Isle Royale closes some camping sites for rest of 2026 after uptick in wolf activity
Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior closed four tent and hammock camping areas for the remainder of the 2026 season in response to increased wolf activity, the National Park Service said.
The reason is a continued problem with wolves "being interested in tents at these campgrounds, pawing and digging at tents and entering tents to draw packs and sleeping pads away," the NPS said.
The notice, issued Friday, remains in effect until the park closes to the public on Oct. 31 for overnight camping in the tent and hammock areas of Three Mile, Daisy Farm, Moskey Basin, and Caribou Island. The off-trail camping zones near those campgrounds will also be closed for the rest of the season. Shelter lodging will remain available.
To prevent wildlife from interacting with humans, park rules already require all food, cooking utensils, trash and scented items to be stored in food storage lockers that are in specific areas of the park or in animal-resistant containers.
Earlier this summer, the park installed a backpack storage cage at the Three Mile campground and required visitors to place food packs into cages when visiting the Three Mile and Rock Harbor campgrounds.
Isle Royale National Park is a wilderness area covering over 132,000 acres. The park is open from mid-April through late October, with winter headquarters in Houghton, Michigan. There are daily entry fees. Permits are required for all overnight stays, with reservations required for groups of six or more people.
Wolves have been a recurring problem at the park, with short-term closures issued earlier this summer at Three Mile and Duncan Narrows campgrounds.
A female wolf that migrated to the area in the late 1940s is a direct ancestor of all wolves currently living in the region, the park service said. The wolf population has at times reached as high as 50 animals, with the wolves primarily feeding on the local moose herd.
Last year, the park staff killed a wolf that had become too accustomed to human food and repeatedly dragged away backpacks and food storage bags.
