Oberg Mountain is a great North Shore hike, especially in fall colors. Sure, it's full of people, but the views are so spectacular and so accessible, you just gotta do it. And maybe you should do it two times in a row.The trail starts from the Onion River Road, from the big trailhead parking lot 2.1 miles up from Highway 61. It's well-marked and easy to follow the whole way. The entire hike is about 2 miles long.The heart of the trail is the 1.3 mile loop around the summit of Oberg. There are seven different overlooks, each one quite … read more

I received a great e-mail the other day:"Hello Andrew,"I've been reading your Camping the North Shore book and have a question. On p. 65 (Climb Carlton Peak) you say that Carlton is the state's tallest mountain, at 1,526 feet. How can that be, when Eagle is 2,301 feet? Does it have something to do with where the base is?"Thanks, and thanks for a nice job on the info in the book."To my untrained eye, Carlton Peak sticks out from the surrounding landscape more than any other "mountain" in Minnesota I could think of, at lease when I wrote the camping … read more

My memories of hiking in Europe include gravity-defying gondola rides, permanently gray skies, and picnics in wildflower meadows featuring beef tongue.Who knew I'd find almost all of those things right here on the North Shore?I did the famous "gondola hike" at Lutsen Mountains yesterday. You take the mountain tram from the very Scandinavian village area of Lutsen up to the top of Moose Mountain, then hike on the SHT about four miles back down to your car. Europeans love gondolas, both the airborne mountain kind and the skinny canal boats in Venice.At the top of the gondola ride is a … read more

Thank you, Bryan Hansel, for seizing the day and capturing it on video. This vid show Bryan and a friend descending the Kadunce River up past Grand Marais, with ropes and safety equipment.Kadunce Canyoneering from Bryan Hansel on Vimeo. The streams and canyons of the North Shore are calling out for creative thinking outdoor professionals. If you're looking for a new North Shore adventure experience, get in touch with Bryan through his website. … read more

In my three days of hiking and camping up the North Shore last week, the best hike I took was the Middle Falls Trail at Grand Portage State Park. The hike kept getting better and better, and at one point I heard myself out loud saying, "Wow WOW WOW!"The route starts on the wide, paved half-mile trail to the High Falls. The streams are still running high in the Tip of the Arrowhead, and High Falls was rocking and rolling. This the highest waterfall in Minnesota, and we've been nice enough to share with Ontario, where it is just one … read more

Skinny Ski is the go-to website for the cross-country skiers I know. It's got nearly real-time reports from actual skiers out on the trails.In Duluth, you get really fresh reports on city trails, especially Piedmont, Hartley and Lester. Also the private trails at Snowflake get frequent reports.Reporting is a little spottier up the North Shore. The folks at Sugarbush report frequently, as do their skiers. Pincushion ski trails are updated about twice a week. And the folks up the Gunflint Trail provide detailed reports at least weekly.For the North Shore state parks, sometimes the best info comes from their weekly … read more

We are all seeking beauty, and many of us seek to capture beauty in a photo's frame, to understand, to remember. Our photos become our memories. And when there are no photos to be our memories, we may make do with symbols.It was a busy day at Split Rock Lighthouse last week for the annual Fitzgerald memorial ceremony. I attended the somber gathering at the lighthouse itself. Hearing the bells and the names brought that tragedy home.Right after the ceremony, I booked down the hill not only to try my own camera out on this, but also to see the … read more

Martin Kubik founder of the Kekekabic Trail Club, hikes the 41 mile wilderness trail in three days.Check it out. He's got great photos and a great story. … read more

A good day in the woods, a great day for the country. My weeks on injured reserve are done, and my apparently mild case of plantar fasciitis has healed. Plus I just couldn't stand to hang out in town all day waiting for election results. So in this very narrow window before deer season and the first snows, I got out on two trails I'd been meaning to hike all fall. Both trails were up the Cramer Road out of Finland. It had been so foggy next to Lake Superior I wanted to get away from the big cold water … read more

We drove from Ely to Duluth along Highway 1 the other day. There's some woozy curves along the way, especially woozy for kids in the back seat. I guess Noah wanted some fresh air, or he'd been inspired by the poodle, but he seemed to be enjoying the cool fall air and the breeze as we passed near Isabella.When Noah grins like this, my whole world lights up. … read more