Birch Island Campground
The Quick Take
Birch Island is Isle Royale distilled to its purest form: a two-site campground on a tiny island near the mouth of McCargoe Cove, reachable only by canoe, kayak, or private boat. There are no toilets, no potable water, no anything -- just a single tent site, one shelter, and a dock with about five feet of depth. The food lockers are your only concession to civilization, and you will be grateful for them because this is moose and wolf country. The trade-off is absolute: you surrender every comfort in exchange for the kind of solitude that most backcountry campgrounds only pretend to offer. On a calm evening, you may be the only human being on the island. This is the campground for paddlers who treat Isle Royale not as a destination but as a wilderness to disappear into.
Booking
Reserve Your Campsite
2 sites, first-come first-served.
What You Get
Sites & Setup
RV Information
No RVs. No electrical hookups. Generators permitted during designated hours.
Accessibility
Not wheelchair accessible. No Roads
Rules to Know
- Generators:Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m.
Pro Tips
No reservations means no guarantees -- with only two sites, arrive early or have a backup plan. McCargoe Cove Campground is a short paddle away and has more capacity if Birch Island is taken.
The dock depth of five feet can get sketchy in low-water years, especially late summer. If you are bringing a motorboat, check current lake levels with the park before committing to this site.
Pack every drop of water you need or bring a reliable filter -- there is no potable water here. Lake Superior water near the island is your best filtration source, and a gravity filter makes camp life considerably easier than pumping.
Photos
Yeva Cifor
