TL;DR: Rangers at Isle Royale National Park confirmed on Sept. 10, 2026 that they are searching for 70-year-old solo hiker Craig Berg of Royal Oak, Michigan, who missed his Sept. 5 ferry home.

Search Confirmed For Overdue Solo Hiker On Remote Lake Superior Island

Rangers at Isle Royale National Park are searching for an overdue solo hiker who missed his scheduled departure from the island, the National Park Service confirmed on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026.

The missing hiker is 70-year-old Craig Berg of Royal Oak, Michigan, according to family members cited by MPR News. Park officials said Berg was scheduled to take the Ranger III ferry back to Michigan's Upper Peninsula last Saturday, Sept. 5, but family members reported Sunday, Sept. 6, that he did not arrive home as planned.

"Search operations have been ongoing since that report," Liz Valencia, acting administrative officer of Isle Royale National Park, said in a statement reported by MLive.

Authorities have not asked for help from the public in the search, according to MPR News. Anyone with information regarding Berg's whereabouts is asked to call the Isle Royale National Park at 906-482-0984, according to MLive and WTIP.

Who Is Missing And When Was He Last Heard From?

Berg arrived on the remote Lake Superior island on Aug. 27 for a multi-day solo backpacking trip, according to reporting by ClickOnDetroit. His family last heard from him on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

The island is a remote, rugged national park with limited cell phone service, MLive reported. That limited coverage shapes the timeline: a gap in communication during the hike itself did not immediately signal trouble. Concern rose only when Berg failed to check into his hotel and board the ferry home.

"I think the thing that really made my heart sink was when she said he didn't check into the hotel and he missed the ferry," said Kim McGowan, Berg's sister, in an interview reported by ClickOnDetroit. McGowan said her brother had looked forward to a bed and rest after the hike, adding, "When I get back to that hotel, I'm going to have a nice bed. I may have a couple of beers. I'll be looking forward to that."

Family members told the Detroit Free Press, as summarized by MPR News, that Berg was on a more-than-weeklong solo hike on the large Lake Superior island. WTIP reported that once arriving on the island for his multi-day hiking trip, he shared his itinerary with Isle Royale National Park wilderness rangers.

For wilderness readiness, the shared itinerary is a central detail. According to a family Facebook post described by WTIP, Berg provided his planned route to rangers at the start of the trip. That step gave search managers a starting point once he was reported overdue on Sept. 6.

Where Searchers Are Focusing

Searchers initially focused on Rock Harbor, where Berg's trip was supposed to end on Saturday, his son Evan Berg told television station WXYZ as reported by MLive. The search is now expanding to the interior of the island.

According to ClickOnDetroit, crews first focused on Rock Harbor, where Berg planned to end his hike, then expanded to other areas — including the Greenstone Ridge Trail, where a trail camera captured Berg on Aug. 30.

That Aug. 30 image provides the last confirmed location reported publicly by Sept. 10. Hikers who have since left the island also reported seeing Berg on the trails, describing him as friendly, ClickOnDetroit reported.

Park staff has also posted Craig Berg's photo at all campsites and are speaking to all hikers entering and leaving the island, MLive reported. According to ClickOnDetroit, Berg's photo has been posted at every campsite on the island, and each hiker is being given a photo to assist in the search.

More search and rescue teams were expected to arrive at Rock Harbor on Thursday, ClickOnDetroit reported on Sept. 10. The family told that station, "We're hoping to get some good news today."

What Makes Isle Royale Especially Demanding

Isle Royale, located off the northeast tip of Minnesota, is about 45-miles long and 9-miles wide, according to MPR News. Aside from two hubs of visitor services at either end of Isle Royale, there are no roads or motor vehicles across the wilderness island.

WTIP described the island as a 206-square-mile island on Lake Superior. The park has a network of rugged trails, including the Greenstone Ridge Trail that spans nearly the entire length of the island, MPR News reported. WTIP described Berg's planned route as backpacking the Greenstone Trail, which is a 40-mile path that runs the length of the island.

