New Grand Portage marina and ferry terminal will serve Isle Royale visitors

Don Szczech can't count the number of times he's voyaged between Grand Portage and Isle Royale, but he knows it's well over 1,000. 

Over the decades, not much has changed about the journey between Minnesota's easternmost point and the remote Lake Superior island. 

Since the 1960s, ferry passengers setting out from Grand Portage to explore Isle Royale have first needed to traverse the wooden dock at the Hat Point Marina and Ferry Terminal. 

Szczech, who co-owns the ferry service Grand Portage Isle Royale Transportation Lines, said the dock's deterioration has accelerated in recent years, leaving "loose planks, holes and trip hazards everywhere." 

That familiar scene is now changing. 

This week, work began on the long-awaited redevelopment of the marina and ferry terminal serving the Grand Portage-Isle Royale ferry route. 

According to the Grand Portage Reservation Tribal Council, the project includes demolishing the existing site to rehabilitate the dock structures and construct a new boat launch. 

The redevelopment, which will help serve growing demand for ferry voyages to and from Isle Royale National Park, received a $3.2 million grant from the United States Department of Commerce in 2019. 

In an announcement, then-Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said the enhanced marina and ferry infrastructure could help spark new private investment in the region. 

A safe harbor 

Approximately 8,000 passengers make the journey between Grand Portage and Isle Royale annually on the two, 65' aluminum vessels operated by Szczech's company, which runs the only passenger ferry service available to Isle Royale visitors traveling to or from Minnesota. 

Szczech said he's expecting to operate around construction next season, when work will be ongoing to replace the wooden dock in Grand Portage with new structure built of steel and concrete. 

During the redevelopment, various small buildings near the waterfront will also be replaced with one large building offering new and upgraded accommodations for vessel crews and visitors. 

"It's going to be a lot nicer, a lot cleaner, a lot prettier," Szczech said. 

The new harbor will also be much safer. 

Linda Jurek, executive director of Visit Cook County, has visited Isle Royale many times in her personal boat. 

But since the United States Coast Guard vacated its nearly 100-year-old station in Grand Marais last year, water safety on a large and dangerous swath of northeastern Lake Superior has fallen to local communities and law enforcement. 

The area no longer patrolled by the Coast Guard stretches from Taconite Harbor near Schroeder to the Canadian border, including the waters around Isle Royale National Park. 

While the redevelopment of Hat Point Marina is expected to boost local tourism, the new facilities will also upgrade one of the region's much-needed safe harbor, Jurek explained. 

“I think it's going to be a wonderful opportunity for the Grand Portage Tribal Nation to raise some awareness for the beauty of that area, as well as have an opportunity for a safe spot to land," she said. 

Patrol on the water 

The redevelopment will also benefit the Cook County Sheriff's Office, which is preparing for put a new marine unit into action. 

Sheriff Pat Eliasen credits Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Chair Robert Deschampe with securing the funds from the state to purchase two patrols vessels for the new operations. 

The Grand Portage Tribal Council was contacted for this story, but did not provide comment before the time of publication. 

According to Eliasen, the new Sheriff's Office's unit is planned to consist of two dedicated Lake Superior marine patrol deputies, who will work from May to October to enforce maritime laws and conduct search and rescue missions. 

The deputies will also perform other duties, such as patrolling inland lakes on the northern border when the Lake Superior's waters are too rough to cross. 

The agency plans to train with the United States Coast Guard and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources before launching the new unit. 

However, staffing obstacles will have to be overcome first. 

"We are experiencing great difficulty in hiring for all open law enforcement positions, very similar for the rest the state," Eliasen said. 

As for the new Hat Point Marina and Ferry Terminal, Eliasen said the Sheriff's Office can use as many safe harbors as they can get. 

The redevelopment is expected to be complete in the fall of 2024.