Hike past site of Minnesota’s only gold mine

Map of trail Little American Island sites. Courtesy of Voyageurs NPS.

Day hikers can explore the only authentic gold mine discovered in Minnesota.

The Little American Island Trail loops 0.25 miles in at Voyageurs National Park’s Rainy Day area. In summer, a boat is needed to reach the trail on Little American Island, but you can hike, snowmobile or ski there in winter.

If you need to hitch a ride there, the Grand Tour, a ranger-led boat tour, heads to and from the island in a Rainy Lake bay three days a week on summer afternoons. Along the way, you can see active eagle nests and a commercial fishing camp. The tour does charge a fee.

From the dock on the island’s north side, the trail heads about 100 feet inland. At the first junction, go right/west on the trail. This loops over an adit, a passage that leads into a mine, usually built for access or drainage.

Boomtown
In 1893 while prospecting on the island, George Davis discovered the gold in a six-foot wide vein of quartz. He crushed some of it, and an analysis found about 25 cents worth of gold in the sample.

With that news, the island's owner, Charles Moore, sold the land to some Duluth businessmen, and mining began in earnest. To support the operation, Rainy Lake City sprung up on the east side of Black Bay Narrows about a mile southeast of the island. At its height, the mining town boasted a population of a few hundred with 17 saloons (which sold whiskey at 15 cents a glass), a dry goods store, lumberyard, bank, furniture store, bank, hotels, bakery, brick factory, post office and even a school.

At the next trail junction, go right/south. This spur leads to another shaft and a pile of tailings. Most of the mine’s tailings were used to construct nearby International Falls’ main street, causing many to jokingly nickname it the “city whose streets are paved with gold.”

Returning to the main trail, go right/east. You’ll pass a large pulley wheel that was attached to a winch for hauling gold-bearing rock out of the mine. After that is another adit.

During the height of the rush in 1894-95, a 200-foot shaft the trail passes was dug with about $5600 of gold mined.

Waiting for eons
Magma pushed the gold up to the surface about 2.1 billion years ago when a fault line ran through the area. The fault was similar to today's San Andreas Fault, caused by two tectonic plates sliding past one another, as this region was near the southern edge of the Canadian Shield, the beginning of the North American continent we know today.

In the late 1890s, many other mines, both shafts and exploratory pits, across the “Rainy Lake Gold Fields” were dug, but no more gold was found. The boomtown soon went bust and became a ghost town by 1901.

At the next junction, turn right/east. In about 200 feet is an overlook of scenic Rainy Lake. Once you’ve taken in the view, return back to the junction except continue walking straight/west. The trail at the intersection that follow heads back to the dock; turn right/north onto it.

Trail links Voyageurs to International Falls

Rainy Lake Recreation Trail. Photo courtesy of Voyageurs NPS.

Visitors to Voyageurs National Park looking for an easy trail to hike or bike will enjoy the new Rainy Lake Recreation Trail.

Opened in 2015, the fairly flat, paved trail covers 1.7 miles one-way in the park’s Rainy Lake area. If looking for a longer walk or bicycle ride, the trail conveniently connects to the International Falls Bike Trail, which runs for another 12 miles.

Trail map. Map courtesy of Voyageurs NPS.

To reach the trailhead, from International Falls take Minn. Hwy. 11 east. Turn on County Road 96 and follow the signs to the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. Park at the center.

Before heading out onto the trail, stop at the center to enjoy its exhibit, children’s activity center, and small theater for enjoying a film about the park. Rainy Lake is the only one of the park's three visitor centers that operates year around. A bike rack, picnic table, and benches are available at the visitor center plaza.

From the visitor center, the trail runs alongside the park road and County Road 96, dipping into the woods and curling around rock outcroppings.
The trail reaches the International Falls Bike Trail at the junction of County Road 96 and Hwy. 11. Running 12 miles, the bike trail offers views of Rainy Lake, heads through woodlands, and passes vibrant marshes and lakefront neighborhoods. A portion of the bike trail is in Koochiching State Forest.

At Jackfish Bay, the Bike Trail becomes a designated on-road shoulder route, which is fine for bicyclists but not so great for hikers or walkers. It turns back to an off-road trail after passing through Ranier.

After passing the Voyageurs National Park Headquarters in International Falls and running alongside Rainy Lake’s southern shore, the trail ends downtown. Parking is available in the Chamber CVB lot (301 2nd Ave.), close to where U.S. Hwy. 53 meets Minn. Hwys. 11/71. The trail is a quarter mile east of the CVB office.

Wheelchair accessible, the connected trails are open to walkers, bicyclists, runners, and snowshoers. Pets are allowed but in the national park must be leashed of no more than 6 feet and attended at all times.

Learn more about the park’s day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at Voyageurs National Park guidebook.

