Eagle Mountain & State Parks in Northern Minnesota
September 23-25, 2005

 

Part I
Part II		 Eagle Mountain: At a modest elevation of 2,301 feet, Eagle Mountain is the highest point in Minnesota. It lies within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as well as the Superior National Forest, so a wilderness permit is required. Interestingly, the lowest point (Lake Superior, 600 ft) and highest point in Minnesota are not too far from each other. Julia got an idea from a hiking guide to bottle some water from Lake Superior and pour it out atop Eagle Mountain, and then imagine it flowing back down the mountain into Cascade River and finally to the lake. So we did!

After breakfast at The Pie Place in Grand Marais, we stopped by the Gunflint Ranger Station to pick up a free permit for entry into the BWCAW. Then it was a 14-mile drive to the trailhead parking lot where we got geared up. Julia wore a small hip pack and Jonas wore the daypack with our new CamelBak water pouches inside.

It was a 3.5-mile hike to the top, but while there was a gradual gain in elevation serious ascension didn't begin until the last mile. The trail was hardpacked soil with many rocks and tree roots to navigate over or around. At times it was quite narrow, brushing closely past vegetation. There were several boardwalks to cross over wet areas, and at least one hike-in campsite was situated along the trail. Where the trail meets Whale Lake was a nice, scenic place to stop and rest. It began to sprinkle lightly just as we were beginning the steep climb to the top, but we didn't pay it much mind as we were focused on the goal! Near the top we reached a vista and a fellow hiker directed us to follow the cairns to the high point where the plaque was. We did it! While we were taking pictures the rain began to fall in earnest so we donned our rain jackets for the return journey. By the time we got back to the trailhead our pants were soaked but we were warm and dry on top. We spent 3:30 on the trail, covering 7.0 miles.

Cascade River State Park: Cascade River State Park is hard to miss -- Hwy. 61 passes right smack through it 10 miles south of Grand Marais. Its main focus, naturally, is the Cascade River which drops 900 feet in its last three miles before flowing into Lake Superior. This makes for some pretty marvelous waterfalls! The park is also home to Lookout Mountain in Minnesota's ancient Sawtooth mountain range.

Before heading to the park, we stopped at the Grand Marais municipal campground to hike the 1-mile Sweetheart's Bluff nature trail, which featured beautiful views of the harbor and shoreline.

From the trailhead parking at Cascade River State Park, we followed the signs to the Hiking Club trail, which ended up following the Superior Hiking Trail for some distance. The trail was primarily hardpack soil along with some wooden stairs and supports, as well as a bridge over the river. Very quickly we came to the first waterfall. Because we were losing daylight due to the hour, the pictures seem somewhat dark and do not do justice to the view. We followed the SHT up the bluff next to the river and then veered off as we headed toward Lookout Mountain. The trail was quite steep and exhausting at times, and we'd already hiked 7 miles to Eagle Mountain earlier in the day! When we finally reached the lookout there was no view to be had. We could only just barely make out a ridgeline in the distance. It was hard not to wonder what the view might be like on a better day. Coming back down from Lookout Mountain we caught the narrower Hiking Club trail again, heading through the woods. This last part of the loop took us through a more prairie environment, where the trail itself was mowed grasses. There was a wildflower spur trail alongside the main trail here where some plants were labeled, but not many. Eventually, a very exhausted Jonas and Julia made it back to the car. Whew! We covered 3.5 miles in about 1:45.
 
Relevant links: Superior National Forest
 Boundary Waters Canoe Area
 Grand Marais, Minnesota		 Cascade River State Park
 Minnesota DNR
 Superior Hiking Trail

 
09-24-05: Julia at The Pie Place.

09-24-05: ...and then we were attacked by a giant eye!

09-24-05: Chicken-like pigeons at The Pie Place.

09-24-05: Julia at The Pie Place.

09-24-05: Overlooking Grand Marais.

09-24-05: Julia at the Eagle Mountain trailhead parking lot.

09-24-05: Jonas at the trailhead.

09-24-05: Julia having a drink from the CamelBak.

09-24-05: Jonas on the trail.

09-24-05: Whale Lake.

09-24-05: Jonas at Whale Lake.

09-24-05: Julia on the trail.

09-24-05: Julia on Eagle Mountain.

09-24-05: Here we are at 2,301 feet, the highest point in Minnesota!

09-24-05: The USGS benchmark at the top.

09-24-05: The plaque on top of Eagle Mountain.

09-24-05: Julia reverently touches the benchmark.

09-24-05: Jonas enthusiastically touches the benchmark!

09-24-05: Julia pours some water from Lake Superior over the plaque so that it can flow down and back into the lake.

09-24-05: Jonas on Eagle Mountain.

09-24-05: The view from Eagle Mountain.

09-24-05: Julia pours out some more water, just for the halibut.

09-24-05: Wet!

09-24-05: Jonas at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness boundary.

09-24-05: Almost there...!

09-24-05: Hooray! And 7 miles later we're back at the trailhead.

09-24-05: Julia the wet kitten.

09-24-05: Here we are on the Sweetheart's Bluff trail in Grand Marais.

09-24-05: Waves crashing onto the rocks at Lake Superior's shore.

09-24-05: The Superior shoreline.

09-24-05: Jonas at the Superior shoreline.

09-24-05: Oh, deer!

09-24-05: The deer poses patiently for us as we take the picture.

09-24-05: Cascading falls in Cascade River state park.

09-24-05: The Cascade River.

09-24-05: Jonas and The Cascades.

09-24-05: Another shot of The Cascades.

09-24-05: Jonas on the bluff overlooking the river.

09-24-05: Julia points to the SHT sign!

09-24-05: Julia by the river.

09-24-05: Jonas takes a swig from the CamelBak.

09-24-05: Jonas on the trail.

09-24-05: Julia at Lookout Mountain.

09-24-05: In this close-up shot you can see the faint ridgeline in the distance.

09-24-05: Cute lichen growing in the teeth of the trail sign.

09-24-05: Julia on a bridge spanning the river.