Trail Report:Trail Report:
Adapted from the June-July 1998 North Star: The Magazine of the North Country Trail
A long-time dream of a route for the North Country Trail through the wilderness of northern Minnesota is beginning to become more than a mere dream, as the National Park Service (NPS), the overall administrator of the trail, has initiated a planning process to study a route through Minnesota's "Arrowhead" region. This open planning process, which will include public involvement, may lead to an amendment to the trail's 1982 Comprehensive Management Plan -- a step that is necessary before the Arrowhead Route can be promoted as a segment of the North Country Trail.
The 1982 Comprehensive Plan for the North Country National Scenic Trail called for the trail to proceed east out of the Chippewa National Forest through the Hill River and Savanna State Forests, and through Savanna and Fon du Lac State Parks on the way to Jay Cooke State Park, near the Wisconsin border.
Nothing was ever done about this plan, due to extensive private landownership along the way, and the fact that much of the land that would have to be crossed is marshy. An abandoned railroad grade was once seen as a possible route through the area, but its dedication as an ATV trail scotched that idea, leaving the only other possible route a fight across marshland -- it was once estimated that the route would require as many as 40 miles of bog bridges, an expensive and nearly impossible task.
As early as the late '80s, Minnesota interests in the NCTA could see that the Savanna Portage/Floodwood route was a non-starter, and started calling for the diversion of the NCNST several hundred miles out of the way onto the "Arrowhead" route (the north shore region is commonly called Minnesota's "Arrowhead"). The fly in that ointment was that it was still farther from the Chippewa National Forest to Ely than it was to Jay Cooke State Park along the Savanna River route. The first candidate was a project at one time called the "Cross Range" trail, which later became the Taconite Trail, connecting Grand Rapids, a few miles east of the Chippewa NF, with Ely. This trail eventually became established, but as a snowmobile trail, making it uncertifiable for the NCNST. Attention then turned to a second trail, the "Mesabi Range Trail", a rail-trail conversion with the same two end points, but somewhat to the south, going through the mining towns of Hibbing and Virginia. The Mesabi, unfortunately, has had a troubled history, and has not proceeded as quickly as once anticipated. It now appears that it will also be a bicycle/snowmobile trail. A separate hiking treadway once was proposed, but was greeted lukewarmly.
An August, 1993 Minnesota "Summit Meeting", held in St. Paul, proved to be the turning point regarding settling the trail's route. The NPS heard from various agencies, including the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and others, that the original route had several disadvantages. It was at this meeting that all those attending agreed that the "Congressional" route designated in the Comprehensive Plan was probably not the best choice for the trail. It passed through vast areas of black spruce/tamarack swamp and other wetland types. Trail development would be slow and very costly -- if not impossible.
Alternatively, a route through the Arrowhead Region using the Superior Hiking Trail, the Grand Portage, Border Route Trail, Kekekabic Trail, and the Mesabi Range Trail was proposed. While this relocation could add 400 miles to the trail route, much of it already existed, and would require less development of new trail. More importantly, it would take the route of the North Country Trail into territory that is superlative "North Country" -- providing users with a higher quality experience than the 1982 route. At this meeting, the NPS agreed to look at a major reroute in Minnesota, if such a reroute was supported by the local trail clubs and local interests.
The idea of the Arrowhead was met with a great deal of enthusiasm. "It takes in the most scenic part of the state," said Tom Danger of the Minnesota DNR. The first step in a number of actions that needed to be taken was getting expressions of support from what would be key partners in the project. The national forests involved -- the Superior and the Chippewa -- were quick to agree, and the Minnesota Rovers, builders of the Border Route, soon signed on, and the Kekekabic Trail Club soon after. The final player, the Superior Hiking Trail Association, initially turned down the idea, but in September of 1994 changed their minds and signed onto the idea.
Ironically, before the North Country Trail was authorized, an early draft of proposed NCT routes across eastern Minnesota called for the route to proceed northeastward to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), then eastward to the Lake Superior shoreline, then southwestward to the Duluth area and Jay Cooke State Park. This plan was rejected in 1976, because there was little existing trail along the way.
