Order of Visit: High Point #39
Date Visited: June 3, 2021
Route Taken: Eagle Mountain Trail from the Eagle Mountain Trailhead (Forest Road 170) – 6.5 miles round-trip
Type of Terrain: Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is heavily forested with several lakes. The first 2.5 miles of trail are generally flat, but the last 1/2 mile to the summit includes a steeper climb that will require good walking or hiking shoes.
Elevation: 2,301 feet
Ancestral Lands: Anishinabewaki
What’s in a name?
Eagle Mountain is such a popular name that there are two of them in northeast Minnesota. The shorter of the two peaks is located near the Lutsen Mountain Ski Resort (25 miles to the south of the state high point), while the higher mountain rests within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and is part of the east-west running Misquah Hills.
An expedition led by Newton H. Winchell (Minnesota’s state geologist) and Ulysses S. “Buck” Grant, Jr. (the president’s second son) measured the Misquah Hills in the 1890s before concluding they were the highest mountains in the state. While this assessment was accurate, the party misidentified which one of the peaks in the range was actually the tallest.
In 1961, the US Department of the Interior returned to northern Minnesota to conduct a new survey of the Misquah Hills and determined that Eagle Mountain was the state’s true high point. Point 2230 – the unnamed peak Mitchell and Grant believed to be the highest – was only the 5th tallest mountain in the range and is 70 feet lower than Eagle Mountain.
Unfortunately, Eagle Mountain was named well before anyone realized the geographic significance of the peak. So there are no definitive state records about the origins of its moniker. Nonetheless, it’s safe to assume that it was named for America’s national bird, like the myriad of other places throughout the US named Eagle Mountain, Eagle River, or Eagle Creek.
TRIP SUMMARY
Eagle Mountain was the third state high point I was attempting on my whirlwind Great Lakes trip. I’d already snagged Mt. Arvon (Michigan’s high point) and Timm’s Hill (Wisconsin’s high point) yesterday.
Not surprisingly, my quest to visit two high points in a single day proved to be pretty exhausting. It wasn’t the peaks themselves that were difficult. It was the hundreds of miles of driving from Chicago’s O’Hare airport, way up to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and then back down into the middle of Wisconsin, that seemed to drain me.
That fatigue was why I camped down near Rusch Preserve near Timm’s Hill last night. It was only 10 miles south of Wisconsin’s high point, and it didn’t cost me a dime because the area is part of the Ice Age Trail, which allows backcountry camping along its route.
As comfortable as my tent was (even in the overnight rain), I was wide awake this morning at 6:30 am. So I quickly packed up for another long day of driving today and set out for Minnesota’s high point – 300 miles to my northwest.
I was barely past the small town of Rib Lake, Wisconsin (and just 10 miles into today’s drive) when a deer suddenly darted out from the trees on the right side of the highway. It was on the roadway before I even noticed the movement. Then, it leaped right in front of my rental car as I careened down the highway at 50+ miles per hour.
I slammed on the brakes as hard as I could, but I didn’t have enough time to avoid hitting the deer. Instead, I clipped its body with the front of my rental SUV and the animal went flying to my left before disappearing into the woods once again.
As I tried to calm my racing heart and all the adrenaline coursing through me, I pulled my rental car to the shoulder of the road to assess the damage. I could barely open my door when I stopped, and I feared the worst. Was this rogue deer going to be the end of my highpointing trip?
As it turns out, the car was still operable. There was a crack in the bumper, and the deer’s body pushed the front quarter panel back and slightly out of alignment, which made opening the driver’s door near impossible. But at least my trip wasn’t coming to a sudden and immediate end!
The next 290 miles were far less eventful (thank goodness). I made my way to Lake Superior – the lowest point in the state at 600 feet elevation before driving north along Minnesota’s scenic North Shore.
Just beyond the Lutsen Ski Resort, I made a turn onto Caribou Drive near the town’s fire department. The paved road quickly turned into a dirt road, and I desperately hoped the road didn’t get its name because rogue caribou were waiting to jump in front of my rental car too.
After 17 miles, Caribou Road ended, and I turned right onto Forest Road 170 (FR-170). Then it was only a few more miles of dirt road driving to the well-marked parking area for the Eagle Mountain Trailhead.
The trailhead’s parking lot was filled with a surprising number of cars and trucks lining the perimeter. I hadn’t encountered anyone yesterday at my last two state high points. Apparently, Minnesota’s high point was a more popular summer spot.
As I stretched my weary legs from the long drive, my first stop was the kiosk near the trailhead. I needed to: (1) sign the guest register for Eagle Mountain; and (2) issue myself a one-day permit for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) wilderness – since I had to cross into the wilderness area to get to Eagle Mountain’s summit.
With those two tasks complete, I stuffed my permit into my daypack and it was time to hit the trail.
