70-year-old hiker rescued after a week missing on Michigan island

Craig Berg was found alive but injured and hypothermic on Isle Royale.

September 13, 2026, 2:53 PM

A 70-year-old hiker who had been missing for a week on a Michigan island was rescued Saturday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Craig Berg, 70, had been missing in Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior since Sept. 5, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

A 70-year-old man who was missing for a week on a Lake Superior Island in Michigan was rescued Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, by the U.S. Coast Guard and Michigan State Police, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
A 70-year-old man who was missing for a week on a Lake Superior Island in Michigan was rescued Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, by the U.S. Coast Guard and Michigan State Police, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. (Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard)
U.S. Coast Guard

With help from backpackers in the area, Michigan State Police troopers and K-9 units located Berg on Isle Royale. He was reportedly injured and hypothermic but was found alive and alert, authorities said.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City hoisted Berg from the island and transported him to Marquette Regional Airport in Gwinn, Michigan. Emergency medical services personnel then took him to a local hospital for further care.

The rescue followed search efforts Friday, when a Coast Guard boat and a helicopter crew transported Michigan State Police troopers and K-9 units to Isle Royale to assist in the search, the Coast Guard said.

A 70-year-old man who was missing for a week on a Lake Superior Island in Michigan was rescued Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, by the U.S. Coast Guard and Michigan State Police, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
A 70-year-old man who was missing for a week on a Lake Superior Island in Michigan was rescued Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, by the U.S. Coast Guard and Michigan State Police, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. (Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard)
U.S. Coast Guard

"We're thankful that missing hiker, Craig Berg, was found alive and alert on Isle Royale," Michigan State Police Lt. Ben Eckola said in a statement, in part, also thanking all of the agencies and individuals involved in locating and rescuing Berg.

"This rescue is a testament to teamwork and what can be accomplished when first responders and members of the community come together," Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Wendy Janson said. "We are extremely grateful we were able to get Mr. Berg safely off the island and deliver him to the medical care he needed."

Further details about Berg's condition and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance were not immediately available.

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