But, things changed in the years after 1982. First, the Kekekabic Trail, a former fire access and recreation trail in the BWCAW, had been dropped from the Superior National Forest management plan, until the maintenance of the trail was taken over by theKekekabic Trail Club, formed in 1989. Then, the Minnesota Rovers, an outing group affiliated with the University of Minnesota, built the Border Route trail east from the Kekekabic Trail through the BWCAW to Grand Portage, on roughly the alignment proposed in 1976 for the NCNST. Finally, at about the same time, the Superior Hiking Trail Association was formed, to develop a quality hiking trail down Minnesota's "north shore" of Lake Superior. Development went forward rapidly, and the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) quickly became a going concern. So, independent of the NCT Comprehensive Plan, about two-thirds of the 1976 proposed route became a reality, a route perceived in many ways to be better than the Savanna Portage/Floodwood route selected for the NCNST.
A second subsequent problem was that the Arrowhead is a huge deviation from the 1982 Comprehensive Plan -- the largest relocation ever considered for a national scenic trail. While smaller deviations from the plan -- both on the NCNST and elsewhere -- have routinely been approved by the Park Service, this one was just too big to swallow without further guidance, and NPS officials wanted to be sure that they were on firm ground prior to proceeding.
There the idea stalled for three years, for a number of reasons, one of the main ones being the uncertainty over what to do about the deviation from the 1982 Comprehensive Plan.In 1997, it was finally decided that an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan for the North Country Trail would have to be written and approved in order to go ahead with the project. This plan is in currently in preparation by the Madison office of the National Park Service.
Because the planning process is still under way, no one can say for certian what will be the eventual final
route of the NCNST through the Arrowhead, but following is one interpretation of what could be a feasible route.
Where trail exists, the route of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment is obvious, but a route from the Chippewa National Forest to Ely segment is still unresolved. The plan at this point is to develop a 5-mile wide "general corridor" for the trail in this area, similar to the 1982 plan, and identifying existing trail that might be worked into the process. It's anticipated that detailed planning would come later, possibly by the NPS as has recently been completed in northwest Wisconsin. Currently, park service thinking has been aimed at a new route north through the Chippewa National Forest to the west of Grand Rapids, then finding a new route east through the George Washington State Forest to Superior National Forest lands, and going through them to Ely -- but this is a rather superficial early idea, and will be thoroughly investigated; that's something that will have to be done during the planning process. Any route proposed will try to stay on public land where possible, avoiding large areas of wetland, but much of the route is higher and drier than to the south, and extensive public lands exist.
While Chippewa National Forest officials have some good ideas of where this route could lead, and a few scattered patches of existing trail that might be worked into the project, plus enthusiasm to get started, the route there will not be easy to finish, and will have to twist around marshy areas to a considerable extent. And, the Chippewa National Forest to the Boundary Waters segment is only about twenty percent of the route to Snowbank Lake, so once the Comprehensive Plan Amendment is complete it will still be some time before the western segment of the "Arrowhead" is fully completed -- the largest segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail still awaiting development on public lands.
East of the Chippewa National Forest there is fair coverage of state forest lands and a couple of interesting
state parks, including McCarthy Beach State Park, which was once listed as one of the seventeen best beaches in
America. The length of the section to Ely, MN, the traditional jumping off place for the Boundary Waters Canoe
Area Wilderness, is expected to be 150 to 200 trail miles.
If the north country reaches its epitome in the lower 48 states, it's in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) of northern Minnesota. Wild, rugged, dotted with lakes and craggy hills, Sigurd Olson country -- well, like the beer commercial says, it just doesn't get any better than this. It's a land of rugged, forested hills, sweeping vistas of blue, green, autumn red and gold, and winter white, rocky headlands and crashing waves, cozy valleys and surging waterfalls. The Appalachian Trail may have its hundred-mile wilderness, but this will be the North Country Trail's hundred mile wilderness, wilder by far. The trail only crosses one road in the entire section, and passes the roadhead of another toward the end.
