LAKE SUPERIOR -- It's a trip many people say they'll never forget.
There are two main ways to get to the National Park known as Isle Royale. You can take the Ranger III from Houghton or you can cut your ride time in half and hop aboard the Queen.
The Isle Royal Queen IV is 100 feet long and 22 feet wide, and a one-way trip takes a little over three hours, which is 56 miles from Copper Harbor.
The captain of this boat is Don Kilpela. In fact it's run by three brothers--Don, John and Ben--and it's been a part of their family for over 40 years.
"Our whole family, my cousins and nephews and nieces, have all worked on the boat over the years, and we love our operation out of Copper Harbor to Isle Royale. We've been doing it for a long time," said Kilpela.
As the voyage sets sail, passengers can sit inside the ferry or they can walk on the deck.
"We're fortunate, like anybody else, that we run in the summertime when the weather is pretty nice and calm," Kilpela said.
There are times when the waters can get rough, but on this day, Lake Superior was like a thin sheet of glass, preparing visitors for the beauty that lies ahead.
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