Craig Berg, 70, was found alive on Isle Royale after being reported overdue following a planned Sept. 5 departure. Backpackers helped locate him, and Michigan State Police K-9 teams and a U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk hoisted the injured, hypothermic hiker to Marquette Regional Airport for transport to a hospital. A multiagency search involving federal, state and local partners had searched the remote Lake Superior island for a week. Officials say park closures and wildlife activity describe conditions this season but have not explained how Berg became lost.
70-Year-Old Hiker Found Alive After Week-Long Search on Remote Isle Royale; Airlifted for Treatment
Image Credit: UpNorthLive / YouTube.
Isle Royale National Park, Lake Superior — A 70-year-old solo hiker, Craig Berg, has been found alive after a week-long search on Isle Royale, one of Michigan's most remote national parks. Berg was located by fellow backpackers and subsequently reached by Michigan State Police and U.S. Coast Guard rescue crews.
Berg had been scheduled to depart the island aboard the Ranger III on Sept. 5. When he did not return home, his family reported him overdue on Sept. 6, triggering an extensive multiagency search across the Lake Superior island.
Rescue and Evacuation
Backpackers first helped locate Berg, who was responsive at the scene. Michigan State Police troopers and K-9 teams reached him with assistance from volunteers, and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City hoisted Berg from the island.
The helicopter transported him to Marquette Regional Airport in Gwinn, Michigan, where emergency medical personnel met him and transferred him to a hospital for further care. The U.S. Coast Guard reported that Berg suffered injuries and hypothermia.
Search Coordination
The week-long search involved multiple federal, state and local agencies working together: the National Park Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Michigan State Police, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Keweenaw County Sheriff's Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Isle Royale Seaplanes, and No One Left Behind K9 Search and Rescue. Coast Guard boats and aircraft earlier ferried troopers and K-9 units to the island to bolster the operation.
Park Conditions
Isle Royale this season has faced challenging conditions for visitors. The park reported closures of multiple tent and group campsites and some off-trail areas because of increased human-wildlife interactions and food-storage concerns. Sections of the Greenstone Ridge Trail were rerouted after flooding from beaver activity. On Aug. 28, the National Park Service temporarily closed tent and group campsites at Three Mile, Daisy Farm, Moskey Basin, and Caribou Island due to wolf activity—though shelters at those locations remained open.
Park advisories note these conditions but do not explain what led to Berg's disappearance. Officials said that further details about the circumstances of his time missing remain under investigation.
Family Reaction
After his rescue, Berg's son, Evan, told local media his father was "in rough shape but able to speak," and that he had asked rescuers for food and water. Evan expressed deep gratitude that his father had been found alive after several anxious days.
"We're just so grateful, and we couldn't be more happy and relieved," Evan said.
The Coast Guard confirmed Berg was transferred to medical care after the evacuation. Authorities have not released additional medical details or a full account of what occurred during the days he was missing.
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