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July 12, 2005
from Tom Funke
this article appeared in the Battle Creek Enquirer on Sunday, July 3. Tom is a "member" of the 1000 Mile Club (see home page left column)
The Superior Hiking Trail is a rocky, root-infested tread that skirts along the ridges and tops of prehistoric mountains, overlooking Lake Superior in northeast Minnesota. (photos by Tom Funke)
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The views are spectacular.
The scenery, divine.
The wildlife? Wild.
However, the Superior Hiking Trail makes it rough on a hiker to enjoy the sights on this 250-mile long trail.
Popular with backpackers, the Superior Hiking Trail is a rocky, root-infested tread that skirts along the ridges and tops of prehistoric mountains, overlooking Lake Superior in northeast Minnesota.
You'll spend most of your time staring at the tops of your boots.
Because if you look up even for a moment, you'll be face down in billion-year-old rock.
But that is the charm of this trail.
It causes you to pause for a moment and soak in the wildness.
Although it skirts civilization for most of its length, the trail is mostly located a few miles inland of the Lake Superior Shore, in the Superior National Forest.
It has a boreal feel to it. The fog, the cool weather, the heavy, deep forest intermingles with rocky outcrops and even a bog or two.
The trail frequently plunges down steep valleys to the shores of Gitche Gumme only to torture you with a thousand-foot climb back up.
And we love every heart-pounding, back-breaking inch of it.
Soon to be part of the 4,200- mile long North Country Trail, the Superior Hiking Trail is unofficially used by us North Country Backpackers. Sure beats walking roads across Minnesota.
Skirting civilization, hikers are seldom more than several miles from a road crossing. The longest gap between roads is 11.7 miles, but it is common to go five to eight miles between them. Therefore, day hikers can have a wilderness experience without their outing being ruined by hiking in a close proximity of automobiles.
There are six state parks along its length, each as diverse as their name. Gooseberry Falls, Tettegouche, Temperance River, Cascade River and Judge Magney are lesser-known Minnesota state parks but all worthy of visiting.
The most notable is Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. A lighthouse perches perilously on a precipice overlooking Lake Superior. One must take a side trip while on the hike in order to see this marvel.
Three habitat communities are found along the trail. Northern Hardwoods, consisting of sugar maples, red oak, and yellow birch, dominate the southern third of the trail. Northern Hardwoods give way to Boreal Forest with balsam fir, paper birch, and white spruce.
In swampy areas, white cedar and balsam poplar rule. At the northern outlier of the trail, the soil becomes quite sandy and porous, where white pine, red pine and trembling aspen (poplar) take over.
Wildlife abounds, as moose, black bear, snowshoe hare, wolves, coyote, lynx and bobcat are all animals that live in the area but are seldom seen.
If you are planning a trip to hike two or 200 miles of the Superior Hiking Trail, keep in mind that the bugs are just dreadful in the spring and early summer.
Consider a late summer or early fall hike where the weather is more stable, the bugs are essentially gone, and the colors are just starting to indicate winter is right around the corner.
Consider purchasing "Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail", which is a point-to-point guidebook, with maps and everything you need to know about services along the trail.
The Superior Hiking Trail Association is a great resource and you can buy books and maps through them. There is even a shuttle that operates along most of the trail. The Superior Shuttle can be contacted through the Superior Hiking Trail Association.
The shuttle is a great way to day hike. Leave your car where you want to end, take the shuttle, and walk back to your car.
For more information:
These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid.
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