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Ive ordered the SHTA guidebook and am planning a fall 2013 thru hike. I would hope the mosquitos would be manageable at that time (Oct.). I would use the shuttle to get me where I could hike back to my car. Any hikers out there have any insights or advice on the Superior Hiking Trail concerning overnight stays, resupply and the gap around Duluth?
Cookerhiker
01-25-2013, 13:41
Searching the "Other Trails" forum, I came up with a number of existing threads. The longest one is here (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?78788-Superior-Hiking-Trail-Need-Thru-Hiking-Advice&highlight=superior) and has a lot of good points for you.
I hiked most of it starting late September of '11. I was surprised that mosquitoes were still heavy in the first week (hiking SOBO).
We experienced a fair amount of rain but at least the nights didn't get real cold.
Resupplied in Finland and Grand Marais. Also found a Trail Angel in Finland who shuttled us for a slackpack one day. Not much in Finland but Grand Marais has several motels and restaurants, the best of which is the Angry Trout.
Trail's footing is similar to Maine but nowhere near as mountainous. But there are smaller ups and downs, some of which are several hundred feet.
Before I commited 100 % to the SHT I would check on H2O levels because IMO some of scenic highlights of this trail are the waterfalls. A few yrs ago I went to MN to thru the SHT and found the drought situation worse than expected with the waterfalls and some on trail water resources dried up or not flowing well. Decided to head over to Isle Royale NP from Gran Marais via the ferry.
Oh, if I recall correctly, and U should double check this, I think there is a co-op type grocery store and gas station/convenience store/cafe combo right on the main highway in Finland. I've gotten hitches at the gas station.
SCRUB HIKER
01-25-2013, 14:18
Angry Trout all the way, but I think they close at some point in October so you might have to eat there at the front end of the trip--a shame, because that would be a great place to have a celebratory meal if you were NOBO. Also, I'm surprised to hear that mosquitoes were a problem in late September--I've been on four different North Shore trips, either canoeing or hiking, in September, one for each year of college, and I don't think I was bitten once. June, on the other hand ...
I'm not sure if this is just my experience, but I've found hitching very easy the two times I've needed it on the North Shore, both on short backpacking trips on the SHT.
I did some trail construction with my school's outdoors club in September of 2007 on the Duluth-Two Harbors gap ... I'm very surprised to learn that it still isn't finished, considering how many volunteers they had and how quickly they zipped along that weekend.
I'm sorry I don't have much practical thru-hiking advice, but mostly I'm just speaking up because of my love for the North Shore and the Superior Hiking Trail. It's gloriously off-the-radar for most non-Minnesotans. I was in college in Minnesota for four years and went up there as often as I could; I keep trying to get my (Virginian) parents to build a retirement cabin there so I have an excuse to go back, especially in fall and winter. I hope you like the area and the hiking as much as I did.
mn_scout
01-25-2013, 15:11
I did it this past Sept 15-28 from Otter Lake Rd to Normanna Rd. No bugs, no humidity, low water, beautiful leafs, little rain. Dogwood's right that the waterfalls may have little water in late fall. The last section from Normanna Rd south to Martin Rd is scheduled for a grand opening the beginning of June, 2013. That will complete the trail. They're talking of adding 1.5 miles on the north end so it ends overlooking the Pigeon River (Canada border) instead of a weedy parking spot. Hopefully, the very southern parts are fixed and open after the flodding of 2012.
All camping should be done in the 90+ designated camp sites along the trail.
My journal and pics are on http://HikingDude.com
Maps and trail updates are on http://shta.org
Here is some information on SHT Transportation/Shuttle:
http://www.shta.org/Services/Transportation.php
Just an update on ferry boat's to Isle Royale. They no longer depart from Grand Marais, MN. They depart from Grand Portage, MN
Thanks for all the good input. The fact that the trail is now complete is great! If the mosquitos are low already in September I would prefer hiking then rather than October which would be cooler. But the tradeoff is missing the fall colors. I may use the shuttle service to drop me off on the north end assuming their is a good safe place to park on the south end. I guess summer rainfall will determine water availability although Ive imagined many a stream flowing south towards Superior. I will make it a point to eat at the Angry Trout. I have previously resupplied all along the AT using a combination of maildrops and stores along the trail. For the SHT, running parrallel all the way with HWY 61 I would assume as a 3 week thru hiker I could find decent food near the trail all along the way without having to carry more than 4 days provisions. This makes for a lighter pack and I havent heard too much feedback yet on resupply options.
