superior hiking trail

On a chilly, clear morning in February, my husband and I were picked up by Bob with the Superior Hiking Shuttle Service at the parking lot at Gooseberry Falls. He dropped us off at the Castle Danger trail head and we hiked 9.6 miles back to our car at Goosberry Falls. Temp was -6 when we started, but it warned up to a balmy 18 degrees mid-day and the sky was a beautiful blue. We ate gourmet lunch on the trail - hot soup from our thermos with Ritz crackers. A perfect day hike and we never had to swat at a single mosquito!

We started at the Tettegouche State Park and went to the falls. It was a perfect 2 hour hike on a cold day; just enough of a challenge for us without ice cleats. The visitor center was brand new and really nice to warm up by the fire. Lower trail out to Lake Superior was easy and offered great views for pictures.

The Oberg loop offers stunning views of both Superior National Forest and Lake Superior. It's not too long, but be prepared to meet quite a few other hikers.

This is a fantastic trail because it is so well marked. And it takes the hiker through gorgeous areas of woods, rivers, waterfalls and views of Lake Superior!!!!

This past visit to the North Shore we spent primarily on the SHT & we loved it! The Cascade loop is a very pretty hike & took about 4.5 hrs. The Bear & Bean lake hike was very pretty as well & gave amazing views of the interior lakes as well as Lake Superior. Our last hike was out to Lake Agnes & Caribou Lake...very serene. We didn't really see other people on the trails minus the Bear & Bean hike (that one is very popular). All of the trails & spurs are very well marked & the trails are also very well maintained. We will be back for backpacking for sure!

We started at the Tettehoche State Park and took the 2 mile hike to the twin falls. The falls themselves are not high so therefore not spectacular but the hike was short enough for the kids. The park lodge has a great picnic area so take a picnic lunch because there are no food options there. If you go a short distance from the lodge you are at the mouth of the Batism River which is great for exploring. Overall, I would do it again.

We've gone on a number of day trips and overnight trips on different segments of this trail -- near and through Duluth, around Castle Danger and Gooseberry, north of Finland through George Crosby Manitou State Park and the Cascade River, up Oberg Mountain, and north of Grand Marais. The trail has varied scenery throughout, is well marked, the campsites are excellent, and the maps on the website are first rate and easy to follow.Highly recommended.

Good way to get out and see the area and exercise as well. Some of the walk can be tiring, especially with small children needing help.

40 miles of fabulous views of lake superior, waterfalls, beaver ponds, lakes and inland forest on the north shore of lake superior in Minnesota. This hike varies in degree of difficulty from easy and flat on the bottoms with wet and muddy conditions, as a result of the 100 mile endurance run on the Friday after labor day, to challenging, scrambling vertical climbs up rocks and boulders that resemble dry creek beds but the views are worth the effort. The campsites are nothing special except the ones on the lakes and the 2nd site in from Manitou SP on the east fork of the Baptism river, however, each campsite did have a latrine that I found to be a welcomed feature. Section 13 camp is on top of a ridge but dry so water must be carried in but this location has great views a little ways south of the campsite. The highlight of the trek is the waterfalls on the baptism river. I would highly recommend that since you are close, visit gooseberry falls and split rock river that has a loop hike with nice campsites on the river for a I night loop hike then tour the restored lighthouse before heading to betty's pies for broasted chicken and a slice of pie ala mode. Happy trekking.

I got to see a portion of the SUperior Hiking Trail when I ran a marathon along it, yes, I know crazy, but the important point here is that this is like the most incredible trail I have travelled on. Very well marked, very well maintained, I loved it, so much to see, so little time. The trail is not a days hike, or even a few days, this is probably one of the longest trails in the country.

We were on parts of this trail up and down the shore and it was nicely marked and well maintained in the several different areas that we were on it.

This 5 mile hike has fabulous scenery and many waterfalls along the way. The trek has lots of up and down elevation and was challenging at times due to mud and slippery conditions from recent rains, but well worth the effort.

After several years of hiking the Smoky Mountains I was pleasantly surprised by this hidden gem along Minnesota's North Shore. Took a 17 mile backpack trip from Beaver Bay to the mouth of the Baptism River in Tettagouche State Park. The terrain was challenging, beautiful and provided many panoramic views of Lake Superior. There were also many beautiful waterfalls along the, two of them right at csmpsited. There are no fees or permits required so this simplified our trip. Saw a lot of wolf prints and scat and one of our party actually did glimpse a wolf moving through the forest. We will be back to see more of this impressive trail.

There is not enough good that one can say about the Superior Hiking Trail. It is beautiful, rustic, challenging and rewarding. The woods, rivers, streams and views of Lake Superior are all terrific. The trail is very well kept, but it's still a hiking trail through very remote areas of northeastern Minnesota. That is, come prepared! And don't assume cell coverage. We've hiked most of its 300+ miles and it never gets old.

Just did a 4 day hike on the northern most 53 miles of the SHT. We started at the north end, at the Otter Lake trail head and hiked our way south. The spring of 2014 has been VERY wet and the Swamp River lived up to its name. It was really wet and soggy the first day! Followed moose tracks for the first few miles, but never saw one. We hiked about 19 miles the first day (not recommended) because we wanted to get to a good campsite - got there after dark! Bugs were really bad (bring a head net), but the trail is very well maintained and signage is very good! The SHTA does a great job maintaining and labeling trails. However, don't plan to rely just on their labels! Bring maps, compass and common sense just to be sure. The second day we hiked through Judge C.R. Magney State Park and stopped to view the Devil's Kettle. The 100+ stairs going back up to the parking lot were grueling with a 60lb pack on! We made it to the lake walk for night 2. It was a beautiful night and even though the "beach" is all pebbles and hard to walk on, it is a great section of the SHT = not to be missed. Day 3 brought us through Kadunce SP and over Wildflower Hill to our last campsite at Devil's Track River (west). Both sites on the river are awesome and I might do a day hike to these from the Pincushion trail head. From the river, that trail head is only 2.5 miles away. One hour of easy hike and that ended our long weekend! It was grueling and mostly wet, but it was one heck of a workout (~140,000 steps / 18,000 calories). This is a must do if you consider yourself a MN hiker!