Mystery as 2 unidentified backcountry campers found dead in remote Isle Royale National Park
Park rangers hiked 11 miles through the night to reach the site after the alarm was raised

The bodies of two unidentified campers have been found at one of the country's most remote National Parks.
The National Park Service announced the discovery at Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, after receiving two separate reports late on the afternoon of Sunday, June 8.
The 45-mile long island park sits 15 miles off the mainland in Lake Superior and can only be reached by plane or boat. After receiving the reports, two park rangers hiked overnight for 11 miles to the campground where they confirmed the deaths early on Monday morning.
As of Wednesday morning, the causes of death are said to be unknown, and the NPS added that "additional ground and aviation resources responded" to the scene as the investigation continues.
Isle Royale was named the best National Park in the US by the Wall Street Journal in 2024 and is popular with backpackers who can camp on one of the island's 36 rustic campgrounds with a permit. It has been the subject of a successful wolf reintegration program and is currently home to about 30 wolves, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.
The ferry to the island takes three hours, and there is no reliable cell service there, so it's advised to carry a satellite communicator like a Garmin InReach if you plan to go backpacking there.
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Julia Clarke is a staff writer for Advnture.com and the author of the book Restorative Yoga for Beginners. She loves to explore mountains on foot, bike, skis and belay and then recover on the the yoga mat. Julia graduated with a degree in journalism in 2004 and spent eight years working as a radio presenter in Kansas City, Vermont, Boston and New York City before discovering the joys of the Rocky Mountains. She then detoured west to Colorado and enjoyed 11 years teaching yoga in Vail before returning to her hometown of Glasgow, Scotland in 2020 to focus on family and writing.