- Estimated Cost: $55
- Deposit: $55
- Max Trip Size: 10 people
We welcome you to join us for a 3-day weekend of day hiking on the Border Route and further trail layout on the Moss Lake Ridge Trail which is now under development. We’ll depart from the Roseville REI at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, stop at Sir Benedict’s in Duluth, and continue up the North Shore to Grand Marais where we’ll head up the Gunflint Trail to our slightly developed but still primitive campsite on the Cross River upstream from Gunflint Lake.
On Friday we plan on doing a 10.5 mi. day hike and trail condition reconnaissance on the BRT from the South Lake Trail westward to the Crab Lake Cutoff. We’ll hike in on the South Lake Trail, built by the CCC in the 1930s and a marvel in trail layout. When we hit the BRT, we’ll head west past Sock and Topper Lakes to the Crab Lake Cutoff at which point we’ll take a left and head back to the Gunflint via the Cutoff and the Crab Lake Maintenance Access Trail. You can expect to see some good overlooks towards South, North, and Gunflint Lakes plus in the Crab Lake area you’ll get to experience the re-growth following the Ham Lake Burn of two years ago. With luck the raspberries and/or blueberries will still be out.
On Saturday we’ll hike in on the South Lake Trail and split into two groups, one to do maintenance on the South Lake Trail and the other to head east on the Birch / Moss Portage to continue the layout on the western end of the Moss Ridge Trail. When completed the Moss Ridge Trail will form part of a 12.5 mile loop route which will incorporate some of the most spectacular concentration of overlooks in the Upper Midwest. It’ll be well worth the effort.
On Sunday we’ll pack up camp in the morning and head over to the Caribou Rock Trail where we’ll once again split into two groups, one to do some day hiking on the Caribou Rock Trail and the other to continue with the refinement of layout on the Moss Lake Ridge Trail. We aim to get on the road by 3:00 p.m., stop for fast food in Duluth, and be back in the Twin Cities by 9:00 p.m. Estimated cost: $55. Deposit: $55. Max trip size: 10.
Sponsoring organization: Border Route Trail Association& The Border Route Trail Meetup Group
Ed S.