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When Isle Royale is busiest and quietest

Isle Royale draws about 26,000 recreation visits in a typical year. August is the peak, with 33.5% of the year's visits. May is the quietest month that still draws a normal share, at 4.7%.

AugustBusiest month
MayQuietest open month
7.1xPeak month visits vs the quietest open month
8,738Visits in a typical August

Share of the year's visits, by month

Isle Royale: share of yearly visits by month0.1%Jan0.1%Feb0.1%Mar0.3%Apr4.7%May19.0%Jun29.4%Jul33.5%Aug11.6%Sep1.0%Oct0.1%Nov0.1%Dec

BusiestQuietest open monthOther months

Low months are not always the best months. January, February, March, April, October, November and December each draw under 4% of the year's visits. That usually reflects snow, closed roads or reduced services, so check the park's own conditions page before planning around them. The quietest month overall is January.

Typical visits per month

MonthTypical visitsShare of year
January 13 0.1%
February 25 0.1%
March 33 0.1%
April 70 0.3%
May 1,243 4.7%
June 5,005 19.0%
July 7,741 29.4%
August 8,738 33.5%
September 3,068 11.6%
October 262 1.0%
November 32 0.1%
December 33 0.1%

How this was worked out

We averaged 9 years of National Park Service recreation visitor counts (2015 to 2025, leaving out 2020 and 2021). Each month is shown as its share of that year's total, then averaged. The counts are monthly, so this cannot tell you about holiday weekends or a specific week. It is history, not a forecast. Full details are on the methodology page.