have really enjoyed and benefitted from reading other trip reports, so thought I would add mine here too, in case it helps anyone out. Our group of 4 backpacked the Minong Ridge Trail over the first week of August. This was my first visit to the Isle since hiking the Greenstone over 20 years ago and it was just as amazing as I remembered it!
Day 1: Windigo
This was my first time taking the seaplane for the first time from Houghton. Had a great experience and was thankful that things were running about on-time (after all of the challenges people had with the wildfire smoke in July). We set up at one of the tent sites at Washington Creek. The mama moose and her calf came through the campground around dusk. Always an incredible sight. Mosquitoes were out, but it wasn't horrible with longsleeves and pants.
Day 2: Windigo / Huginnin Cove Loop Trail
After breakfast, we hiked the Huginnin Cove loop trail while waiting for another member of our group to arrive that evening via seaplane. The trail was in pretty good shape, though definitely overgrown in a few spots. It was pretty easy to follow and the cove made for a great spot to stop for lunch. I would consider the trail as 'moderate', especially since we weren't carrying packs. Enjoyed a few beers and snacks on the deck outside the store while waiting for our friend to arrive. Lucked out when Chris the maintenance leader brought out his banjo and guitar for a show - great vibes to end the day
Day 3: Voyageur II to McCargoe / Todd Harbor
After breakfast, we hopped on the Voyageur II for a ride to McCargoe Cove, where we planned to start our Minong hike. The boat ride was beautiful and we had a chance to meet a bunch of interesting people. We made it to McCargoe around 3pm, ate some lunch and filtered some water, before starting off on the trail toward Todd Harbor. Like it was for our entire trip, the weather was perfect - low 70s during the day and 50s at night. The trail to Todd Harbor was much better defined than we expected. We started to get a feel for the ups and downs to/from the ridge, but nothing too crazy on this stretch. We also started to realize how many amazing berries there are along the trail this time of year - thimbleberries, blueberries, and raspberries were everywhere! We also came across some small wild strawberries occasionally. Found some wolf scat on the trail before getting into Todd Harbor, which would be a preview of things to come the next day. Todd Harbor campground was really nice - both individual and group site options were great. The sunset that night was incredible. We were the only ones in camp that night, so decided on a whim to just use the shelter. We were glad we did, as a pretty wild storm rolled through in the wee hours of the morning - the only rain we experienced on the trip.
Day 4: Todd Harbor to Little Todd
After breakfast, we packed up and headed out toward Little Todd. The trail was wet but thankfully not too muddy. Not more than a half mile down the trail, we rounded a bend, I looked up and saw a WOLF standing on the trail not more than 15-20 feet in front of us! It was the size of a large dog and had wet matted fur from the wet brush. It was just staring at us and didn't seem bothered one bit. Our first thought was "where are his pack mates??", wondering if we were going to be surrounded or something. He appeared to be alone. I was in the lead and wanted to get him moving off, so I just made myself as big as possible and started waving my hiking pole around. Again, he didn't seem too phased. Finally, with enough shouting at him, we got him moving off trail. I feel incredibly lucky to have encountered a wolf on the Isle and never imagined that I would. What a rush that was. The whole encounter lasted a few minutes. After all of that adrenaline, the rest of the hike to Little Todd went by in a flash. There were a couple little water crossings along the way, made easier with the random log or stone to step on. The trail opens up into a beautiful birch and fern forest before descending into Little Todd. The campground was our favorite of the trip. With only a few individual sites, if felt quite remote - especially since we had this one to ourselves again, too. The stone covered beach was great. If you head to the west side of the beach, just past the little beaver dam, you'll find some delicious wild strawberries. A dip in the lake followed by a campfire felt great after an exciting day on the trail.
Day 5: Little Todd to N Lake Desor
This stretch of trail was definitely harder than the first two, with the constant ups and downs along the ridge. With the nice weather we had, the rock cairns were easy enough to spot on the ridge and we didn't have much difficulty following the trail. I can imagine how much more difficult it would be with rainy conditions. Views from top of the ridge were beautiful, with the Canadian shoreline off in the distance and the Greenstone Ridge looming on the other side. The N Lake Desor campground is not nearly as big as the campground on the south side of the lake, but its really nice. For the first time on the Minong, we weren't alone at the campground, but it was really peaceful. If you wander your way to the east side of the campground (to the left when facing the lake), you'll find a little sandy "beach" area where you can swim. There isn't really a defined path over there, but you'll see where you need to go.
Day 6: N Lake Desor to Windigo
This was our longest stretch of trail for the week, so we got an earlier start after watching a beautiful sunrise over the lake. The constant ups and downs were similar to the previous day, but when combined with the warmest weather, it made for a pretty long day on the trail. A couple spots were tricky to navigate, where a moose trail made it look like the right path when it really wasn't. We had paper and offline digital maps, so we quickly realized our miss and got back on the right path. (Note: on a few occasions, my AllTrails map crashed while in offline mode which it has never done before. Make sure you have some kind of backup map! I followed up with AllTrails when I got back and they said they are investigating a potential bug. I also used Avenza Maps offline, which worked really well). The planked section of the trail was really cool and the berries along the way were nice pops of energy over a long day. The beaver dams weren't really an obstacle or issue at all. Over the last couple of miles on the trail, we couldn't wait to kick our feet up on the deck in Windigo with a beer and a pizza. When we finally arrived, though, we were told that their "system was down" for the past few days and they could only accept cash! Luckily, one of our group brought enough cash to cover some food and drinks - phew! Never again will I travel to a national park without some cash! Their system remained down through the next day, so we couldn't do things we had planned, like renting a kayak for a paddle on the lake. We grabbed a shelter and enjoyed our last night on the isle.
Day 7: Back to Houghton
We enjoyed a lazy morning and early afternoon in Windigo before catching our seaplane back to Houghton. It was a magical week on Isle Royale!
The Minong was a fun trail and had its challenging sections. The mosquitoes were out, but not as bad as they probably were in June and July. We didn't really encounter any bad flies along the way, either. I was glad I brought my boots instead of my trail runners, given how sharp and rocky the ridge could be. I wore pants every day on the trail due to the overgrown brush in many areas. My light sunhoodie was perfect for the trail, since it wasn't hot but the sun could be intense. Both helped keep the mosquitoes from biting me too badly. This was my first backpacking trip bringing poles, and I'm glad I did. They helped on many rocky sections where footing was tricky, and they even helped me encourage a wolf off the trail! I can't wait to go back