Plan a long-distance trek on Minnesota’s Superior Hiking Trail

Hugging the ridgelines above Lake Superior along northeastern Minnesota’s North Shore, the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) is the hottest long-distance footpath in the cool Northwoods. The SHT links two state forests, eight state parks and a national forest, plus it offers some 296 miles of continuous trail from Jay Cooke State Park near Duluth, Minn., to the Canadian border.

Ever changing, the SHT meanders through deciduous and boreal forests; past babbling brooks, swift rivers and waterfalls; and atop the windswept rocky escarpments of the appropriately named Sawtooth Mountains. No matter where you are on this hilly and sometimes-rugged trail, you’re never far from the sprawling, spectacular expanse of Gitche-Gumee (Lake Superior), the world’s largest freshwater lake in surface area.

Backpacker magazine ranks the SHT as “one of the most scenic trails in the nation.” National Geographic claims it is the “best long hike in the country between the Continental Divide and the Appalachian Trail.” Superlatives, indeed, but these are not exaggerations. Even hard-core wanderers are blown away by the dramatic scenery to be found there.

Built, maintained and managed by the all-volunteer Superior Hiking Trail Association, the SHT offers a genuine opportunity to get away from the crowds. With 53 trailheads along nearly 300 miles of trail — all of which is restricted to foot travel only — your options are plentiful, from a simple overnighter to an epic three-week thru-hike. Elevations range from Lake Superior at 602 feet above sea level to various ridge tops at more than 1,800 feet.

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