The park's two service hubs sit at either end, leaving a long, roadless interior. For a solo backpacker, that layout means help, shelter resupply, and exit options are concentrated at the ends, while the middle is trail, forest, lakes, and campsites only.

That remoteness affects communications and evacuation. With limited cell phone service noted by MLive, hikers cannot rely on a phone call to update family or call for help from most locations. Searchers must therefore cover ground on foot and by water, check campsites one by one, and interview hikers moving through the system.

Route Change After Campsite Closures

One readiness lesson from this active search involves route changes after arrival. According to WTIP, campsites were recently closed after wolves raided campsites and tents for food, and Berg had to modify his hiking plan.

In a family Facebook post described by WTIP, a family member said they have the original route, but did not receive a copy of the modified route to account for the campsite closures. Berg did share his itinerary with wilderness rangers on arrival, according to that same family account.

For survival planning, the distinction matters. A home contact may hold an original plan, while rangers hold the updated on-island version. When closures, weather, water levels, or wildlife activity force a change, the updated route is the one searchers need first.

The family believes Berg may have wandered off his planned route, ClickOnDetroit reported. Paul McGowan, Berg's brother-in-law, told the station, "Even if he is going slow, he would've been out by now."

"So, we think that he maybe veered off his main path to look at a lake or a good vista and twisted an ankle or a knee, or possibly tripped on a root," Paul McGowan said, according to ClickOnDetroit.

Debbie Berg, Craig Berg's wife, told WBUP/WJMN via message, as reported by MLive: "People can get lost in there and they can get harmed, they can fall or they can become ill. Until we find him, we don't know what happened."

Description And What Hikers On The Island Can Do

On Tuesday, Sept. 8, information released by Craig Berg's family described him as 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 210-220 pounds, WLUC reported via MLive. He could be wearing jeans, brown hiking boots and a light-blue backpack. He could be walking slowly and using trekking poles.

WTIP similarly reported that Berg may be wearing brown hiking boots and jeans, possibly carrying a light-blue backpack and using trekking poles.

Those details are now posted across the island system. With photos at all campsites and rangers speaking to hikers entering and leaving, according to MLive, anyone still on the island trail network is effectively part of the lookout.

The official contact remains the park. Anyone who may have seen Berg or has information about his whereabouts is asked to contact Isle Royale National Park Service at 906-482-0984, according to ClickOnDetroit.

Experience Does Not Remove Risk

Family members describe Berg as well-prepared for this type of trip. ClickOnDetroit reported that Berg is described as an experienced outdoorsman who runs regularly and has completed previous solo hikes.

In June when he visited Kim McGowan and her husband, Paul McGowan, he talked about the trip, ClickOnDetroit reported. "He had the map with him, he was plotting out what he was going to do. We were talking to him about it the whole time. So, we've known for a while that he was planning this trip," Kim McGowan said.

"We were talking packs, weight load, food, water, footwear, various gear he would carry with him," Paul McGowan said, according to ClickOnDetroit. "This was a five-day, 45-mile hike. Get to the end, sleep in a bed, get on a ferry and go home."

Berg was also scheduled to run a race with his son the Monday after his return. "So he had every intention of getting home and getting back to life," Paul McGowan said, according to ClickOnDetroit. WTIP reported that Berg's family describes him as an adventurous, experienced, and strong hiker.

For Stone Cold Survivor readers, that profile is a reminder that overdue-hiker incidents are not limited to beginners. Fitness, prior solo miles, and detailed gear discussion still leave a backpacker exposed to a wrong turn, injury, illness, or a route forced to change by closures.

As of the morning of Sept. 10, the National Park Service said search operations were ongoing, and additional teams were inbound to Rock Harbor. The family described the wait as helpless.

"It's a helpless feeling for us — for the whole family," Kim McGowan said, according to ClickOnDetroit.

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