Thanks for all the good input. The fact that the trail is now complete is great! If the mosquitos are low already in September I would prefer hiking then rather than October which would be cooler. But the tradeoff is missing the fall colors. I may use the shuttle service to drop me off on the north end assuming their is a good safe place to park on the south end. I guess summer rainfall will determine water availability although Ive imagined many a stream flowing south towards Superior. I will make it a point to eat at the Angry Trout. I have previously resupplied all along the AT using a combination of maildrops and stores along the trail. For the SHT, running parrallel all the way with HWY 61 I would assume as a 3 week thru hiker I could find decent food near the trail all along the way without having to carry more than 4 days provisions. This makes for a lighter pack and I havent heard too much feedback yet on resupply options.
I have not thru hike the SHT--but I have hiked on it and I have spent significant time on the North Shore. The trail (at times) can be farther from Highway 61, towns and Lake Superior than you think. Towns are few and far between. The every 3-4 day resupply--though by no means impossible--may be a bit more challenging than on the AT. I would examine the guide book VERY closely and look at were the few towns and stores that exist on the northshore are located--in relation to the trail. Happy Hiking!
Hi garbanz,
Im also hiking the SHT this fall, most likely starting the last week of Sept. Hopefully, I will see you on the trail. Im just following this thread hoping to learn something! Best of luck on your hike.
Instead of purchasing food as you go---some people have mail drops (just like on the AT). I have heard of people having stuff mailed--or dropped off--at hotels/resorts that MAY be a bit closer to the trail than the towns or post offices. (Some people even start their hike at the north end of the trail and drop off their resupply at the pre-arranged resorts/hotels as they travel north--instead of mailing it).
Some folks have been known to have shuttles bring them their resupply to road crossings or trailheads. I don't know how common this is or how much they charge.
Some people simply carry several more days of food.
Please note, some towns/stores/post offices are a couple miles from the trail.
Thanks for all the good input. The fact that the trail is now complete is great! If the mosquitos are low already in September I would prefer hiking then rather than October which would be cooler. But the tradeoff is missing the fall colors. I may use the shuttle service to drop me off on the north end assuming their is a good safe place to park on the south end. I guess summer rainfall will determine water availability although Ive imagined many a stream flowing south towards Superior. I will make it a point to eat at the Angry Trout. I have previously resupplied all along the AT using a combination of maildrops and stores along the trail. For the SHT, running parrallel all the way with HWY 61 I would assume as a 3 week thru hiker I could find decent food near the trail all along the way without having to carry more than 4 days provisions. This makes for a lighter pack and I havent heard too much feedback yet on resupply options.
It would be an unusual year if you had any trouble with mosquitos in late September, but as Cookerhiker's experience shows, it can happen. And you will see good fall color at that time of year as well, in a typical year. Here's a link to the journal of a WB member (that would be mn_scout, and I now see he has already posted on this thread!) who hiked the trail Sept. 15-28, 2012, and you will see plenty of fall color in his pictures, particularly in the second week of his hike:
http://hikingdude.com/superior-hiking-trail-journal.php
The trail goes through several state parks on the lakeshore and the parks are a handy place to take a shower every few days. But the water is shut off in these parks at varying times in September and October (closing earlier the farther north you are on the trail). Here's a link to the website for Minnesota State Parks:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/list_alpha.html
Judge C.R. Magney, Cascade River, Temperance River, Tettegouche and Gooseberry Falls State Parks are particularly handy to the trail. Follow their links on the page above to see when each park has plumbing shut down. On my two thru-hikes I enjoyed tenting (for a reasonable fee) at these parks because being a paying customer is required if you want to shower there.
Resupply:
Grand Marais has full services and grocery choices and what you need is a little over a mile from the nearest trailhead.
The Lutsen Resort is less than a mile from the trail but has limited supplies.
Tofte also has just a convenience store for resupply and is about 3 miles off trail.
Finland is about a mile from the trail and has been mentioned a couple times already in the thread.
Silver Bay has a good grocery store a little over a mile from the trail.
