8 great hiking trails in Grand Portage, Minn.

Pigeon River Gorge on High Falls Trail. Photo courtesy
of Minnesota DNR.

Day hikers can enjoy Minnesota’s highest waterfall, an island where moose and wolves maintain a precarious balance, and expansive vistas of Lake Superior in the Grand Portage, Minn., area.

To reach the remote North Shore community on the U.S.-Canadian border, from Duluth, Minn., take Minn. Hwy. 61 north. Much of the Grand Portage area is an Indian reservation with a village on Lake Superior.

Among the many great hiking trails in the Grand Portage region are:
g East Huginnin Cove Trail segment – For centuries, Native Americans and later European settlers mined copper on Isle Royale National Park’s main island. The 19th century Wendigo Mine ruins are about 6-miles round trip along this segment, which can be reached via the Windigo visitor area.
g Greenstone Ridge Trail segment – At any given time, about 25 wolves and a thousand moose inhabit Isle Royale National Park, though these numbers vary greatly each year. The first two miles of this trail – which runs from Isle Royale’s western harbor at Windigo to the eastern harbor at Rock Harbor – offers the best chance of spotting these shy, reclusive creatures.
g High Falls Trail – Minnesota’s highest waterfall awaits day hikers at the end of this trail at Grand Portage State Park. The paved, handicap accessible walkway heads to a boardwalk with three observation decks for a 1.25-mile round trip hike.
g Middle Falls Trail – About 1.1 billion years ago here, magma seeped into rock beneath the surface, cooled and hardened; the last several ice ages have exposed the erosion-resistant diabase, leaving them as ridges. Some of that rock can be seen at Middle Falls, a 4.5-mile round trip via the High Falls Trail at Grand Portage State Park.
g Minong Ridge Trail segment – Though not the highest point on Isle Royale National Park’s main island, the Minong Ridge Overlook offers a better view year-round. This trail with connecting paths runs 6-miles round trip from and to the Windigo harbor area. The overlook provides views of the main island’s north shore looking toward Minnesota and Ontario on the mainland.
g Mount Josephine Trail – The 700-foot climb over the 1.5 miles from Grand Portage to Mount Josephine’s summit can be strenuous, but it’s well worth the effort. The vista yields views of Grand Portage Bay, Isle Royale, Pigeon Point, the Susie Islands, and Wauswaugoning Bay. Park in the Mount Josephine Trail lot off of County Road 17, near the fort.
g Mount Rose Trail – In addition to great views, the trail offers day hikers a chance to learn about local history. The half-mile paved walk to Mount Rose’s summit overlooks the National Monument and Grand Portage Bay with interpretive signs along the way.
g Windigo Nature Trail – A rarely visited island full of moose and wolves awaits day hikers on the Windigo Nature Trail in Isle Royale National Park. The 1.2-mile loop can be reached by taking a ferry from Grand Portage to Isle Royale in Lake Superior.

Read more about day hiking Northeast Minnesota in my Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota guidebook.

Hike traverses island park on Lake Superior

Moose at Isle Royale National Park.

Map of Windigo Nature Trail, courtesy of Isle Royale NPS.

A rarely visited island full of moose and wolves awaits day hikers at Isle Royale National Park.

Isle Royale, a 45-mile long island in the chilly waters of Lake Superior, requires a 3-hour ferry trip, or a shorter but more expensive journey via sea plane, to reach. Because of this and the island’s remoteness, the park sees only about 17,000 visitors annually.

Ferry or sea plane
It’s also closed in winter when Lake Superior freezes over. June through September mark the best time to visit the park.

The national park's Windigo Nature Trail is best reached from the ferry in Grand Portage. Alternatively, a sea plane can be taken from Houghton, Mich. In either case, advance reservations are recommended.

Once the ferry docks or the plane lands in Isle Royale’s Washington Harbor, head up to the visitor center then to the Windigo Park Store, where the trailhead is located.

The 1.2-mile loop rambles over a gently rolling landscape. You’ll pass through a a fern-filled cedar lowlands and a hardwood forest of maple and birch.

