SUPERIOR HIKING
My
goal for our final full day on Minnesota’s North Shore was to hike to the
summits of several peaks. After focusing
mainly on waterfalls for the first two days, it was time to see some views!
First
up was a visit to Caribou Lake. Originally we had planned to visit Minnesota’s North Shore
in early October, 2022. The trip had
been cancelled due to a death in Christy’s family. The centerpiece of that trip would have
included a long weekend backpacking trip on the Superior Hiking Trail. One of the highlights of the route I had
planned was Lake Agnes and the Caribou Lake area. We decided against backpacking on this trip,
but I still wanted to see the area.
To
do that, I chose the short but steep hike up White Sky Rock. We parked at the trailhead near Caribou Lake
and started up a steep, rocky climb. A
little warm up would’ve been nice! Fortunately the steep part is fairly short. From there, we enjoyed an easier walk out to
a cliff with a great view of Caribou Lake.
The
trail actually continues from there. I decided to follow it in hopes of getting a
view of Lake Agnes. After a short
distance the trail forked. The path
ahead drops back down to the road near the west end of Caribou Lake. The other fork heads south and then curves west. Unfortunately both paths stay in the woods. Judging from the map, I didn’t think there
would be any additional views. I
rejoined Christy, and we made quick work of the short hike back to the car.
Next
on the agenda was Oberg Mountain. We
parked at a trailhead for the Superior Hiking Trail and followed that trail for
about a ˝ mile. Then we picked up a side
trail, which took us up to the top of the escarpment. Oberg Mountain is a broad, flat-topped
mountain surrounded by cliffs on nearly all sides. The trail makes a loop, connecting the tops
of all of the cliffs.
We went counter-clockwise, which worked out
well, as the views seemed to get better and better. We stopped at one viewpoint for lunch. In all, there were 6 or 7 scenic
overlooks. That’s a lot of bang for your
buck on a 2.4 mile hike.
Our
final hike of the day was Carlton Peak.
Once again we parked at a Superior Hiking Trail
access. This hike is almost entirely on
the SHT. Most of it was pretty easy, but it did get more challenging near the
end. We passed below the base of some
cliffs and then picked up a spur trail to the summit. That led to some great views. On our way back, I did a quick side trip out
to the Ted Tofte Overlook (not to be confused with the Ted Talk Overlook, which
is totally different). That cliff
provides views in a different direction, and also
provides a nice perspective on the cliffs of Carlton Peak.
I
thought about squeezing in one more hike, but we decided to head back to the
campground and enjoy our evening there.
As usual, a campfire discouraged some of the mosquitoes.
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