Rock Harbor Lodge at Isle Royale Resorts — Hotel in Houghton Township

KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING AND ACTUALLY READ THE NPS WEBSITE BEFORE SHOWING UP TO ISLE ROYALE - IT IS A WILDERNESS AREA, NOT A LUXURY RESORT!

(Seaplanes were fogged in for almost 2 days, so be ready with contingency plans - like to camp in the wilderness if you can't exit.)

Also, check-out is 10 am but many modes of transportation don't exit until much later - often the afternoon - so plan to go hiking until you leave. So many folks just crammed into the Guest House Cabin which is a very small space and one of the only places to get Wifi. IT IS BEAUTIFUL HERE! GET OFF YOUR PHONE AND GO HIKE!

Good views no matter where you stay. Backpacking Isle Royale is superior to hotel stays.

That said: Housekeeping Cabins are where it's at! 2 burner stove top, well stocked with pans, utensils, dishware, etc. small fridge + microwave + coffee maker. We brought and made our own food. Got to hear wolves howl across Tobin Harbor.

If you eat at the restaurant, go with the fish. And to the man who asked the Grill staff "Is the pizza hand-made and fresh?"...the answer is probably "no."

But you don't go to Isle Royale, or any National Park for the food.

I want to commend the entire staff – Carolyne, Joanna, and Ryan in particular, but cleaning crews, loading crews, and the restaurant staff as well. I watched folks do so much heavy work. We stayed in both the Housekeeping Cabins and the Rock Harbor Lodge. I watched groups of folks arrive on the seaplanes with massive amounts of luggage and gear. I watched staff haul gear up rocky, uneven terrain and move it – including canoes on their heads!! Cleaning crews with rolling carts hauled laundry to and fro. Restaurant servers smiled as customers grumbled about long waits and crowded conditions. And everyone was working in really cold, rainy, foggy weather that would suddenly switch to sunny, humid, mosquito-laden weather two days later.

Carolyne, Joanna, and Ryan - and one other woman whose name I didn’t get - would order the massive SWARMS of people unloading from the Isle Royale Queen IV or the even larger Ranger III with the skills of a veteran middle school teacher: lining up large groups of fidgety people who didn’t listen or follow instructions – all of whom thought they should be FIRST in line, many of whom seemed somewhat entitled, and bullying. I saw a man walk up off a ferry and say “I’d like to request a room for the night.” Like…who shows up on Isle Royale thinking there will be a room available?

I was in their office multiple times seeking varying kinds of information, and all staff in the office, in the grill, in the restaurant, in the gift shop were always helpful, kind, and nearly all had a smile for me.

Not all guests were terrible, but so many were. It is a beautiful place, but it is also a stressful place to be. Especially with cuts to the NPS and the extra stress on National Park Rangers. The concessionaire’s staff becomes a de facto extension of the National Park Rangers – whether that is their job or not. Again: staff on Isle Royale should get extra hazard pay due to the remote nature of the lodge and added stressors that come...

9/5/2023 Update: I was up hiking in August and found the same experience at the Greenstone Grill as before. Cafeteria Style. Ugh. The Lighthouse was open, for a limited amount of time, this was good, but I did not get a chance to see what they had to offer. The services onsite for the Lodge were good, but I also heard from others that they were not extremely happy with the services.

Original Review: I've been to Isle Royale hiking for many years. I would suggest this place to anyone. This review is specifically for the Rock Harbor Lodge and dining amenities.

Forever Resorts used to manage the Lodge, Gift Shops, and Restaurants. At that time I would have given them 10 stars! The service was amazing and the Lighthouse restaurant was very close to fine dining.

I've been back, most recently 2021 and 2022, and since Aramark took over the Lodge, Gift Shops, and Restaurants, the service and experience has been less. To start, the gift shop did not have the depth / amount of gifts it had in the past. The service was expectable, but it's really just one person. The Lighthouse Restaurant has not been open and that really was a dining highlight of the trip. The Greenstone Grill has been open, but it's dynamic is like going to a high school cafeteria. You go to the bar, they don't have bar stools, because it's now a serving desk. You order your food and stand and wait. You have to pay when you order and if you want other beverages or add to your order you have to repeat. There isn't a point of tipping because this is like ordering fast food. I loved the old way where it was run like a restaurant, not a cafeteria... Well Aramark does cafeteria service... great job Government Worker for sourcing a restaurant to a cafeteria company... no wonder things are messed up here. Lastly, the method of being able to talk to someone to schedule a room at the lodge is a joke. No body wants to answer a phone, and by the way you don't even call the island, you call someone, somewhere in the world who has no idea what the island even is. Again... great job government worker for this... this is all about the government saving money or some other non sense... you have exceptional service and food so you change it to something which is 50% as good. Save your money, camp in a tent and cook...

Pros: -Beautiful view of Lake Superior from the rooms. -Staff were very helpful and friendly. -Sightseeing tours - these were great! Captain Jimmy was very friendly and knowledgeable about Isle Royale. Our favorite tour was the Edison Fishery Tour! -Trails around Rock Harbor were well identified and easy to follow. We enjoyed the scenery and the views of the forest.

Cons: Disclaimer: many of these cons are mainly due to the price ($259 per night). If the price had been more reasonable, some of the issues with the room might be more expected.

-Prices for Sightseeing Tours increased after booking. When I booked my trip, the tours were advertised for $38.75 per person. When I arrived, the price was increased to $60 per person. -Prices for restaurants increased after arrival. For example, the menu online listed chicken piccata for $23.50, but was increased when I arrived to $29. Pork Medallions were advertised online for $24.50 and were $33 when I arrived. -Room smelled very musty, I think this was from the carpet. -Paint chipping on the walls -Bathroom mirror was rusty -Moldy caulk in the shower -Mold around the bathroom sink faucet -Grills at the Marina - we decided to grill out one night. However, many of the grills were full of ash or were starting to rust and had large holes in the bottom. -Housekeeping - if you stay more than 3 nights, housekeeping comes the day after your 3rd night. All they did was exchange the towels and change the garbage. There was no cleaning done and we had to deal with mud in the entryway our entire stay. -Biggest downfall in my opinion was that there wasn’t even enough indoor seating for all the guests that were waiting for their ferry or seaplane departure. Check out of the hotel is between 8 am - 10:30 am, however most of the ferries don’t depart until later in the afternoon. There was not enough seating inside so many people had to sit in the pouring...