Isle Royale: Store Your Backpacks and Food at Three Mile and Rock Harbor

If you're planning a backpacking trip on Isle Royale, a storage rule is currently in effect at the Three Mile and Rock Harbor campgrounds. It covers two specific things: where to put your backpack and where to stash anything that can be eaten or smelled. Nothing complicated, but it's worth knowing before you pitch your tent.

Start with your backpack. At both campgrounds, it doesn't stay with you under the tent. You drop it in the designated backpack storage areas. That's where it spends the night, not in your shelter.

Next, your food. Anything edible or scented (meals, snacks, but also smelly items like toothpaste or toiletries) has to go inside the food lockers, the "Food Storage Lockers." Your containers slide into the locker whenever there's room. If the locker is full, you set them right next to it. The rule is clear on one point. Never keep food in your tent.

The reasoning behind all this is simple. On this island in Lake Superior, wildlife learns fast to link a tent with an easy meal. By keeping packs and supplies together in closed lockers, you cut that habit short and keep the campground calm for everyone. It's also safer for you and more respectful of the animals that live there.

As for logistics, plan ahead when you pack. Group your food and scented items in advance into one or two containers that are easy to move, and you'll save time at the locker every evening. Remember not to leave anything in the tent pockets before you sleep.

To locate these campgrounds, map out your route, and get ahead of the rest of the backcountry rules, lean on the Isle Royale park guide. You'll head out with the right habits from your very first night.