Northern lights brighten trail’s night sky

Northern lights at Voyageurs National Park. Photo by Voyageurs NPS.

Oberholtzer Trail

Hikers can witness vivid displays of the aurora borealis at Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota.

One great day path to see the northern lights, as the aurora borealis is more commonly known, is the Oberholtzer Hiking Trail. The 1.7-miles round trip trail can be enjoyed during the day for its woodlands, lake view, and marsh, but at night its proximity to the Rainy Lake Visitor Center also makes it ideal for seeing these dancing lights.

To reach the trail, from International Falls take Minn. Hwy. 11 east to the park. Turn right/south onto County Road 96, aka Park Road; when Hwy 96 turns south, continue straight/east on Ut-342. Park in the lot for the Rainy Lake Visitor Center Public Boat Access, trying to find a space as close to the entry road as possible.

Walk along the side of the road toward the parking lot's junction with Ut-342; after a low, flat outcrop of rock but before the junction, look for the trailhead on the left/west.

The trail initially crosses an open area, running 0.35 miles to the beginning of its eastern loop. This stretch marks a great spot to stop and view the aurora borealis.

The light show occurs when charged particles from the sun strike the Earth’s magnetosphere, which deflects dangerous radiation and other magnetic waves from space. After being deflected, the striking particles flow around the Earth, as if water striking a stationary rock.

Sometimes the charged particles penetrate the magnetosphere, until smashing into nitrogen or oxygen atoms. Which one the particles hit and at what altitude this collision occurs determines the light show’s color.

Red lights means the particles are hitting oxygen, above 150 miles in altitude. If the particles hit oxygen below that altitude, they will be green. Purple is common when the particles contact nitrogen more than 60 miles above the surface. Blue occurs when hitting nitrogen below that height. Because of this, the northern lights can appear a variety of colors.

The aurora borealis will appear more intense in Voyageurs than at almost any other national park other than those in Alaska. That’s because the northern lights are more prevalent in middle to higher latitudes as approaching the pole. Sometimes at Voyageurs, it fills almost the entire sky.

The best time to see an aurora is during a solar storm on a clear night when there is little or no moonlight. An aurora forecast with maps is available online from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

If hiking the full trail during the day, go left/east onto it. Most of the rest of the way is wooded.

In 0.12 miles, you’ll come to a spur; go left/east into it, which in 0.05 miles leads to a bench overlooking Rainy Lake. All of Voyageurs’ lakes abound with walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass, and during daylight you’re certain to see fishermen on the waters.

Once taking in the view, head back on the spur; at the loop, continue left/west. In 0.1 miles, you’ll reach the junction with the main trail; go left/west onto it.

After 0.16 miles, the trail crosses County Road 96. Then in 0.06 miles, it reaches the western loop; go left/west on it.

The loop circles to the north and in 0.11 miles comes to a bench. In 0.03 miles from there, you’ll reach the end of loop; continue by retracing your steps back to the first loop.

Rather than going on the east loop again, stay left/northeast; in 0.04 miles, you’ll come to the other junction for loop. Keep left/north back and head back to the parking lot.

Oberholtzer Hiking Trail also is used as a snowshoe trail in winter.

Learn more about the park’s day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at Voyageurs National Park guidebook.

Tilson Creek trails link to VNP visitor center

Tilson Creek Ski Trails, Green Trail

Tilson Creek Ski Trails map

The Rainy Lake section of Voyageurs National Park nicely connects with several trails in neighboring Koochiching State Forest.

Tilson Connector Ski Trail
The 0.93 mile one-way trail links the national park’s Rainy Lake Visitor Center to the Tilson Creek Ski Trails.

To reach the trailhead, park at visitor center and head west from the lot, paralleling the park road. When the trail splits, go left/southwest, crossing County Road 96.

The trail passes through a wetlands then through a wooded area.

Also known as Voyageurs Tilson Trail, once in the state forest it becomes the Blue Trail of the Tilson Creek Ski Trails.

Tilson Creek Ski Trails
The Tilson Creek Ski Trails consists of 10 miles of ski trails arranged in several stacked loops, delineated on state forest maps by color.

Several routes are possible, ranging from short loops to longer excursions. The Blue Trail consists of three stacked loops with the last one joining the Orange Trail. South of the Orange Trail are the Yellow and then the Red trails. North of the Orange is the Green Trail and the Boardwalk.

In summer, grass quickly overgrows on these trails, so this is a good hike for dry days in spring or autumn after a good frost has knocked down the foliage. During winter, hiking is not allowed on the ski trails.

You also can access the trail system via the Green Trail. To do so, use the parking lot on the south side of Minn. Hwy. 11 east of International Falls in the Koochiching State Forest; this is the same lot used for the Tilson Creek Trail on the highway’s north side.

Learn more about the park’s day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at Voyageurs National Park guidebook.