Superior Is Understatement

I left the Cities in the late afternoon one summer day when the light was pure gold as the sun slid down the sky. As 35W turned into I–35, I heaved a sigh, rolled down the window, turned up the radio, and, after a moment when I found myself getting just a little lead-footed, settled back in my seat for the private-car concert starring myself on vocals. I was headed up north.

The summer heat lost its edge as the trees thickened—a mottled palette of full-leafed hardwoods and cool blue and green firs and pines. Delicate smatterings of color peeked up from the grasses at the edge of the creek beds, the many-colored wildflowers getting showier as I moved north, giving the barest hint of the rainbow of marigold, lady’s slipper, wild rose, columbine, and all the rest that would crowd against the Superior Hiking Trail, where I would spend the next ten days moving north on foot.

It’s a trail I’d say I knew well, if it were not for the spectacular variety of habitats, terrains, wildlife, wildflowers, trees, rivers, marshes, waterfalls, soaring peaks, and plummeting jagged ravines that make it the wonder that it is. My feet know how to grasp the stone, and my legs are all too familiar with the steep climbs. I know the balance required to scamper down slick riverside rocks and the requisite totter and tilt needed to move precariously across beaver dams and old bridges, but to say I know the trail well would be pure hubris. And so I headed back again last year, in time for the splendor of summer in the north.

The SHT is a great trip for the family, and there’s a wide range of easier trails for those with short legs. Camping along the trail is challenging and wonderful and a great way for a group to enjoy each other’s company.

As for myself, I go alone. Every few seasons, I get a craving for the solitude and quiet splendor of the trail. The scented air—filled with the smells of earth, leaves, grass, water, rock—clears the cobwebs out of my head and sets me back on track, returning me to city life refreshed and renewed (and in great shape, though a little sore). The clear, velvety blue nights flecked with a million stars, the deep sleeps, the people I meet in the diners and along the trail, and the sheer pleasure of thinking my own thoughts unimpeded by anything at all sends me home with a kind of peace and quiet I don’t otherwise easily find.Hiking Glories for Any Taste
There are three ways to enjoy a hike along the trail: You can make it a series of half-day and day trips, starting at trailheads and making little treks out and back. This is a fun way to get a good sense of the SHT. Even better is to combine these short trips with the excellent loop trails farther north. (As a rule, when you see a sign for a spur trail shooting off the main trail, take it. They lead you through some spectacular forests, and many head to views you would otherwise miss.) The third way to enjoy the trail is the way I usually do it—move north by shuttle, so you get to see portions of all the major sections. (After all, you’re not going to walk from Two Harbors to the Canadian Border. Or are you?) You can do this by leaving a bike at the end of your hike and driving back to the starting point, or you can hike longer distances (when with partners) by taking two cars, parking one at the end, and leaving one at the other trailhead, from where you head out.

My favorite loops are the Caribou River Trail, Moose Mountain Loop, Cascade River Loop, and the trail to and from Pincushion Mountain. The “lollipop loops” are fun as well. On these, you hike a short way to a smaller loop, then return the way you came. My favorite winds around Bean and Bear Lakes.

The southernmost leg of the SHT is crowded with great day hikes and scenic overlooks, providing several options for first forays. There are lovely stopover interludes with beautiful vistas, such as the famous Gooseberry Falls, as well as some in-and-out sections that shouldn’t be missed, such as the Lake County Road 301 to Castle Danger hike (a worthy full-length trip with expansive eastward views of Superior and the forests), but if you’re just passing through on your way north, grab some snacks—and always a good bit of water—and head in about 3.5 miles to the Encampment River.

If you’re up for a longer day-hike early on the trail, don’t miss the Gooseberry Falls State Park to Split Rock Lighthouse State Park section—a whopping twelve miles roundtrip. Just north of this, you’ll find one of the best day-hike loops of the entire trail: Split Rock River Loop, an easy five miles that takes you past sheer red rock walls and through cascading forests, affording views of the river valley, as well as a great overlook of the lake.

Among my favorite hikes are those that wind through multiple habitats—hardwood, boreal, and border forests, cascading waterfalls, churning rivers, and quiet, peaceful wetlands—often running through the many state parks along the way: Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse, Tettegouche, Crosby-Manitou, Temperance River, Cascade River, and Judge C.R. Magney.

Dramatic peaks include the lovely Mount Trudee, Carlton Peak, Oberg Mountain, and the ridgeline between the Arrowhead Trail and Jackson Lake Road. And for long wilderness treks wonderful for bird-watching, leaf-peeping, wildlife spying, and forest lovers, I never miss the Split Rock to Beaver Bay leg, the Crosby-Manitou State Park to Caribou River leg, Cascade River State Park to Bally Creek Road, or the wild end-of-the-line hike from Jackson Lake Road to Border Route Trail, which stretches into Ontario. Traveling Soft or Softer—Shuttles, Lodging, and Logistics
There are two ways to go: You can strike out on your own, scheduling each of your hikes and overnight stops using the Superior Shuttle (218-834-5511) and a lodging guidebook. Check out the guide to driving Lake Superior's North Shore (“Highways 61 Revisited”) for a range of our favorite hotels, or go the B & B route, which brings you to some cozy, welcoming places with added bonuses of delicious, hearty, and hikeworthy breakfasts and even a bag lunch. (For ideas, try bbonline.com/mn, northshorebb.com, or northshorevisitor.com)

My personal favorite is the Stone Hearth Inn in Little Marais (888-206-3020), where Charlie and Susan Michels will wow you with fantastic breakfasts and a warmth and hospitality unmatched along the trail—not to mention a stunning lakeside location. In Grand Marais, my pick is the lovely MacArthur House (800-792-1840), and near Grand Portage, go for the indulgent Sweetgrass Cove Guesthouse & Bodywork Studio, where you can luxuriate on the lakeshore with spa services, good food, and sink-into-it beds.

But for me, the best way to organize a trip is to hook up with a hiking outfitter. The staff does all the work for you, except the hiking—you’re on your own for that. Far and away the best is Boundary Country Trekking (800-322-8327). The friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful folks arrange lodging, breakfast, bag lunch, and shuttle service—and make sure you know everything about the Superior Hiking Trail, from terrain to sights and more. They will create an itinerary of hikes to your specifications—how long you want to hike each day, which trails you don’t want to miss, what kind of sights you want to see, and how far up the trail you want to go.

For those who want both a wonderful experience and a real physical and mental challenge, set up a trip to hike the whole (or almost the whole) trail. This year, I’m going to shoot for all 235 miles, through hill and dale, marsh and forest, peak and valley, river and grassland, yummy breakfast to yummy bed.

My 2005 trip was positively luxurious. Boundary Country freed me up to fully take advantage of the long, challenging hikes I was looking forward to—allowing me to ignore the logistics and spend my time with my own thoughts.

So get yourself in shape, pack your water and bug spray, and make some time this year to head north and take on Minnesota’s treasure—the magnificent Superior Hiking Trail.

Marya Hornbacher is an arts writer and author. Her most recent book, The Center of Winter: A Novel, was just released in paperback.