Fire tower, small lake await hikers in forest

The Cromwell Lookout Tower.
Photo courtesy Minnesota's Historical
Fire Lookout Towers blog.

Minnesota's Rogers Lake Trail
runs for 7 miles across brushland

Families with older children will enjoy a hike past a fire tower and around small Rogers Lake in Minnesota’s Fond Du Lac State Forest.

The Rogers Lake Trail – a lollipop route in which the stem is far longer than the loop – runs about 7 miles round trip. A plethora of unnamed trails can be found throughout this corner of the state forest; for convenience, we’ve named the route after its destination.

To reach the trail, from Cromwell, take Minn. Hwy. 73 north. Turn right/east onto County Road 122 and then left/north onto County Road 120. Finally, go right/east onto County Road 223 (aka State Forest Road). The trailhead is in about a third of a mile, on the road’s right/south side. Park far off the road’s shoulder.

From the road, the jeep trail passes through a small clump of evergreens and then past the Cromwell Lookout Tower. Built in 1949 by the state forest service, the tower reaches 100 feet high.

Fires are common in the 64,505-acre state forest that stretches across Carlton and St. Louis counties. In fact, one of Minnesota’s deadliest forest fires occurred in what later would become the state forest: The 1918 Cloquet Fire, sparked during a drought, left 453 dead and burned 250,000 acres.

Marshland
After a road gate, the trail heads south into open brush country. Alder and willow trees tend to dominate most of the state forest’s brush areas.

In about a quarter mile from the fire tower, the trail veers northeast and parallels a long, narrow stretch of marsh. If hiking in spring or summer, be sure to wear mosquito repellent.

About a mile from the trailhead, you’ll come to a tree farm. There’s a small shelter here for resting. The trail briefly passes through the plantation. With younger children, this marks a good spot to turn around; you’ve gone 1.5 miles for a 3-mile round trip.

If doing the full hike, the jeep trail crosses a narrower walking path then turns north, going by wetlands that usually are more blue than dry. This is an excellent place to watch for waterfowl, especially ducks.

Rogers Lake
The trail then continues northeast, coming to a junction for a logging road heading south; go straight/northeast, however.

Next the trail reaches a T-intersection. Go left/north; within a few dozen feet, turn right/east. The trail to this point has been a stem to this small, 1-mile loop that circles Rogers Lake.

Go left/north (or clockwise) on the loop. Rogers Lake covers six acres and so is among the smallest of Carlton County's 114 lakes. The terrain around the lake does head up and down a little, but most of the trail is flat and even.

Once the loop reaches the main stem trail, return the way you came.

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

Hike to 100-foot tall fire tower at St. Croix SP

View from fire tower at St. Croix State Park, Minnesota.

Day hikers can walk to and climb to the top of a 100-foot fire tower at St. Croix State Park in Pine County, Minn.

An amazing 127-plus miles of hiking trails cross the state park’s 34,000 acres. A combination of three of them (here dubbed the Kettle River Highbanks to Observation Tower Route) marks a great 3.6-mile (7.2-miles round trip) route for physically fit families with a lot of energy.

To reach the park from Minneapolis-St. Paul, take Interstate 35 north, exiting on Minn. Hwy. 48 in Hinckley. At County Road 22, turn south. In about five miles, you’ll reach the park headquarters. From there, turn right/west onto St. John’s Road. At the point the road turns to gravel, you have about a nine-mile drive. Your destination is the Kettle River Highlands, which offers limited parking.

From there, hike north paralleling the road you drove in on. You’ll first pass the Chapel Grove, an impressive stand of red pines. In about 1.5 miles, the road forks. Go right/northeast.

In just under 1.1 miles, a trail bridge crosses Bear Creek. At the next fork, go left/west. You’re now on the Matthew Lourey State Trail, which links the park to the Chengwatana, St. Croix and Nemadji state forests.

In about 0.8 miles, head off the Matthew Lourey by turning left/south for the observation tower. You’ll arrive at the tower in about a third of a mile.

The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed the tower in 1937. For the next 40-plus years, watchmen assigned to it scanned the surrounding forests for fires. No breaks or reading were allowed, and visitors were limited to 10-minute stays. The last watchman sat here in 1981, when aerial surveys became the preferred way to spot forest fires.

These days, you can stay in the tower as long as you like. Looking south from it, Bear Creek runs west to east immediately below. In the distance is the Kettle River, a State Wild and Scenic River, which flows southeast to the St. Croix.

After taking in the view, follow the trail back to your vehicle or have someone meet you at the parking lot below the tower (Yes, you could have driven straight to the tower, but then there wouldn’t have been any hiking, would there?).

Read more about day hiking the scenic riverway in my guidebook Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

Great hiking trail in Acadia: Beech Mountain

Set of trails heads to historic
fire tower on granite summit

Acadia National Park is home to the tallest mountains on the Atlantic Ocean. And at nearly 48,000 acres, the park offers a number of great peaks to explore and view the rugged Maine coastline.

One such spot is Beech Mountain. Topping out at 839 feet, it provides an impressive view of Mount Desert Island as well as a fire tower to enjoy.

Tree-lined path
Finding the mountain is easy enough. From Rt. 102, head onto its western branch, also known as Pretty Marsh Road. After a quarter mile, turn left onto Beech Hill Road. In about 3.1 miles, you’ll reach the Beech Mountain parking lot. Watch for the observation tower; it can be seen from miles away.

Start the 2.4-mile hike by locating the head for Valley Trail at the lot’s left-hand corner of the lot. The tree-lined path runs flat and smooth. About a third of a mile in, boulders appear with increasing frequency. Watch for rock cap fern, which grows atop some of the rocks, and for slab caves, or small hollows between granite blocks where local fauna often live.

At about 0.6 miles, turn right onto Beech South Ridge Trail and head up stone steps. Low-lying Canada dogwood and tall boulders line much of the trail. Also look for rock tripe, which are brown, scaly patches on the rock faces. Orange-hued mushrooms sometimes also can be spotted.

Most of the trail for the next 0.8 miles are rock steps, some of it winding, some of it steep ascents followed by flat stretches. A series of outlooks allow you to catch your breath while enjoying water views.

Fire tower
Beech Mountain summit, a granite peak sporting rocks about the fire tower’s base, offers spectacular views. To the west-northwest stretches Long Pond. To the northeast is Echo Lake, and to the east Somes Sound. To the southeast is the great Atlantic Ocean. Distant mountain peaks and islands also are visible.

The steel fire tower with the open grating on its steps was erected in 1962, brought to the peak via air. It replaced a deteriorating, Depression-era wooden tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and that was used from 1941 to the mid-1950s. The new tower was rarely manned, except during times of high fire danger, until 1976. It’s now on the National Registry of Historic Fire Towers. The tower typically is closed to the public but usually opens once or twice a year; call 207-288-3338 and press “0,” Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., to see when it is. Even if closed, you still can head up the stairs to just below the cabin.

For the return trip, continue on Beech Mountain Trail past the tower. Turn left, or to the west. About 0.1 miles down, avoid veering off onto Beech West Ridge Trail. You want to continue heading straight or to the right. Great views abound the entire way. The trail then continues for another 0.7 miles, returning to the parking lot.

The best time to visit is between late April thru mid-November, but the temperature can swing wildly even in the summer as wind, fog and rain sweep the mountain top. Also, during the wet season, mosquitoes and black flies can frequent the area, so be prepared.

Learn about other great national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks guidebook.