For the hiker, the wild aspect is increased by the fact that this is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness; most recreational use of the area is by watercraft, and few hiking trails penetrate the backcountry. Superior National Forest, the manager of the land, is not big on hiking trails in the BWCAW, and, in fact, some years ago abandoned most of the hiking trails in the wilderness. Volunteers, led mostly by the Kekekabic (Kek-uh-kab-ic) Trail Club, have come forward to rescue some of the abandoned trails, notably the Kekekabic and parts of the Border Route Trails, which are now under study for inclusion in the NCNST. It's a daunting task, if for no more reason than getting to the trails to do maintenance sometimes takes multi-day trips, often by canoe; once there, motorized equipment, especially chainsaws, are not allowed, so Kek and Border Route maintainers get very proficient with the two-man crosscut saws usually only seen on the walls of trendy north country restaurants. After one tough winter, maintainers counted 500 trees down on the 38-mile Kekekabic.
The Kekekabic and Border Route Trails will be one of the few places on the NCNST where permits are needed for entry. The permits are designed to control use on popular canoe routes, and getting a permit, at no charge, for using these trails is hardly ever a problem. Use of the trails is low; while figures for the Border Route are not available, one year recently the Kekekabic (usually called the "Kek" by those familiar with it) only had 61 permits pulled. Understandably, then, these trails are wild, and while kept open, are not immaculately manicured park trails. They're rough, remote, challenging and some of the wildest and most primitive to be found on the NCNST route. Users should expect to have to use map and compass, search out faint or missing trail, bushwhack, and ford unbridged streams and wet areas.These trails really aren't designed for casual day-hikes, and even accessing the trails can be a problem. Part of the low use on the Kek comes from the fact that an end-to-end hike on the 38 mile trail leaves the hiker over 200 road miles from their car; at a minimum, this makes shuttles a problem. The situation is not a lot better on the longer Border Route. What with everything, these trails aren't for beginners. Good map and compass and backcountry skills are necessary.
The first problem in walking the BWCAW trails is getting to them. It's 21 miles by road to One Lake, near larger Snowbank Lake, where the Kekekabic Trail picks up, and finding an off-road route through the private lands here may be difficult, but shouldn't be impossible. Again, the Park Service is looking at a five-mile wide corridor through this area; there are some short existing stretches of trail that may be able to be worked into the Arrowhead Project plan.
The Kekekabic Trail Club recommends planning four to six days to hike the 38-mile Kek, so you know it's not an easy trail. It winds through lake country, passing several lakes, goes through several marshy areas, occasionally uses beaver dams to cross streams, and toward the eastern end passes some old mine shafts. Parts of the Kek are hilly and rocky; it passes through patches of old growth white pine. A high point is the gorge of the Agamok River, with several waterfalls. This river is crossed on a KTA-built footbridge. Camping is only permitted at prepared campsites, and the KTA has built several.
The east end of the Kekekabic Trail is on the Gunflint Trail, a highway that is the only major road to penetrate the Boundary Waters area, although for a buffer zone on either side of the Gunflint it's not officially wilderness area.
A tenth of a mile to the north of the Kekekabic trailhead on the Gunflint Trail is the trailhead for the Border Route Trail; it could be that the NCNST will use about 75 of its 95 miles. The Border Route was constructed in the late '70s by the Minnesota Rovers Outing Club with the cooperation of the US Forest Service, the Minnesota DNR, and various volunteer and private groups. Towering cliffs, the call of the loon, and views into Canada are common sights and sounds along this trail. Like the Kekekabic, it's a rugged, remote trail, not for beginners. Although reasonably marked in the western, non-BWCAW section, permanent trail markers are not permitted in the BWCAW, so trail maintainers get by with blue flagging tape. The western section is maintained by several of the lodges in the Gunflint/Loon Lake areas, along with volunteer assistance, and, since the Border Route here is part of a network of cross country ski trails, it's usually in pretty good shape. East of the Crab Lake Trail junction, it's in the BWCAW; maintenance is totally by volunteer groups: the Minnesota Rovers, the Kekekabic Trail Association and the Minnesota Wilderness Trail Alliance, but the trail is also reportedly in pretty good shape. However, east of the Arrowhead Trail, it's reported to not be in as good shape.
The trail winds around to the west of Gunflint and Loon Lakes; a private land crossing problem in one area currently forces a four-mile roadwalk around Loon Lake to avoid the problem area, but it's hoped that some sort of resolution can be reached. Once rejoining the trail east of Loon Lake, the BWCAW is re-entered, and the trail winds eastward and northeastward through some extremely wild and scenic countryside near and sometimes on the historic voyageur canoe route from Grand Portage. At the east end of Rose Lake, the trail joins the Long Portage between Rose and Rove Lakes; when the Arrowhead relo takes effect, this likely will be the northernmost point of the NCNST.
