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Northern MN Adventure

mntrailfam4

Updated: Jan 25, 2023

My 12yo son and I had an epic adventure mid-May of 2022. Barely anything went as planned but we managed to pivot (a few times), stay flexible, and ended up still having a blast!

 

Day 1

Plan > Travel Day + Hike @ Lake Vermillion-Soudan Mine State Park + Camp @ Bear Head Lake State Park


We ended up leaving a couple of hours later than planned and hit a hail storm with quarter to golf ball size hail just 35 miles away from home. We thankfully came out unscathed (no broken windows!) but the Jeep hood and the roof top tent suffered quite a bit of damage. After hitting the highway and increasing speeds, the cross bars that hold the rooftop tent produced an awful howling and then a piercing, high-pitched whistling. We had previously mitigated cross bar noise as best we could but then ended up changing the setup right before this trip which was not a good idea (always test your setup before traveling!) We stopped and bought pool noodles (and scissors) to fill all open cross bar crevices, we also bought ear plugs in case our plan didn't work. We starting with plugging the ends of the cross bars which helped a little but the noise mostly remained. We stopped again and filled all under portions of the bars which helped at low speeds but at high speeds the noise continued. We then stopped at a rest stop and filled all top crevices of the cross bars with strips of pool noodle which completely mitigated the noise! The rest of the drive up to Lake Vermillion-Soudan Mine State Park was uneventful, thankfully!


We checked out the above-ground Soudan Mine portion of the park, there is a lot to see! In the summer, they have underground tours of the mine open for business. We'll definitely be returning to experience that. We completed a 40 minute, 1.5 mile hike which included a section of the Miner's Trail. Trail markings were a bit tricky and we ended up hiking a section that we did not plan to. There is definitely a lot more to explore there. All Trails was a savior in getting back to where we parked.

From Soudan Mine, we backtracked a bit to Zup's in Tower to get some groceries. Then we headed to Bear Head Lake State Park to set up camp for night one; about a 15-minute/12 mile drive from Soudan Mine. The campground is situated along a northern arm of Bear Head Lake. There were very docile dear meandering the campground, along with a very brazen squirrel (not pictured-he was all over our camp and not fearful at all). We reserved drive-in site #51 for $32/night. Our site had a nice view of the trail to the lake. There were only 2 other sites occupied. The campground water was not turned on for the season so we utilized water bottles for our water needs and noted to fill up our larger vessels when able. The bathrooms were also not open yet for the season, which inspired a later purchase of a packable toilet and accessories. Mason cooked for us and we enjoyed smores before bed. Although not forecasted, a very intense thunderstorm rolled through very early morning. Bright lightning and booming thunder edged it's way closer through the storm which resulted us seeking refuge in the Jeep for an hour or so. Thankfully there was no wind during the storm but there was plenty of rain! We managed to get some rest in the Jeep and get some more restful sleep after moving back into the roof top tent when the thunder and lightning died out.

 

Day 2

Plan > Hike @ Bear Head Lake State Park + Hike Kawishiwi Falls + Travel to Two Island Lake Campground in the Superior National Forest


We had a great breakfast at camp, minus the lack of coffee for me. I planned to plug in the mini Keurig to the Jeep outlet without bothering to do any research on the volt/amp/wattage capacity. Can you tell I still really have no clue? The Keurig turned on, ran the water pump, but then kept shorting out. After a quick search I learned that the mini Keurig requires a lot more juice to kick on the heating element. Since this was a fail, I tried and failed to open the top of a K-cup and filter water through to make coffee. What a mess! After failing to caffeinate, we packed up camp, explored a bit of the trails off the campground, then rechecked the forecast. The forecast called for more storms in the evening where we planned to camp so we booked a hotel in Silver Bay and readjusted plans to take our time traveling toward the North Shore. We were able to fill up with potable water on the way out of the park so we were prepared for our next camping venture.

We stopped in Ely and had a great lunch (and an even better local blueberry blonde ale) at the Boathouse Brewpub & Restaurant. After lunch, we stopped at Wintergreen Northern Wear where I got a locally made "crunch cap" (pictured below). These caps are quick-drying, packable, and they even float! It quickly became my go-to hat for this trip. We then headed over to hike Kawishiwi Falls, ~1 mile/30-minute out and back trail. We were thankful for our rain gear and got to field test our waterproof hiking boots which performed great! There were so many awesome views on this hike between the gnarly tree roots and the raging falls. Mason also got to test out recording the hike with the GoPro.

After our hike, we headed east toward the North Shore. Along the drive, we explored a couple of forest roads and found a great back country campsite in the national forest. I wish I pinned it for future ventures! We also hit some of the iconic North Shore sites including Palisade Head and Black Beach before checking into the hotel. We stayed at the AmericInn in Silver Bay and thoroughly enjoyed the hot tub, pool, slide, and sauna! We were thankful we changed our plans based on the forecast, like the previous night and great thunderstorm rolled through. This time there was a torrential downpour, enough to make it seem like the hotel had a waterfall rushing over it.

