Peace and Quiet at Isle Royale National Park

01This week on our National Parks journey, we explore a remote island near Michigan's border with Canada.

02It sits within a huge freshwater lake.

03It is one of the least visited national parks in America.

04Welcome to Isle Royale National Park.

05Isle Royale is surrounded by the deep blue waters of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake on earth by area.

06The park's quiet forests and rocky shores offer a kind of solitude and peace not found in some of the more popular national parks.

07No cars or other wheeled vehicles are permitted on Isle Royale.

08There are no real roads on the island.

09The only way to get to the park is by boat or seaplane.

10The National Park Service operates shuttle boats that take visitors to Isle Royale.

11The boats leave from two Michigan ports.

12The journey to Isle Royale takes three to five hours.

13Waters are often extremely rough.

14Isle Royale is the largest of the islands within the National Park.

15It is 72 kilometers long.

16The entire National Park protects a total area of 230,000 hectares, including some 450 islands that surround Isle Royale.

1752,000 hectares is land.

18The rest is water.

19Isle Royale became a national park in 1940.

20In 1980, officials named it an International Biosphere Reserve because of its unique ecosystem.

21its remote location is part of what makes it among the least visited national parks.

22But once they arrive, most visitors stay a while.

23The average stay for visitors to Isle Royale National Park is 3.5 days.

24The average stay for visitors to most other national parks is just four hours.

25Isle Royale offers hiking, camping, boating, and even scuba diving.

26The extremely cold waters of Lake Superior help keep shipwrecks in excellent condition.

27The National Park Service protects 11 sunken boats for divers to explore.

28They are reminders of Lake Superior's commercial shipping history.

29The sunken wooden ship called the America is one of the most popular other dive sites.

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194The Scientists believe that moose swam to the island.

195They think wolves walked there during a freeze of the lake sometime in the 1940s.

196Scientists have closely studied the relationship between Isle Royals wolves and moose since the late 1950s.

197It is one of the best studied predatory prey relationships in the world.

198Researchers closely record their population numbers.

199Much of the research takes place during the winter when the trees are bare.

200The researchers fly over the island to observe the animals from above.

201In early 2016, researchers from Michigan Tech University observed just two remaining wolves on Isle Royals.

202The moose population, however, is growing.

203Scientists observed about 1,300 moose on the island this winter.

204Animal research is the only winter activity going on at Isle Royals.

205The National Park is closed each year beginning in late October because of the harsh weather conditions.

206It reopens in springtime the next year.

207But for the other months of the year, Isle Royals offers refreshing lake breezes, green forests, and clear blue waters.

208Its stunning scenery and unusual solitude keep visitors returning year after year.

209I'm Ashley Thompson.

210And I'm Katie Weaver.

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