Gitchi-Gami offers Beaver Bay segments

Map of Gitchi-Gami State Trail segments, Beaver Bay
and Silver Bay. Courtesy www.ggta.org/.

While always great for bicyclists, some segments of Minnesota’s Gitchi-Gami State Trail are not so wonderful for hikers. The trail north from Split Rock Lighthouse State Park to Silver Bay is one such stretch.

For most of that segment, the state trail hugs Minn. Hwy. 61 or takes a couple of brief diversions alongside local roads. This makes for a noisy walk with lots of wind from fast-moving vehicles as they pass.

Still, for those who want to walk a flat, paved trail that is just as pretty as what any anyone driving Hwy. 61 would see – and it is an extremely scenic drive of pines, forested uplands, and Lake Superior views – the Gitchi-Gami is a good option.

A couple of segments in particular stand out.

In Beaver Bay, start at the north end of the 14.1-mile trail that runs through Split Rock to Gooseberry Falls State Park. Begin in downtown Beaver Bay off of Hwy. 61 south/west of Slater Drive. Hike the trail as far south as you like; the creek south of Pine Bay Loop makes a good turnback point for a little more than 4-mile round trip.

From Silver Bay, the trail can be hiked south. From Rukavina Arena on Outer Drive, head 2.3 miles (4.6-miles round trip) south/west to West Road in Beaver Bay. Parking is available near the arena.

The Beaver Bay and Silver Bay segments do not connect.

In addition, the Silver Bay trailhead is as far north hikers can get to Tettagouche State Park. The next segment of the Gitchi-Gami State Trail begins at the Minnesota DOT wayside in Schroeder, north of Tettagouche.

Learn about nearby hiking trails in Day Hiking Trails of Split Rock Lighthouse State Park.

Hike heads along scenic MN’s Beaver River

Beaver River Falls. Courtesy briandjan607/flickr.

A scenic wilderness hike to the Beaver River awaits day hikers on Minnesota’s North Shore.

The Superior Hiking Trail segment runs 2-miles round trip.

To reach the trailhead, from Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, drive north on Minn. Hwy. 61 to Beaver Bay. One there, turn left/north on County Road 4/Lax Lake Road. A parking lot is on the road’s right/northeast side in 0.8 miles.

From the lot, head northeast on the trail. ATVs share the route for about 0.4 miles.

At that point, the trail crosses a metal bridge over the Beaver River then turns onto a footpath hugging the waterway. The Beaver River rises out of the highlands and runs 23.4 miles before spilling into Lake Superior.

Initially along the trail, the Beaver River is wide and gentle as it flows past fragrant cedar and white pine groves. Soon, though, the river turns into a raging cascade.

The trail then comes upon two small campsites. The North Beaver River Campsite is first, and a quarter mile later is the South Beaver River Campsite.

After the south campsite a mile into the hike, the trail turns away from the Beaver River and gains elevation through a forest of birch, cedar and spruce. Given the loss of the river view and the ascent, turn back at the south campsite.

Beaver River Falls
The Superior Hiking Trail unfortunately won’t get you to thundering Beaver River Falls. To see that, you’ll need to head south from the parking lot on County Road 4. Just before the Hwy. 61 intersection, turn left/northeast into the falls’ large parking lot.

From the lot, hike about 0.05 miles downhill to the falls. There, the river spills over ancient black rock that is around 1.09 billion years old. Several drops make up the falls, totaling about 55 feet in height.

Learn about nearby hiking trails in Day Hiking Trails of Split Rock Lighthouse State Park.

Ridge trail overlooks Lake Superior, river

Map of trail from Beaver Bay to eastern (E) and western (W) Cove Point
(solid yellow) and of Cove Point Spur Trail Loop (dotted yellow).
Map courtesy of  www.shta.org.

The second longest segment of Minnesota’s Superior Hiking Trail stretches between Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and Beaver Bay with 10.6 miles of uninterrupted trail. While that's a little long for a day hike, you can get a good taste of what awaits there via short segments from Beaver Bay to either eastern or western Cove Point.

The entire hike runs 6-miles round trip, though it can be shortened to half of that by stopping at a great vista of Lake Superior.

To reach the trailhead, from Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, travel north on Minn. Hwy. 61. Upon reaching the north side of Beaver Bay – the North Shore’s oldest Euro-American settlement – turn left/northwest onto County Road 4/Lax Lake Road. A parking is in 0.8 miles on the road's right/north side.

After parking, carefully cross the road and head straight into the woods on the narrow Superior Hiking Trail. You'll begin with a steady climb up a slab of moss-covered bedrock. When you begin to descend this hill, you're on the backside of the ancient volcanic slab. This up and down walk over a solid rock surface repeats itself four more times between Beaver Bay and Split Rock.

The trail sports a variety of trees, including balsam, birch and maple. Cedar groves dominate in lower areas.

At 1.3 miles is a spur trail to first of two vistas – eastern Cove Point. If looking for a short walk, head through the birch forest to this view of Lake Superior. It's in 0.2 miles. Turning back for the parking lot at the vista equals a 3-mile roundtrip hike.

Alternately, you can skip that spur trail and continue straight on the main trail to western Cove Point, which is 3 miles from the parking lot. The trail runs atop a cliff overlook the Beaver River to the north and offers some views of the railroad linking Iron Range taconite mines to a processing plant up the lake in Silver Bay.

The trail then turns south on the last leg to western Cove Point, running atop Fault Line Ridge. Red pines dominate the ridge and cliff overlooking the river. Turning back at western Cove Point is 6-miles round trip.

Another way to reach the points is via the Cove Point Spur Trail Loop. Start by parking at the Cove Point Lodge, cross Hwy. 61 and head uphill. You’ll head over a stream then pass a former mink farm and a communications tower. At 1.2 miles is the first junction. Going right/north leads you to a eastern Cove Point. Going left/west brings up to the main Superior Hiking Trail in 1.1 miles; go right/north on for 0.7 miles to western Cove Point. While part of the loop is wide, it’s an ascent the whole the way to the ridgelines where the two points sit.

Learn about nearby hiking trails in Day Hiking Trails of Split Rock Lighthouse State Park.