Michigan's Isle Royale National Park is now open for the season.
"It's interesting because we open the same time every year (April 16)," Liz Valencia, a supervisory park ranger at the Island Royale National Park. "But that doesn't mean like we're there and everything's all set up and ready to go."
Isle Royale is a group of over 400 islands, with 165 miles of trails and 36 campgrounds. It's located on Lake Superior, in between Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula.
It's accessed by boat, ferry or seaplane, as no vehicles are allowed.
"There's a lot to making a visit to Isle Royale," Valencia said. "You have to think about how you want to get out there, make reservations for ferries or seaplane."
It's closed for the off-season from Nov. 1 to April 15, and then it opens for visitors.
Visitors can pay $7 for a day pass or buy a season pass for $60.
Isle Royale is home to wolves and moose, as researchers study the predator-prey system on the islands.
In previous reporting by WCMU, reports of human-wolf interactions were increasing in 2024.
"Especially this year with, you know, potentially having wolves getting close to campsites and trying to take food," Valencia said.
She said visitors should also be aware of moose, as early season moose calves are born and moose mothers are very protective of their young.
The National Park Services started implementing food storage regulations and wolf hazing efforts.
The hazing efforts include shooting wolves with paintballs and installing electric fences around dumpsters to scare wolves away from populated areas.
The Isle Royale Wolf-Moose project has studied these animals for six decades. The research team studies the population between the two, depending on how many moose the wolves hunt each year.
"We have a first timers guide for people who've never visited," Valencia said. "So, just for a general trip planning visit to Isle Royale, definitely go there, think about what you want to do."