 

Day 3

Plan > Travel to Two Island Lake Campground in the Superior National Forest and setup camp


We had originally planned exploring some Superior National Forest trails from (thus far non-existent) base-camp. Since we had to drive up the North Shore, we figured we'd head all the way up to Grand Portage State Park so Mason could experience High Falls. On the way, we stopped at a wayside to admire Wauswaugoning Bay flanked by Mt. Josephine and Francis Island. High Falls created a heavy mist that left the boardwalk and everything in it's wake covered in dew while creating a beautiful barrage of rainbows from each view. After hiking to High Falls we were checking out the visitor center and the ranger was inquiring with visitors on their plans for accommodations as snow melt was creating flooding and concerns of a bridge washout. We showed the ranger on a map where we had planned on camping for the next 2 nights and he highly suggested we head further south in order to not potentially get stuck north of Cascade River as the main highway was the only definite way to travel south.

We stopped in Grand Marais for lunch and explored other, further south, Superior National Forest campground options while there was cell phone service. We decided on Temperance River Campground and had a backup plan of Nine Mile Creek in case Temperance didn't work out. Similar to the day before, we kept Dad informed of changed plans as well as backup plans.


Clearview General Store in Lutsen was our pit-stop for provisions. I highly recommend stopping here for any of your camping, fishing, or souvenir needs. They have an awesome array of shirts that are great quality. We realized we forgot firewood so stopped at the Tofte General Store for that, then headed up Sawmill Trail to Temperance River Campground. Temperance River Campground is in the Superior National Forest, the sites are first come/first serve for $18/night, cash or check is needed for the self-service pay station. After thoroughly reviewing our campsite options and moving around at least 2 times, we setup camp. In case of inclement weather, we setup the ground tent, fully unpacked the Jeep into the tent, setup camp, including a backup "bed" in the back of the Jeep since we were stuck in the front seats during our first night of camping. With the snow melt/flooding concerns, we routinely checked the river level to ensure it was staying a safe distance away from camp, and it did. Camping night one at Temperance went really well; the roaring river drowned out any other noise which made for a restful nights sleep. The open campground outhouse was a welcome surprise in the backwoods. Mason enjoyed making snowballs from the bit of snow remaining, as well as throwing them at me.

 

Day 4

Plan > Drive up the Gunflint Trail + Hike Moose Viewing Trail + Hike Magnetic Rock

<<original plans now completely out the window>>


After heading down Sawbill Trail, finding a spot for lunch, and exploring the All Trails app for nearby trails to hike, we decided on hiking Oberg Mountain Loop. This is a 2.3mile/1hr loop that is rated as moderately challenging on All Trails. There were magnificent views of Superior National Forest and Lake Superior at each turn. We stopped many times to take in the sights and take pictures so it took us closer to an hour and half to complete. There was still quite a bit of snow on the NW side of the mountain.

On our way back to camp, we took a detour to check out White Pine Lake Rustic Campground. It was quite the drive and took longer than expected. Expectations were based on GPS mileage, cautious driving prevailed. The way weaved in and out of national forest and private land with plenty of ruts and washboards but no major obstacles. We ended up only checking out the fishing pier and boat launch area. There was still ice on the edge of White Pine Lake which made fishing difficult as the hook kept getting stuck on the edge of the floating ice when reeling in. We ended the day with an amazing full moon!

 

Day 5

Plans > Travel South to Duluth + Hike Ely's Peak in Duluth + Stay at the Lift Bridge Lodge


Considering we were much further south than originally planned for this travel day, we packed up camp and hit a number of the North Shore state parks on the drive south. We first stopped at Temperance River State Park to see the falls off the wayside. Then hit the scenic overlook for Split Rock Lighthouse. My favorite stop was Tettegouche State Park where we had a picnic lunch with a view of Shovel Point to the north of us. This was our first attempt at using the Jet Boil out on the trail. It was a bit windy but we tucked it into a shielded spot among the rocks. This was my first time in this portion of the park, the previous year I hiked to High Falls, Two Step Falls, and Cascade Falls with my sister. There is so much more to explore at this park, I can't wait to get back.

After Tettegouche, we continued south and made one more stop at Gooseberry Falls State Park. We explored around the southside of Gooseberry Falls and trekked to Upper Falls. Mason enjoyed sliding down all of the stair rails, over, and over, and over again... Seeing the falls this full from the snow melt was a stark contrast to when I visited the previous year during the summer where you could nearly walk across the river at multiple points. This was Mason's 1st visit to Gooseberry and my 3rd of hopefully many yet to come.

Although we didn't make it out for more hiking, the North Shore scenic drive is always spectacular. After all these amazing stops, we did not save time to hike Ely's Peak in Duluth. We'll save that for another adventure! Once we got settled in at the Lift Bridge Lodge with an awesome view of the lighthouse and boardwalk, we decided to explore the boardwalk and the rest of the Canal Park area on scooters. We ended this day with Duluth's must stop for eats > Vitta Pizza's wood-fired Neapolitan style pizza. After hitting the hot tub and pool we watched part of the lunar eclipse over Lake Superior from the balcony.