By John Keefover of Keefography
Isle Royale National Park
Backpacking Trip Report May 24 - June 1st 2021
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DAY 4 - MAY 27 2021
McCargoe Cove to Todd Harbor: 6.7 miles
It was cold as I woke up early before sunrise. One final time I returned to the spot where we saw moose coming into the campground yesterday. After some time there was no sign of them so I made my way back to the dock to watch the sunrise. It was nice, but also freezing so I went back to bed to warm up. We all woke a couple hours later. We packed our things after eating a light breakfast and hit the trail, hoping to get a shelter tonight at Todd Harbor. It’s a short hike today at around 7 miles.
Sunrise from the dock at McCargoe Cove.
Shortly after heading west out of McCargoe Cove was the spur trail to the old Minong Mine. The trail junction was marked with a sign and a bunch of moose sheds. We dropped our packs and went to explore the mine. I also left my camera behind and wish I had brought it with me. The mine was once the largest and most productive on the Island. We explored inside where it was chilly. In fact in the shadows you could see a large chunk of ice still where the sun doesn’t reach. There were also some old rail tracks leading out to one of the other entrances. Past the mine a bit there were tons of piles of ore dispersed in the swampy area. Scattered about were more historic items like wagon wheels, railroad tracks and what’s left of old building foundations.
The sign marking the spur to the Minong Mine with a bunch of moose sheds.
After that interesting stop there wasn’t much else to see along this section of the Minong Trail. It’s definitely not as traveled as the Greenstone Trail. It’s especially noticeable on the barren ridges where the trail wasn’t always obvious and is occasionally dotted with rock cairns to guide you. It’s pretty hard to get lost out there though with few crossing trails and mostly east/west and north/south trail systems.
We rolled into Todd Harbor shortly after lunch. Since we got there so early we figured we’d definitely get a shelter. That feeling didn’t last long when we started to see a bunch of tents in sites already. Then we found out there’s only 1 shelter at Todd Harbor and it was already taken. That was a bummer but we did end up finding what seemed like the best tent site further down the trail. It was secluded in the woods(which was a welcome change from last night in McCargoe) and had its own access to the lake for water.
We set up camp and took a look at our food rations. We were all sitting pretty good for the rest of the trip with a little extra even if we get delayed again with our flight back. Then we decided to go check out the dock on the other end of the harbor. A couple at the picnic table there told us about a dead moose at the group campsite number 3. The guy was picking ticks off of his legs warning that they came from the carcass so don’t get too close to it... Since we hadn’t seen a moose today we decided to go check it out. Sure enough there was an old skeleton basically at this point that was very picked over. The skull was somewhere in the woods, most likely dragged by a wolf. There were ticks crawling all over what was left of it. It also died right on the tent pad there so if you’re reading this I wouldn’t set up at Group Site 3 anytime soon at Todd Harbor! We’re still going to count this as seeing a moose so we’re 3/3 for daily moose now!
By now it was time for dinner. We headed back to camp to eat and play a little cribbage. For sunset we set off to explore the trail that runs past our site along the shore. It leads to the site of the old Haytown Mine which is now just a big filled in hole in the ground with a wooden fence around it. There’s more piles of ore next to the mine that leads down to some rugged shoreline on the water with great views. We chilled here for a bit on the rocks, basking in the warm sun and soaking our feet in the chilly waters. It was relaxing laying out next to a trickle of a waterfall that was coming from the forest into the lake. The sound was almost enough for me to fall asleep already.
A peaceful reflective scene along the shores of Todd Harbor.
From there we decided to check out the mine more to see if there were any cool artifacts scattered about like at the Minong Mine earlier. Sure enough there was a trail around the mine that we didn’t see before because it was completely hidden by a big downed tree! It was either an old trail that doesn’t get maintained anymore or a social trail. At times it even seemed like it was just a moose trail. Soon we passed a small stream which we assumed was where that little waterfall we were laying next to came from. Then we heard what sounded like a much larger waterfall ahead! The sound grew louder as we drew nearer to a big zig-zagging waterfall. As beautiful as this hidden gem was it wasn’t particularly photogenic as there was a ton of deadfall all over it creating a very chaotic scene that was hard to shoot.
I crossed the river over a fallen log to pose next to the waterfall.
We followed the river to where it meets Lake Superior to find a gorgeous little cedar grove and a nice waterfall that pours right into the lake! It was hard to get a good look at it from this angle though. There was a big log across the river nearby though so we each walked across it to the other side. There you can get down to a little rocky beach with an awesome view of the falls! It’s a beautiful scene, especially at golden hour before sunset. There was a nice orange glow on the rocks and trees as the sunlight glinted off of the water. In the background is curving shore of Todd Harbor and the island chains dotting the horizon.
Golden Hour glow at a waterfall that flows into Lake Superior at the Todd Harbor campground.
We made our way back to the mine and rugged shoreline we were at earlier. Got there just in time for the sunset colors to really start popping! It was definitely the nicest sunset or sunrise we’ve had so far on this trip and the area provided us with lots of creative compositions. This was my favorite campground so far half way through the trip. Me and Ben frantically took photos chasing the light until it was gone.
Feeling accomplished and refreshed we made our way back to camp. I would definitely come back through Todd Harbor again on another trip. Tomorrow though we’re moving on to South Lake Desor 11 miles west.
Trip Report from backpacking the 42 mile long Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Trail. It follows sandy beaches and dramatic cliffs along Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.