Once reaching the Arrowhead Trail -- another paved road penetrating the back country from US 61, this time from a small town northeast of Grand Marais, MN -- the Border Route is out of the BWCAW, and permits are not needed.
The trail winds southward, then southeastward from the Arrowhead crossing; after another dozen miles, it crosses
Swamp Lake Road, and joins the Superior Hiking Trail.
The Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) is indeed well-named, for in every respect, it's a superior trail. In the ten short years of its development, it's become a model of how things should be done in hiking trail development, and how a trail should be managed. It's a wonderful example of what can be done in trail development when it's possible to put together spectacular scenery, lots of public land, an enthusiastic corps of volunteers, and adequate funding. With the first trail cleared in 1987, ten years later off-road trail extended over 200 of the projected 240 miles through the rugged, beautiful hills overlooking Lake Superior on Minnesota's scenic "North Shore." Since the SHT is the only major trail in Minnesota outside the BWCAW that's closed to snowmobiles, it has been possible to build a trail that's scenic, challenging and rewarding to hikers, without having to meet the width, clearance and grade limitations that would make it a feasable project for snowmobiles. The trail is generally a few miles inland from the Superior shore, but occasionally comes out to it. It includes long, isolated river walks, many waterfalls as the short, steep streams descend quickly from the highlands, distant views of the big lake, historic lighthouses, rugged gorges, and stands of dense timber, passing through or near seven very good state parks along the way. "The trail is very well engineered," wrote Ed Talone of the SHT on his 1994 end-to-end hike. "The route is never in doubt." Gordon Smith added, "The quality of maintenance was consistently tops." Over 40 bridges span the many streams encountered along the SHT, which is mostly cleared to an 18-inch treadway. Some spots are steep, requiring a little scrambling in order to follow the trail.
Though much of the trail's basic funding has come from a series of grants from the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources (LMCR), and paid trail crews have accounted for much of the construction, much of the construction and maintenance remains a volunteer project, coordinated by the Superior Hiking Trail Association (SHTA), with a very small paid staff that only recently acquired a basement office in Two Harbors, MN. SHTA is continuing to push ahead with the development of the trail, which now is reaching toward Duluth from the Two Harbors area; a couple of roadwalk gaps remain along the trail to the north of Two Harbors, but work is proceeding to fill those in.
One of the items that has allowed the SHT to develop a high degree of public awareness is its location; US61 parallels the trail, usually along the shoreline a couple of miles away, for virtually its whole distance, with many developed trailheads and trailhead parking areas. This has allowed highway signs announcing trailheads to be placed along the length of the trail, and has caused a degree of use that has allowed the development of a service nearly unique along the trail: a regular shuttle service, independent from the SHTA. The Superior Shuttle is a van that makes the round trip from Castle Danger, north of Two Harbors to Grand Marais and back on a strict schedule every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from late May through late October. Also, given the many resort lodges in the area, a lodge-to-lodge hiking program has been developed, although it's not quite possible to lodge-to-lodge the whole trail, at least yet.
Another standout item about the SHT is the quality of its maps and guide, "Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail". The SHTA also has a set of four pocket-sized folding maps of the trail, at the same scale of the maps in the Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail, printed on waterproof paper; these too come highly recommended.
The Border Route continues on east from the point where it joins the SHT. It was the original intent of the Superior Hiking Trail to connect with the Border Route and the Grand Portage Trail at Grand Portage, but permission problems forced the connection at this point, outside the Grand Portage reservation. The route taken is not a compromise, and has scenic value of its own. The recently constructed trail (1995 and 1996) heads south from the trailhead through remote northern forest, with many panoramic views of the Pigeon River valley and Canada back to the north. Not far to the south, views of Lake Superior and Isle Royale become possible.
The SHT goes through several state parks along its route, and is noted for the number of waterfalls on the short, steep rivers leading down to Lake Superior. Grand Marais and Two Harbors are the only two towns of any real size along the route. Though much of the route is near Lake Superior, within a mile or so, there's only about a mile of the route that is directly located on the lake.