Moose, wolves and osprey
While on the trail, watch for evidence of the boreal forest’s wildlife. About 2400 moose typically live on the island, though that population rises and falls annually. Wolves also call the island home, though you’re unlikely to see the reclusive creatures this close to the harbor. Keep an eye to the sky for osprey, however.

One highlight of the trail is the moose enclosure, a small fenced-in area that keeps out the area’s moose population to show the affect they have on the island’s vegetation.

Watch the trail for rusty nails, rotted timbers and broken clay pipes all – they’re leftovers from a mining community that existed on the island during the 1800s. In fact, the nature trail is the remains of an old road built by the miners.

Leaving on the outgoing ferry the same day as you arrive is possible, but time will be tight, so frequently check your watch. Alternately, camping and a lodge are available for overnight stays.

Though closer to Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ontario proper, the island actually is part of the state of Michigan.

Read more about day hiking Northeast Minnesota in my Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota guidebook.

Best trails for seeing the wonders of Minnesota’s Grand Portage S.P.

High Falls

Among the best ways to see the top sights of Minnesota’s Grand Portage State Park is via a day hike. Just three short trails and brief walk will allow you to enjoy each of the park’s highlights – the state’s highest waterfall, the international border, billion-year-old rock formations, and the Ojibwe culture.

Minnesota’s highest waterfall
The Pigeon River tumbles 120 feet over High Falls, and rainbows often are visible in its mist. A boardwalk off of the Falls Trail leads to fantastic views of the waterfalls for a 1.25-mile round trip hike.

International border
Most of the U.S.-Canadian border is an invisible line across the North American landscape. In the park, the Pigeon River forms a clear segment of that international boundary. The 1-mile round trip Falls Trail heads alongside the river.

Billion-year-old rock formations
About 1.1 billion years ago here, magma seeped into rock beneath the surface, cooled and hardened into diabase; the last several ice ages have exposed the erosion-resistant diabase, leaving them as ridges. Some of that rock forms and can be seen at Middle Falls, a 4.5-mile round trip via the Middle Falls Trail.

Ojibwe culture
Though not a day hike, the Welcome Center is an excellent location to learn about Ojibwe culture. The land making up the park actually is owned by the Grand Portage Indian Reservation and leased to the state. The center offers a number of interpretive displays.

Read more about day hiking Northeast Minnesota in my Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota guidebook.

Best trails to see Isle Royale NP's highlights

Moose at Isle Royale National Park.
Photo courtesy Michigan DNR.

Though Isle Royale National Park often is thought of as an overnight destination due to its remoteness, there are a number of day hiking trails available to enjoy its highlights.

Each Grand Portage, Minn., ferry stays four hours at the island, which allows time for most day hikes from the Windigo region, though you may have to hurry (Unless noted, all trails described here are from Windigo.). An International Biosphere Reserve consisting of 209 square miles of islands in Lake Superior, Isle Royale is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and depending on the weather, a few days on either side of the holiday.

Moose and wolves
At any given time, about 25 wolves and a thousand moose inhabit the island, though these numbers swing greatly each year. The first two miles of the Greenstone Ridge Trail, which runs from the Isle Royale’s western harbor at Windigo to the eastern harbor at Rock Harbor, offers the best chance of spotting these shy, reclusive creatures.

Copper mining site
For centuries, Native Americans and later European settlers mined copper on the island. The 19th century Wendigo Mine ruins are about 6-miles round trip along the East Huginnin Cove Trail.

Lake Superior view
Though not the highest point on the main island, the Minong Ridge Overlook offers a better view year-round. The Minong Ridge Trail with connecting paths runs 6 miles round trip. The overlook provides views of the main island’s north shore looking toward Minnesota and Ontario on the mainland.

Suzy’s Cave
How’s this for spunk: More than a century ago when the family of a young girl named Suzy Tooker summered on nearby Tooker Island (Her father was a fisherman.), she’d canoe to the main island to play in a cave. Today, you can hike the Rock Harbor Trail from Rock Harbor (accessible from either Houghton or Copper Harbor, Mich.) to that cave on a 6-mile round trip.

Read more about day hiking Northeast Minnesota in my Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota guidebook.