Two Campers Perish on Remote Isle Royale: What We Know About the Tragedy

Earlier this week, the National Park Service announced that two campers were discovered deceased at a distant wilderness campground on Isle Royale—an island in Lake Superior accessible only by a two-hour ferry journey from Grand Portage, Minnesota.

From that point onward, officials have provided minimal information regarding the fatalities. Below is an overview of the inquiry along with insights into the island, which stands as one of the most remote wild regions in the Midwest and is renowned primarily for hosting substantial wolf and moose communities.

The National Park Service reported receiving two distinct calls on Sunday regarding fatalities at the isolated South Lake Desor Campground, located approximately 11.5 miles away from the Windigo Visitor Center on the western part of the island—this area being a key point for travelers coming from Grand Portage.

The campground is located beside the Greenstone Ridge Trail, which spans the entire island and leads to the second major park entry point, Rock Harbor.

The authorities have confirmed the identities of those who passed away and informed their families; however, they haven’t made this information public nor disclosed the specific reasons for the deaths. Additionally, officials state that there doesn’t appear to be any imminent danger to the general populace.

The National Park Service failed to respond to a call requesting comments on when they would release additional details.

Isle Royale is located in Keweenaw County, Michigan, though the National Park Service manages most of the incidents occurring there. According to reports from the Detroit Free Press, the FBI has also become part of the investigation.

The park primarily consists of one sizable island that is encircled by over 450 smaller islands. This principal island is recognized for its challenging hiking trails and spans approximately 50 miles in length and 9 miles in width.

The island was part of the traditional territory of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Indigenous peoples
extracted for copper from the island thousands of years ago
, and more recently, people extracted copper there during the late 1800s and engaged in logging activities in the 1900s.

Currently, Isle Royale is famous for its populations of moose and wolves, with the wolves having been reintroduced in 2018 beginning with four individuals brought over from the Grand Portage Reservation. In the past year,
Michigan Tech researchers found
There were 30 wolves and 840 moose inhabiting the island.

The population of moose on the island has varied over time, reaching up to thousands in certain periods yet dropping significantly during other years due to numerous factors.
including tick infestations
The National Park Service reports that the island is home to beavers, red foxes, otters, American martens, and bats.

Isle Royale is accessible solely by boat or seaplane.

The Grand Portage Isle Royale Transportation Lines shuttle visitors across Lake Superior using two vessels departing from Grand Portage, making multiple stops around the island. The journey usually takes between one and a half to two hours when traveling from Grand Portage to the initial destination.

Visitors originating from Michigan have the option to book a seaplane out of Hubbell, Mich. Additionally, they can embark on ferries departing from both Houghton and Copper Harbor, Mich., which typically takes anywhere from 3 ½ to 6 hours to arrive at the island.

Approximately 21,000 individuals explored the island last year, which makes it among the least-frequented national parks.

Isle Royale lies approximately 20 miles east of Minnesota yet is situated around 55 miles west of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Why is it considered part of Michigan?
?

In brief, Michigan gained statehood over two decades earlier than Minnesota, enabling Michigan to initially stake its claim on the island. Despite Isle Royale being geographically nearer to Canada, American representatives during negotiations following the conclusion of the Revolutionary War successfully convinced Britain to establish the boundary line above the island.

In July, John Nousaine, a 70-year-old resident of Superior, Wisconsin, passed away during a leisurely dive. He was scuba diving approximately 100 feet beneath the waters of Lake Superior, close to the wreck of the Emperor, a steel-hulled freighter that went down in 1947. Authorities from the Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Office collaborated with the National Park Service for the subsequent inquiry into his death.