I really wanted to like this hike. Unless you're a committed thru-hiker or a local neighbor looking for a walk, don't bother with this newly-opened section of the Superior Hiking Trail just outside of Duluth. … read more

I completed the fourth leg of my hike to Two Harbors. Daphne the poodle and my father, the two of them nearly inseparable the whole way, hiked with me from Prindle Road to Lismore Road on the Superior Hiking Trail. … read more

I've never walked in the English countryside but today was darn close. We hiked...er, perambulated...2.5 miles through lovely farm fields on the North Shore State Trail. … read more

My summer hike from Duluth to Two Harbors continued today, two-plus weeks after it started. Today was the shortest stretch of all, from Hartley Park to Martin Road. … read more

I really like the idea of Duluth's urban wilderness, of wolves and moose walking our streets and wild places, of vast open forests just beyond city limits … read more

Just in the last few days, the waterfalls of the North Shore, from Duluth to Grand Portage, have shed their curtains of ice and are starting to roar. … read more

Looking for a great, amazingly scenic North Shore experience? Want to stroll and enjoy the view rather than hike and clamber? Head for Lutsen Mountains. The gondola ride to the top of Moose Mountain is like an express train to Beautyland. There is a great 4.2 mile hike from the top of the gondola back down on the Superior Hiking Trail. The maples of Mystery Mountain are amazing. The Via Ferrata-like scamper below the Moose Mountain ridge is remarkable..and difficult. That hike is Hike #35 in Hiking the North Shore, and it definitely lives up to the book's subtitles as … read more

It's one of the North Shore's best viewpoints. It's just a short hike in along good trails. And chances are, you've never been there. But you'll definitely want to hike to the top. Right in the heart of Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is Day Hill, named after the Duluthian Frank Day. It's a classic anorthosite knob, like Carlton Peak and Mount Trudee. The top is almost 250 feet above Lake Superior, so you're looking down on the entire park shoreline, including Split Rock Lighthouse, which looks tiny but dramatic about a mile away. Day Hill is famous for its lone fireplace. … read more

There's a deck with a view waiting for you at Gooseberry.On most lakes, the best part of your own private estate is the dock down by the water. Docks are useless on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Unless they are made of tons of concrete and are in a protected bay, the big lake will take them away.Instead of a dock, the best part of your own private North Shore estate is your deck. Many a fancy gathering has been on a North Shore deck, many an inspirational journal entry written.There are three terrific, gorgeous, brand new North Shore … read more

For the last of my 50 North Shore hikes, I almost left the dog at home.Chloe, the psychotic standard poodle, had accompanied me on half of my hikes so far, and she loved every one of them. Since I generally hike in the off-season and in mid-week, I feel okay letting the dog off the leash. Chloe, of course, feels great about being off leash, romping and spinning around.So for old time's sake and because, well, she insisted, she made this last trip.We call Chloe a woodle, because when she gets out in the wild woods she is more wolf … read more