Established Camping
South Lake Desor Campground — Isle Royale National Park
About
National Park Service
Isle Royale National Park
South Lake Desor Campground is located inland on the south side of Lake Desor off of the Greenstone Ridge Trail. There is no canoe/kayak/boat access. Stay Limit: 2 nights effective from June 1 ___ Labor Day. Access: Foot
Access
- Hike-InBackcountry sites.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
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Site Types
- Tent Sites
Features
For Campers
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Alcohol
Backcountry Camping
The sites are right on Lake Desor which is lovely. The downside is that they are very impacted and the iron rich soil has a tendency to stain everything, especially if it's damp but oh well. The water, while easy to reach and treat, tastes pretty horrible even mixed with coffee or something else. Totally fine to cook with and didn't make much difference with food but something to be aware of. The sites are kind of close to one another but there is a fair amount of vegetation between the sites. The privy was clean and nice to have access to. Our site was large enough to accommodate two, two-person shelters and have a little kitchen area. Definitely not the best spot we stayed on the island, but beautiful none-the-less!
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What's that noise? The sound of a trillion mosquitos!!!
South Lake Desour was my least favorite campsite on Isle Royale National Park. It felt suffocating with the afternoon heat and the bugs were insane. About 8:00 p.m. you had to dive into your tents to survive the mosquitos. The noise sounded like a jet engine out side the tent. Anyone without a bug net would be miserable.
Even at 7:00 a.m. in the morning when we were trying to pack up, we were bitten like crazy. Lesson learned: spray your clothes with permethrin before you go backpacking in Isle Royale. BUT it is Isle Royale national Park so it still gets three stars.
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Location
South Lake Desor Campground — Isle Royale National Park is located in Michigan
Directions
South Lake Desor Campground is located on the south side of Lake Desor off of the Greenstone Ridge Trail.
Address
800 E. Lakeshore Drive
Houghton, MI 49931
Coordinates
47.970686 N
88.971538 W