The first state park reached, Judge C. R. Magney State Park is best known for a famous waterfall, one of a series of waterfalls in the park, the Devil's Kettle, where the Brule River splits around a mass of volcanic rock. Half of the river plunges 50 feet into a pool, while the rest pours into a huge pothole. The next state park, Cascade River, is noted for the rushing river dropping 900 feet in its last 3 miles toward Lake Superior in many waterfalls, and picturesque, lush gorge set in a hardwood-conifer forest. Temperance River State Park is rather small, at only 200 acres, but with very intense scenery, including the deep gorge of the Temperance River; associated Cross River Wayside, to the west, has 2,250 acres. Both are located in a region famous for their bare rock cliffs along the Lake Superior Shore. George H. Crosby Manitou State Park is a place for people who want to get away from the crowds. The Manitou River cascades through a rugged river valley, through yet another spectacular gorge with many waterfalls. It's mainly a backpacker's park; there are 21 backpack campsites and 24 miles of hiking trails, including the SHT. Tettegouche State Park has six inland lakes and a mile of Lake Superior frontage. It's noted for the Baptism River Gorge, with High Falls, the highest waterfall located totally in Minnesota, and the spectacular views at Shovel Point. Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is perhaps best known for its historic lighthouse in an extremely picturesque setting, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the country, but also has many views of the waterfalls and rapids in the Split Rock River Gorge. The upper and lower falls of the Gooseberry River are a big attraction at Gooseberry Falls State Park, but there are other waterfalls in the park and much else to do, besides.
The more or less continuous section of the SHT comes to an end at its home in Two Harbors. Trail development
is under way from there to the Duluth area, though the land here is largely privately held, and it's expected to
take longer to finish this 20-25 mile section.
At one time, the fly in the Arrowhead
Route ointment was seen as getting through or around Duluth, the largest city on the whole trail. But, things changed
when it was realized how highly trail-oriented the city is _ as the planning process gets under way, it appears
that there may be several opportunities to pass through the city. Though not all the trail may be instantly certifiable,
eventually there will be off-road trail clear through the city, except for a two-mile gap, and that sidewalked.
This came about as a combination of a number of things, mostly rail-trail: first, the development of the "Lakewalk",
a popular urban trail right on the Lake Superior shoreline, leading to the heart of downtown, and set to be extended
northwestward; a move by the Duluth City Council to extend a rail trail southwest to the trailhead for the Willard
Munger Trail, a state bicycle trail, a model of rail-trail conversion, or possibly an alternative route south of
Duluth; and, finally, Jay Cooke State Park, one of the more spectacular of Minnesota's many great state parks.
Though not all the pieces are in place yet -- the Lakewalk extention is scheduled for 2001, and although the Lakewalk-Willard Munger connection has a high priority, it hasn't been funded at this writing -- what was once seen as a problem is now seen as a unique opportunity. Other opportunities to get through Duluth are also being considered, including following portions of the Skyline Drive and trails through a series of city-owned parks.
Duluth is perhaps best known as a port, shipping iron ore from Minnesota and wheat from the great plains all over the world. But, it's also a north country town, although a rather cosmopolitan one, and oriented toward outdoor recreation. There is a wide array of sightseeing opportunities near the trail, including the William A. Irvin, a museum ship, the Marine Museum at Canal Park, a scenic railroad, Glensheen Mansion tours, Duluth Omnimax Theater, and much besides.
As the Willard Munger Trail is open to snowmobiles, it probably won't be the ultimate route of the NCNST; it's more likely the trail might follow the Western Waterfront Trail to Jay Cooke State Park, but that trail is currently only open to New Duluth -- this is one of those things that NPS planning will have to answer.
The Arrowhead Route comes to an end at Jay Cooke State Park, where the recently-completed NPS "Northwest Wisconsin Plan" picks up. The park is the last of Minnesota's several great state parks the NCNST passes through, and is one of the older ones, established in 1915. The water-eroded gorge, steep valleys and massive rock formations are seen thoughout the park. The rock formations along the St. Louis River are especially unique. Located on the old portage between the St. Louis and Mississippi River Basin, the Grand Portage Trail in the park has been used for over 300 years.
Minnesota may not have the longest mileage of trail of the NCNST states, but it will have some of the finest and most memorable, especially if and when the Arrowhead reroute takes place.