Park Regulations & Safety

Boater's Notice

Park Rangers on spring patrol in late April and early May surveyed and recorded depths at docks and found that many are very shallow and have limited docking spaces available. Click on the dock locations below to review their findings. Click here, to review the park's press release.

Dock Photographs

Along with the shallow water at the docks, boaters also need to watch for large rocks and boulders that are now at or very near the surface. We are encouraging boaters to go slow and be very cautious when approaching docks and motoring into and out of harbors. With the water being down more than a foot from last summer, there are many spots where boaters might need to approach a dock differently than they have in the past due to large rocks and shallower shoals. Rangers are advising boaters to approach each dock as if they haven't been there before.

At many dock sites, cribbing is exposed and at some places there are metal or log projections underneath the docks that were submerged in previous years. We recommend that boating and sailing visitors bring extra lines that can be used for spring lines, extra fenders, and especially ball fenders to keep boats from rubbing against docks. Even at docks with sufficient water depth for docking, there can be other problems. Some of the docks have large gaps between the bottom of the sideboards and the surface of the water, so visitors with smaller boats especially need to be careful when docking or leaving a boat tied up to make sure that it will not drift up and under the sideboards. Boaters should also be aware that due to low water, getting in and out of your boat onto the dock will require a much higher climb or drop. Use extra care and caution to avoid falls or injuries.

Permits

Isle Royale National Park requires a backcountry/camping permit from all who stay overnight in the campgrounds, at dock, or who anchor out. The permits are used to - monitor campground use, deliver emergency messages to hiking parties, find lost campers, and serves as a tool to measure backcountry use.

Individual Parties
Individual parties, 1-6 people, will receive their backcountry permit onboard the National Park Service ship the Ranger III or when they arrive on the Island at the Rock Harbor or Windigo Visitor Center.  There are no fees associated with this permit.

Group Camping
There is a $25 group camping processing fee for each permit issued to a group, 7-10 people.  Groups must reserve their campsites in advance of their trip. Click here to submit an on-line reservation request. Please note - credit payment is required to submit this on-line form. For more information on group camping, click here.  

Boaters
To make an on-ine request for campsites, anchorages, or dock space, click here. Please note - for those that do not have a season pass, the on-line submission will require a credit card payment. For additional information on boating Isle Royale National Park, please review the park's newspaper and boating brochure by clicking here.