Even though we’ve never owned a boat nor had the desire for one, Kathy & I rarely pass up an opportunity for a cruise. We took a harbor/river cruise in Port Huron, and technically took a ferry cruise to Mackinac Island, so why not one more?

When we first started making plans for our Keweenaw Peninsula trip we intended to try and do a day trip to Isle Royale National Park. As the name suggests, the park sits on an island in Lake Superior, actually closer to Canada than the US, but it is readily accessible from both sides of the lake.

Unfortunately we waited too long to make arrangements for a day trip to the island. There is only one ferry service that offers the chance of a day trip and it was already full. Alternatives would have required an overnight stay, but that’s not what we were looking for. It’s also possible to take a float plane out and back, but that is quite costly, especially just for a few hours.

The National Park Service operates a visitor center in Houghton, where we were staying. From the visitor center the NPS operates the Ranger III boat, carrying passengers and their gear to Isle Royale and back several days a week. In summer, they also offer cruises on the Portage Canal, the “river” that runs between Lake Superior and Keweenaw Bay. So we booked a cruise on the Ranger III and enjoyed a little more time on the water, learning about the history of the region and the role that the canal has played in the local economy over the years.