These are the only places I have experience with because when I hiked the trail there was no trail yet south of Two Harbors. One last thing -- look closely at the shuttle service schedule mentioned in a previous post. I believe you can only get to any place on the trail north of Grand Marais on the "Superior Shuttle" if you make an appointment ahead of time -- I do see, though, that there are a couple transportation services available now that weren't around when I hiked (2006 and 2007).
thebrewguy
01-30-2013, 23:02
I'm also planning a thru hike of the SHT SOBO the same time you guys are talking about. I just got my guidebook and it looks like good info. I'm excited to hear that the trail will be complete by then. So I suppose I will be parking in Duluth and taking the shuttle up north. Havent planned resupply yet. I'll watch this thread but maybe we should start a "Fall 2013 SHT Thru Hiker Class" thread lol. Hope to see some of you out there.
I would hope to meet you Brewguy and also Archie on the trail. My namesake on the AT was Turkey Feather as evidenced by the feathers emanating from the rear of my pack. mn_scout's SHT journal was full of good planning detail. He took the time to record each days events.
I hear the trail has good views, many good campsites, and water sources in addition to spigots and showers in the Minnesota state parks strung out along the north shore. I think if one starts out after most of the bugs are gone and since its not a killer trail then the only hardship could be nasty weather. In this case there appears to be many places to duck into, warm up and dry off along highway 61.
StriderNCT2013
02-06-2013, 22:17
I am also planning a thru-hike of the SHT for 2013... I'll be coming thru in May though, as my SHT thru-hike is a small portion of my NCT thru-hike. In June the trail will officially be completed from Otterlake Rd. to somewhere east of Jay Cooke State Park (because of the June flooding the 12 or so miles leading east from Jay Cooke is still destroyed), I think the trail is currently open at the Fond du Lac Trailhead off Hwy 23. I have already hiked about half of the trail in sections and I would advise anyone who is considering getting off on Normanna Rd. to NOT skip the Duluth sections. Though some of the trail is on urban walkways there are some spectacular segments in the woods above skyline drive with great views of the harbor below.
Ive ordered the SHTA guidebook and am planning a fall 2013 thru hike. I would hope the mosquitos would be manageable at that time (Oct.). I would use the shuttle to get me where I could hike back to my car. Any hikers out there have any insights or advice on the Superior Hiking Trail concerning overnight stays, resupply and the gap around Duluth?
I hike the trail for two weeks every fall around peak colors, usually the last week and a half of September into the first week of October. The bugs are essentially non-existant by then. Last year was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT, days in the 50's, nights in the upper 30's to low 40's, and 14 days of sun with a grant total of 45 minutes of rain, no bugs and peak fall colors. If you've done the AT, you have no worries about the terrain. The guidebook describes "steep climbs" on the SHT, or "little hills" as they're known on the AT. Resupply was no problem, and the few times I hitched didn't take very long. Some places of note- in Finland the bar (Our Place) has small cabins out back that they rent out. Cozy, but a little pricy for what they are (I think it was $60/night) and no laundry. The co-op is a 5 minute walk from there. (also pricy with not great selection, but you can make due). Just south of Cascade SP there is a side trail to Cascade Lodge - I've stayed there a couple times, both in cabins and in the main building (motel style). No resupply there, but a restaurant that gives you a discount if you're stayin at the Lodge. At Lutsen if you are heading north, take the sput trail to the Gondola - I think that time of year it is only open weekends though. There's a restaurant at the top (with bar!) If you ride the gondola down, there are hotels, and it's a mile or two to the "town" (consisting of a mini strip mall, even worse selection than Finland co-op, this was a re-supply of snack cakes and candy primarily). I stopped into Caribou Highlands Lodge and asked at the desk if they had a shuttle to town for a backpacker. They don't, but a staff member gave me a ride down to the store in her car, waited while I resupplied, and then let me use the pool and showers at the Lodge when we got back even though I wasn't staying there and she knew it! Silver bay is a good town, I take the Twin Lakes Trail in and out, but it's a short hitch or walk from the road too. Restaurants, and grocery store that seemed to be quite used to backpackers.
The Bear Lake campsite is awesome, but get there early if you want to be right on the lake.
Lake Agnes campsite is my favorite, right on a mini peninsula.
Even though last year was severe drought conditions, I never had problems finding water.
I never did the Duluth section, so I can't be much help there.
THX to everyone for all the insider info. You folks have me thinking a Sept 2013 SHT thru-hike might be in order.
THX to everyone for all the insider info. You folks have me thinking a Sept 2013 SHT thru-hike might be in order.
