Holly Scherer 
“If you hike the trail out and back, as we did, the hike will be approximately three miles and take one to two hours… After our hike, it was time for the real reason we drove four hours north—to swim in a crisp, clean, north country lake.”
Test your gear before every trip, consider your backup plan, treat your list like Santa, prepare for bad weather, and a few more mistakes we’ve learned from the hard way…
Dreaming of a family camping trip but want to ensure it’s fun for everyone? Check out these tips to make your next trip your best trip.
There are no shortage of epic beaches and overlooks along Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. Here are three that should not be missed.
Just 40 miles from Ely, Lake Jeanette offers opportunities for secluded camping, swimming, paddling, and fishing. The Astrid Trail is accessed from the campground, with more than seven miles of hiking and connects four smaller but equally gorgeous lakes.
Explore two stunning trails on the western end of Minnesota’s arrowhead region, first the two-mile Pine Ridges Trail in Tower, MN. Then a hike amongst towering cedars, which date to the 1800s and were spared from logging.
Quiet, solitude, and roughing it – if you enjoy camping in beautiful places and don’t need a lot of amenities, Minnesota’s State Forest campgrounds might be the perfect fit for you.
The Timber-Frear is located about 15 miles northwest of Tofte in Superior National Forest. If you make the trek, consider extending your trip to explore additional camping, hiking, paddling, and fishing opportunities in the area. The route is about 10 miles long and can be explored as a day trip.
With rushing waterfalls and impressive potholes, hike one of the North Shore’s trails along the Temperance River, to surprising vistas of Lake Superior.
Tucked along winding, remote roads throughout Minnesota’s Arrowhead region are five fabulous state forests. Together, these five forests tout nearly 1.6 million acres of recreational land where you can camp, paddle, hike, hunt, fish, picnic, and cross-country ski. And unlike the other wonderful places I mentioned previously, these hidden gems are lesser known and see fewer visitors.
Biking the Mesabi Trail between Tower and Ely, part of 165 miles of jaw-dropping beauty, connecting 28 communities in MN’s wild north.
“Do we have to go hiking?” our nephew fussed as we made our way up Highway 61 along Minnesota’s North Shore…“Hiking is just walking and walking is boring.” “Well, how about this?” I wagered. “Let’s do this hike to Carlton Peak and if you don’t like hiking, we won’t do any more hikes for the rest of the trip.” “Fine,” he grumbled. “But I already know I’m not going to like it.”
From Minnesota’s highest peak to the mysteries of Magnetic Rock, there’s no better place to experience fall color than the Gunflint Trail. Tips for where to hike, camp and the best overlooks…
“Hey, bear,” I said after noticing the plump black bear sitting in the middle of the trail bingeing on that season’s abundant wild blueberries. I’m unsure whether she didn’t hear me …
Planning a trip to Voyageurs may seem daunting at first, but it’s one of the most beautiful of our National Parks and a must-see. Check out our deep dive into maps, hiking trails, reserving permits, paddling big water, protecting your food from bears, where to camp and more.
Voyageurs is unique in that it is a water-based national park. Of its 218,000 acres, 84,000 of those are water. This includes 655 miles of undeveloped shoreline and more than 500 islands. All campsites and many of the sites within the park require the use of watercraft to visit.
This trail is a delight year-round with raging water during the spring melt, wildflowers and berries in the summer, spectacular colors in the fall, and a wintery wonderland in the colder months. You’ll find the trailhead to the Vermilion Gorge Trail…
With 11,842 lakes and 69,200 miles of rivers and streams, it’s not hard to find somewhere to go stand-up paddleboarding in Minnesota. But in my opinion, the very best place to paddle is northeast Minnesota.
Where does the water from Devil’s Kettle go? Hike to the mysterious waterfall that splits across ancient rock, tumbles down 50 feet and disappears into a giant pothole…
I wonder if this has ever been true for you. Somewhere around mid-August, you realize that summer is almost over and you have yet to do most of your favorite summer activities. Here are six must-dos in northeast Minnesota this summer. #1 Camp in breathtaking places. #2 Hike a remote trail. #3 Swim in a lake…