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UPDATE | Isle Royale National Park's Ferry Stuck In Dock Without Engineers

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By

Kurt Repanshek

Published Date

April 2, 2025
Unless Isle Royale National Park is able to hire some engineers, the Ranger III won't be ferrying visitors to the park/NPS file

Unless Isle Royale National Park is able to hire some engineers, the Ranger III won't be ferrying visitors to the park/NPS file

Editor's note: This updates with National Park Service comment.

Reaching Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior could be hard this summer, as the National Park Service's ferry that normally takes visitors to the park is stuck in dock without an engineering crew.

The Ranger III, which traverses the 76 nautical miles between Houghton, Michigan, and the park in about six-and-a-half hours, requires an engineering staff to operate. Unfortunately, the engineer and assistant engineer reportedly took advantage of the Trump administration's buyout program to retire now and collect pay through September. On top of that, the administration's hiring freeze is keeping the park from hiring replacements.

"The 165-foot vessel cannot operate without a full U.S. Coast Guard-licensed crew," says Bill Fink, a former Isle Royale superintendent now retired and living in Houghton. "The Ranger III is the keystone of park operations. It carries staff and visitors, yes, but it also carries the fuel which runs generators for the developed areas; it carries the bulk of the frozen and fresh food for employees and the lodge; it carries the major freight load for projects; it carries off the refuse from the park staff and the lodge operation; it carries visitor boats (sometimes returning disabled visitor boats back to the mainland).

"In short, if the Ranger III cannot operate, Isle Royale cannot be functionally open," said Fink.

The park is typically closed to visitors from November 1 to April 15. It was not immediately clear if the park would open on April 16 this year.

At National Park Service headquarters in Washington, staff said Thursday that, "Ranger III is currently in dock with snow and ice blocking the Keweenaw Waterway. We are looking forward to the upcoming summer season and seeing visitors enjoy all the park offers. At this time, we do not anticipate disruptions to the passenger season schedule, which starts on May 27. The park is working to finalize scheduling for the first freight trip, which is currently scheduled for late April. We don't comment on specific staffing questions due to federal privacy law."

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