Wisconsin's Rock Island: Camp Moonbeam
Combine a full harvest moon with a remote island trail for the greatest show on Earth.
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Sure, the aurora borealis is impressive. And a desert sunset is a sight to behold. But no light show matches the subtle power and grace of a full harvest moon emerging from a watery horizon on a crisp fall evening. Combine that lunar spectacle with a remote island trail, and you may
just have the greatest show on Earth.
Rock Island and its neighbors-a string of islands known as the Grand Traverse to seventeenth-century fur traders-are part of a lengthy dolomite reef rising from northern Lake Michigan. The centerpiece of Rock Island’s 11-mile trail system is the 5-mile Thordarson Loop Trail, which follows the island’s perimeter to historic Potawatomi Lighthouse. Along the way, the path offers up superlative lake views and passes through an extensive old-growth forest of maples, oaks, and beeches.
The best front-row seats for the moonrise are found at the isolated backpacking campsites on the east side of the island, a pleasant 1.5-mile hike from the ferry dock.
Getting There:
Take WI 42 north to the Washington Island Ferry, (920) 847-2546. On Washington Island, drive 9 miles northeast on County Road W, then take the hikers-only Rock Island Ferry, (920) 847-2252.
Prime Time:
mid-September
Guide:
Field Guide to the Stars and Planets, by Jay Pasachoff (Houghton Mifflin, 800-225-3362; $19).
Contact:
Rock Island State Park, (920) 847-2235.