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Jerry Pillarelli | profile | all galleries >> Travel and Nature >> US Travel; by Trip, by State >> Michigan >> Isle Royale National Park – Michigan tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Isle Royale National Park – Michigan

Images of Isle Royale National Park – Northern Michigan, taken in August 2017.

Over 400 islands make up the wilderness area of Isle Royale National Park located in Lake Superior, one of the world’s largest fresh water lakes.

59! This was a special trip for me as it completes my goal of exploring and photographing all 59 National Parks. It wasn’t the toughest park to reach but there were some challenges along the way. Months ago I had made a reservation on the Sea Hunter II to travel to the island on Thursday August 10, however, checking weather reports days before my departure it was obvious that that day would be windy, rainy and miserable. I scrambled to make another reservation for three days later on Sunday; no refunds so I would have to eat the $75 ticket for Thursday. Indeed Thursday turned out to be a terrible day and Sunday was about as nice as it could get so the gamble paid off. Smooth sailing under blue skies and warm temperatures made the boat ride an enjoyable experience as opposed to the possibility of ending up at the bottom of Lake Superior with the Edmond Fitzgerald! Okay, maybe that’s a little overly dramatic but this lake is known for dragging ships into its depths, just ask Gordon Lightfoot!

Safely onshore in Windigo I unfurled the ‘59’ banner made for me by my Aunt and had a fellow survivor, rather passenger, take my picture with the Isle Royal sign only to realize that the 59 didn’t show up well in the picture. So later that day, after spending a few hours hiking, I went to the visitor center to borrow a magic marker to fill in the numbers and we did a successful reshoot before departing for the mainland.

I received plenty of congratulations and questions from the rangers and my fellow travelers alike, many of which were in one way or another pursuing the same goal. And even though the trip back to our starting point in Grand Portage Bay was not as smooth as the earlier trip out to the island I am happy to report that all aboard were accounted for and made it back without incident.

With the goal of 59 completed I will continue my travels through the many other National Monuments, Historical Sites, Seashores, and so on and so forth…until the day when that 60th National Park is created and I will have to set sail to explore it as well…
Rock of Ages Lighthouse on the West end of the island in Isle Royale National Park
Rock of Ages Lighthouse on the West end of the island in Isle Royale National Park 		Heavy forestation on the shoreline in Isle Royale National Park
Heavy forestation on the shoreline in Isle Royale National Park		 View sailing into Washington Harbor in Isle Royale National Park
View sailing into Washington Harbor in Isle Royale National Park		 Beaver Island in Washington Harbor in Isle Royale National Park
Beaver Island in Washington Harbor in Isle Royale National Park		 Rock of Ages Lighthouse in the distance from Washington Harbor in Isle Royale National Park
Rock of Ages Lighthouse in the distance from Washington Harbor in Isle Royale National Park
Island coastline in Washington Harbor in Isle Royale National Park
Island coastline in Washington Harbor in Isle Royale National Park		 Sea Hunter II transport docked at Windigo in Isle Royale National Park
Sea Hunter II transport docked at Windigo in Isle Royale National Park		 Celebrating visiting National Park number 59 at Windigo in Isle Royale National Park
Celebrating visiting National Park number 59 at Windigo in Isle Royale National Park		 View across Washington Creek in Isle Royale National Park
View across Washington Creek in Isle Royale National Park		 Mushroom in a tree stump in Isle Royale National Park
Mushroom in a tree stump in Isle Royale National Park
Bush reflected in Washington Creek in Isle Royale National Park
Bush reflected in Washington Creek in Isle Royale National Park		 Moth along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Moth along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 National Park Volunteer gives a history of the island presentation in Isle Royale National Park
National Park Volunteer gives a history of the island presentation in Isle Royale National Park		 Sunlight on a plant along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Sunlight on a plant along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 Paper birch tree along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Paper birch tree along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Bee collects pollen along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Bee collects pollen along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 Large tree stump along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Large tree stump along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 Brightly colored mushroom along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Brightly colored mushroom along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 Dead tree at the Grace Creek Overlook in Isle Royale National Park
Dead tree at the Grace Creek Overlook in Isle Royale National Park		 Bee on a leaf along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Bee on a leaf along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Fallen tree along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Fallen tree along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 Grace Creek from the Grace Creek Overlook in Isle Royale National Park
Grace Creek from the Grace Creek Overlook in Isle Royale National Park		 Feldmann Lake from the Grace Creek Overlook in Isle Royale National Park
Feldmann Lake from the Grace Creek Overlook in Isle Royale National Park		 Close up of Grace Creek from the Grace Creek Overlook in Isle Royale National Park
Close up of Grace Creek from the Grace Creek Overlook in Isle Royale National Park		 Lake Superior from the Grace Creek Overlook in Isle Royale National Park
Lake Superior from the Grace Creek Overlook in Isle Royale National Park
Mushrooms on a tree along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Mushrooms on a tree along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 Old downed tree along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Old downed tree along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 Rare Indian Pipe or Corpse Plant along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Rare Indian Pipe or Corpse Plant along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 Fungi on a downed Paper Birch along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Fungi on a downed Paper Birch along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 Flowers along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Flowers along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Mushroom on a Paper Birch along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Mushroom on a Paper Birch along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 White berries along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
White berries along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 Paper Birch tree along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Paper Birch tree along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 Flower along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Flower along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 Thimbleberry along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
Thimbleberry along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
View of Washington Harbor from along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park
View of Washington Harbor from along the Grace Creek Overlook Trail in Isle Royale National Park		 Island shoreline from in Washington Harbor in Isle Royale National Park
Island shoreline from in Washington Harbor in Isle Royale National Park		 Wreck (1928) of the America in Washington Harbor in Isle Royale National Park
Wreck (1928) of the America in Washington Harbor in Isle Royale National Park		 Rock of Ages Lighthouse and reef in Isle Royale National Park
Rock of Ages Lighthouse and reef in Isle Royale National Park		 Sea Hunter II, viewed from Mount Rose in Grand Portage NM, returning from Isle Royale National Park
Sea Hunter II, viewed from Mount Rose in Grand Portage NM, returning from Isle Royale National Park

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Dale Gentry 24-Aug-2017 17:36
Photos look great. I always wonder what this island looked like. It's beautiful, or your photographs made it so. When you started on this venture I was wondering about this way off the beaten path national park. But you found it. Great job. There is a lot more out there to photograph. Hope you will keep my email address on you list.
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