Isle Royale National Park, Michigan (MI), United States

Facts & Statistics
Place Name	Isle Royale National Park
Pronunciation	EIL roi-AL
Place Status (Type)	national park
Location	Michigan, United States, North America
Latitude	unknown
Longitude	unknown

Isle Royale National Park (EIL roi-AL) ( 210 sq mi/544 sq km), comprising Isle Royale and about 200 smaller islands, in L. Superior, NW Mich. Isle Royale—210 sq mi/544 sq km, 45 mi/72 km long, max. 8 mi/12.9 km wide—is the largest isl. in L. Superior; Greenstone Ridge and Trail extend along its entire length. It includes L. Siskiwit. Ryan Isl., in L. Siskiwit, is the largest isl. in the largest lake, on the largest isl. in the world's largest fresh-water lake. Glaciated, the isl. has about 50 lakes, also streams and inlets. It remains a roadless (does have trails and portage system) forested wilderness. Campgrounds located throughout inland; canoeing, fishing, hiking. Its abundant wildlife includes squirrels, beaver, fox, moose, wolves, and many birds. The French, lured by the fur trade, named the isl. in 1671. Isle Royale became U.S. territory in 1783 and was ceded to the U.S. by the Chippewa in 1843. It was mined for copper from 1843 to 1899; large areas of forest were burned to expose the ore and to build settlements. Has pre-Columbian copper-mine sites. In the early 1900s the isl. was a popular vacation retreat; still has a few private cabins. Season mid-May to Oct 1. 40 mi/64 km from Mich.'s Upper Peninsula, 15 mi/24 km from Ont. shore, and 20 mi/32 km from Minn. Acreage includes park office and ranger ferry terminal at Houghton. Accommodations and services at Rock Harbor Lodge area (NE); reached by ferries from Copper Harbor and Houghton. Ferry from Grand Portage, Minn., to Windigo ranger station at SW end; shuttle service encircles isl. Est. 1940.