Me too....but I'm halfway committed to another Sheltowee Trace thru in late September. Logistically it is a LOT easier.
Kerosene
03-30-2013, 10:48
If anyone decides to tackle all or part of the SHT, give me a shout if you want some assistance. I re-located to the west side of Minneapolis two years ago. I'm not going to be able to free up a week to hike the SHT until I finish the AT in September 2014 (and then the JMT in 2015?), but if the timing works out I might pick you up at the airport, drive you to a trailhead up there, and pick you up when you're done. My girlfriend's parents are up in the Iron Range, so I could pair up a family visit pretty easily.
There are some great views from the SHT of Lake Superior; the fall colors can be lovely; the terrain isn't nearly as hard as the AT; and the parallel main road along the shore makes it easy to bail or hitch if you need to. Someday I'll cover a large swath of this trail.
So, are your SHT plans still on track for Sept 2013? Ill be there!
Arch
Yep. Im starting with an AT buddy on the north end Sept 20th. Hope to run into you.
Thats great! Unfortunately I probably wont see you. I am starting at the Northern end on the 27th. Best of luck on your hike.
Where are you planning resupply?
Grand Marais, Tofte, Silver Bay. Might stop at the bar in Finland. Then on to my friends car in Gooseberry Falls SP which has my next resupply. Have the leaves changed up there yet?
I'll be hiking southbound October 6-10 from near Two Harbors to the north edge of Duluth. I'll be wearing a blaze orange cap (and that's my picture right under my user name) just in case you happen to be on that part of the trail then. I always enjoy meeting WB members! Have a great hike.
I am on the other side of the state, but the leaves have just started turning this week in my area. Should look good in a week or two! Ill look for you and Mapman!
You guys enjoy and have a wonderful hike!
Ill look for you and Mapman!
Look and you shall find! I had just finished the Two Harbors to Duluth section and had been driven back to the County 301 trailhead to pick up my car when none other than Clark (archie) and his hiking partner Paul popped out of the woods heading south. I got to chat quite a bit with both of them before they went on their way. It's always great to meet WB members on the trail! It sounded like archie had a great hike.
What a great year to be hiking in October in northern Minnesota. In the five full days and two partial days (Oct. 6-12) my hiking partner and I hiked various parts of the trail we had beautiful hiking conditions (warmer than normal -- especially the overnight lows), good fall color, and we didn't get rained on once. This is the first time I had hiked the recently completed Two Harbors to Duluth section and it was pleasant hiking -- not as noteworthy as far as spectacular waterfalls and panoramic views as the trail north of Two Harbors, but fine nevertheless. I still haven't hiked the Duluth section (south of Martin Road) but will get around to it someday when it has completely recovered from the flooding of 2012.
I hope you had a good hike yourself, garbanz.
I had a fantastic hike. This a wonderful hike and a beautiful trail. Thanks to the SHTA for doing such a fine job with this trail. Thanks to map man as well. To say we "chatted" is very much an understatement. What map man did was shuttle us around for a couple of hours while we chatted. This was an enormous help to us and I sincerely thank map man for his kindness and assistance. I did not complete the entire trail in the 2 weeks I had to hike but I got a good chunk finished. The leaves were in prime colors and the weather was mostly perfect. I highly recommend this hike! Thanks again SHTA and map man! Clark Emery aka Arch
It was a good hike for me too. We started at the 270 overlook of the Pigeon River. This is a more scenic start than Otter Lake Rd. The views of the big lake, the waterfalls in the state parks and the fall foliage colors made for great scenery and photography. The trail above Silver Bay was more pristine than down south where the trail encountered logging, manmade buildings and sounds, bike and snowmobile trails. Water was plentiful along the trail. There were a couple rainy days but the late Sept/early Oct. temps were just right for backpacking. Spent 1 night at the Caribou Highlands motel in Lutsen--hot tub felt great! Mystery mountain was a big climb and the hiking in Crosby-Manitou SP was rugged. Kicked up grouse everyday. High winds sent breakers crashing with spray along the Duluth lakewalk. Saw a porcupine along the St Louis River in Jay Cooke SP. Overall my 16 day 296 mile SHT hike was an adventure I wont forget.
Kerosene
10-28-2013, 21:20
Overall my 16 day 296 mile SHT hike was an adventure I wont forget.18.5 mpd. Nice. What a great time of year to thru-hike the SHT.