Several day hikes are doable if you choose to “motel camp” in Rock Harbor. Don’t miss Scoville Point, a 4.2-mile loop with interpretive signs that traces a rocky finger of land east of Rock Harbor. Another popular short hike is the 3.8-mile loop to Suzy’s Cave, formed by the wave action of a once much-deeper Lake Superior.
Lookout Louise, north of Tobin Harbor, offers one of the island’s most spectacular views, looking out over its ragged northeastern shoreline. If you’ve got a canoe, it’s a short paddle and short two-mile hike. Without a canoe, it’s a fine hike along lovely Tobin Harbor and the eastern end of the Greenstone Ridge, but you’ll have to retrace your steps to return to Rock Harbor, about a 20-mile trek in all.
For another all-day hike, follow the Lake Superior shoreline to the Daisy Farm campground and the Ojibway Trail, which heads north and brings you to the Ojibway Tower, an air-monitoring station. The tower marks the highest spot on the eastern end of the island, and you can climb its steps (but not enter the tower room) for an unmatched view of the island’s interior lakes and bays on both the north and south sides of the island.
Travel back via the Greenstone Ridge and along Tobin Harbor for a varied 18-mile hike that will take you through blueberry patches, wildflower meadows, and serene shorelines. For a similar but shorter hike of about 10 miles, turn north at the Three Mile campground to ascend Mount Franklin, another high point on the Greenstone Ridge.