National Park Guide: Michigan's Isle Royale

— -- If Lake Superior had a face, Isle Royale National Park would be its right eye.

The 45-mile-long basalt formation is covered with dense forest. The shortest boat ride to the island is 22 miles over the choppy waters of America's largest lake. A float plane offers a smoother, though pricier, voyage.

For the adventurous and the curious, it's worth the trip.

"The remoteness is amazing," says Chris Dyki, of Mount Clemens, Mich., who has visited twice. "We were able to view the northern lights the first time we were there."

Isle Royale's approximately 16,000 annual visitors wouldn't fill a typical NBA arena, making it one of the least visited national parks outside of Alaska.

The park, 99% of which is federally protected wilderness, consists of a main island and dozens of smaller ones. Isle Royale has no permanent human residents, though it's home to abundant wildlife, including mink, fox, beaver and muskrat. (It's also known for what it lacks: cars, bikes, roads, cellular service, bears, raccoons, skunks and poisonous snakes.)

The moose population was estimated at 750 last winter, and their interaction with wolves has prompted more than 50 years of study of the relationship between predators and their prey. "The dynamics of that study are always very interesting," says Liz Valencia, chief of interpretation for the park. "Right now, the wolves are in a downward trend. They only counted nine in the winter study."

The Greenstone Ridge runs the length of the island from east to west, and the island contains more than 165 miles of trails, drawing backpackers.

Near its eastern tip is the 60-room Rock Harbor Lodge, and there are 20 duplex cottages. But most island visitors camp with few frills, bringing their food and filtering their water.

Isle Royale is Michigan's only national park, though the state boasts two national lakeshores: Pictured Rocks in the Upper Peninsula, and Sleeping Bear Dunes on Lake Michigan.

"You hear a lot about the other national parks, but you've got something really cool right there," Dyki says. "It's the path less traveled."

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About the park

Size: Land 134,000 acres; total 571,790 acres

Visitors: 15,892 in 2011

Established: 1940

History: Despite its proximity to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Isle Royale was included as part of the U.S. in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War.

Visitor center address: 800 East Lake Shore Dr., Houghton, Mich. 49931. Visitor information: 906-482-0984.

Of note: Divers are drawn to the 10 shipwrecks, well preserved by Lake Superior's icy waters, that rest within a short boat ride.