Rock Harbor is the main access point for visitors landing on

Isle Royale Isle Royale National Park is an American national park consisting of Isle Royale – known as Minong to the native Ojibwe – along with more than 400 small adjacent islands and the surrounding waters of Lake Superior, in the state of Michigan. ...

in northern

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

. It sits from the northeastern end of the island, the whole of which is protected as

Isle Royale National Park Isle Royale National Park is an American national park consisting of Isle Royale – known as Minong to the native Ojibwe – along with more than 400 small adjacent islands and the surrounding waters of Lake Superior, in the state of Michigan ...

. Two structures in Rock Harbor—the Rock Harbor Light and the

Edisen Fishery The Edisen Fishery is a fishery located in Rock Harbor in the Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1976 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Description The Edi ...

—are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The ''Rock Harbor'' name is properly applied to the inlet from Moskey Basin to Scoville Point along the southern shore of the easterly part of Isle Royale. This inlet is screened from the open waters of Lake Superior by a number of offshore islands, including Mott Island, the site of the park headquarters. Travel to Rock Harbor from the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...

of Michigan is by the ''Ranger III'' park service ferry, operating from Houghton, Michigan, the ''Isle Royale Queen IV'' out of Copper Harbor, Michigan, and seaplane service. The ''Voyageur II'' operates out of

Grand Portage, Minnesota Grand Portage is an unorganized territory in Cook County, Minnesota, United States, on Lake Superior, at the northeast corner of the state near the border with northwestern Ontario. The population was 565 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated ...

; it circumnavigates the island with stops at

Windigo Ranger Station Isle Royale National Park is an American national park consisting of Isle Royale – known as Minong to the native Ojibwe – along with more than 400 small adjacent islands and the surrounding waters of Lake Superior, in the state of Michigan ...

in Washington Harbor on the west end of the island and other points along the shore. The ferry boats land at Snug Harbor, which also has berths for private watercraft, a campground, the visitor center, and a lodge that predates the national park. Rock Harbor is the eastern end and terminus of the

Greenstone Ridge Trail The Greenstone Ridge Trail is a hiking trail on Isle Royale, in Lake Superior, northern Michigan. The island is within Isle Royale National Park. There are no roads on the island, a wilderness area and national park, so the trail doubles as th ...

. Rock Harbor is also listed by the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

as a populated place named Rock Harbor Lodge. Although there is no permanent population, the area includes the Rock Harbor Lodge, restaurant, resorts, several boat docks, and campgrounds. Rock Harbor also contained its own summer post office from 1924 to 1958.

References

{{Authority control Isle Royale Geography of Keweenaw County, Michigan Coastal resorts in Michigan Landmarks in Michigan Tourist attractions in Keweenaw County, Michigan