North Shore of Lake Superior 3-day Trip

The Lake Superior Trail runs along the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota.  Parts of the trail run along the ridge of the lake, but the majority of the trail is further inland, surrounded by forest and wetlands.  This 3 day out-and-back trip took me from just west of Silver Bay, MN through Tettegouche State Park and back.

The trail started with a view of Lake Superior in the distance.

Lake Superior

The lake was in sight for most of the trip.

 The trail started off on a steady ascent for about 2 miles where we reached a peak elevation of about 1500 feet above sea level.  From then on the trail followed the ridge over looking the two in-land looks shown below.

Camping on this trail was only allowed in designated campsites.  No reservations were required, they were first come first serve which wasn't an issue.  In the 3 days we were out there, we did not see another hiker.  It was early April in Minnesota, so it still got to be around 20 F degrees at night, a little cold to be sleeping outside without the proper gear.  The campsites were a pleasant surprise, multiple tent pads, a fire ring, a pit toilet, and each site was located near a water source.  Here was our tent the first night. 

I am going to try and do other sections of this trail in the future, preferably some of the sections that are located directly on the shoreline of Lake Superior.  The Superior Hiking Trail is actually part of the North Country Scenic Trail which runs from Maine to North Dakota and is one of the country's 11 National Scenic Trails.