Isle Royale National Park transportation study

Isle Royale National Park is a remote archipelago located in western Lake Superior, fourteen miles from the closest mainland and 60 miles from the park’s headquarters in Houghton, Michigan. While visitors treasure the parks pristine environment and solitude, transporting visitors to and operating a park in such a remote location is costly. Isle Royale has the highest cost per visitor ($170) of any unit in the National Park System. In this transportation study, Volpe defines what transportation activities are necessary to maintain operation of the park and determine what alternatives may feasibly replace the current manner of doing business. At the time of writing, the 55-year old Ranger III provides the primary means of transporting visitors, cargo and some fuel to the island. Other vessels with the Park’s fleet are used on a limited basis. Upgrading and replacing Ranger III is considered as well as outsourcing specific actives and changing the operations of some activities such as waste disposal. The park has already begun to add solar energy systems to reduce the need to transport fuel for electricity.