The Eagle Mountain Trail was incredibly easy to follow, even though it isn’t marked with any sort of blazes on the trees. The tread on this part of the trail was covered with rocks that ranged in size from grapefruits to watermelons. And those rocks were intermixed with a bunch of tree roots waiting to trip the more inattentive hikers (like me).
Despite the rocky and root-filled terrain, the trail was flat for the majority of my hike. The day was also warmer than I expected for early June. I’d camped along the North Shore back in June 2018, and I remembered lots of cold, rainy days that had me reaching for extra layers. But none of that was necessary on this visit.
I passed about a dozen hikers heading back toward me before I even got to Minnesota’s infamous Boundary Waters. “These folks must be the early birds,” I thought to myself. But, then again, most of them didn’t have to drive 300 miles from the middle of Wisconsin today.
Once in the BWCA, the mosquitos started to become a bit more noticeable. I’d worn a long-sleeve shirt and long pants to cover myself up, but they weren’t nearly as bad as the swarms on Mt. Arvon yesterday. Heck, I didn’t even have to pull out my head net.
As I walked across some boards through a boggy area, I could see a two more hikers with their dog up ahead. Unlike me, they’d worn shorts and t-shirts, and they seemed to be having a terrible time with the bugs devouring their exposed skin.
As I neared, the lady desperately asked me if I had some mosquito repellent. They’d left their bottle back in their car and were now seriously regretting that decision. After offering up my bottle of picaridin and watching them liberally douse their bare arms and legs with it, I was on my way once again.
I wished them good luck and set off toward Whale Lake, which I knew to be a key junction of the trail where I needed to turn left. If I continued walking straight ahead past the lake, I’d be heading out toward Brule Lake and deeper into the BCWA instead of up to the high point.
Luckily, the trail junction was well-marked with a sign. I made my left turn toward Eagle Mountain and followed the trail as it began to climb in earnest from this point onward.
The next half mile was filled with the majority of elevation gain for this high point, and the conditions were now rockier and wetter, too. It was only 400 vertical feet of climbing, but it sure felt far steeper on my achy, car-weary legs.
Near the top of the climb, I hit a lookout, and the views were 100% worth the effort. I could see for miles, and the horizon was filled with gorgeous shades of blues and greens. This would have been the perfect spot for a picnic lunch if I’d arrived a few hours earlier!
Beyond the lookout, the trail leveled off, and the tread transitioned to a flat rock surface. The trail was now harder to follow. However, I could tell there was still one area off to my right that was higher in elevation than me, so I made a beeline in that direction and eventually found a dirt trail again and worked my way to the summit.
A large boulder sat atop the summit with a giant black historical marker providing some of the geologic details of Minnesota’s Misquah Hills along with details about Winchell/Roosevelt’s mistaken identification of the state high point.
Just behind the plaque sat the metal survey monument. I’ll admit, it was one of the more unique markers that I’ve come across thus far. It had a silhouette of the state imprinted into the face along with an inscription noting that it’s the highest point in the state! Pretty cool!
After taking my summit photos, I didn’t have a whole lot of reasons to linger on Eagle Mountain. It was mid-afternoon and I still had a 1.5-hour drive back down the North Shore to Gooseberry Falls State Park – where I had a camping reservation waiting for me this evening.
As I turned back to make my way back to the car, I was treated to some even more spectacular views of some of the lakes in the Boundary Waters. People can say whatever they want about the frigid Minnesota winters or the funny Midwestern accent (think Fargo), but that scenery was a feast for the eyes!
Back down at the junction for Whale Lake, I ran into the couple with the dog once again and they asked for one more spritz of mosquito repellent. I was more than happy to share – especially since I’m usually the one in their shoes getting assaulted by bugs.
I made it all the way back to the car before I realized Eagle Mountain was my 39th state high point. My next one would take me into the 40s!! Now, that’s something to celebrate.
DETAILS
When to Visit: This hike is recommended between June and September because of its remote, northern location. Mosquitos can be a major problem after the snow melts, so visitors should come prepared with long sleeves, pants, and a bug head net, especially if you visit in June or July.
Getting There: Eagle Mountain is located 115 miles northwest of Duluth, Minnesota in the remote Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Although there are two trailheads hikers can use (Brule Lake Trailhead and Eagle Mountain Trailhead), most visitors opt to hike to the high point on the shorter Eagle Mountain Trail.
Entrance Fees: None. However, all visitors are required to complete a self-issued BWCA Wilderness permit from the box at the trailhead. If day hiking, the permit is free.
Parking: The Eagle Mountain Trailhead has a very large dirt lot just off Forest Road-170 that can accommodate at least 15-20 cars. Overnight parking is allowed, and there is a pit toilet on the edge of the parking lot.
Accessibility: This high point requires a 6.5-mile (roundtrip) hike that will require good stamina. The first 2.75 miles of the trail is a very gradual climb, but the trail is covered in rocks and tree roots. The final 0.5 mile is steeper and rockier.
Bonus: Eagle Mountain is just a stone’s throw from the Superior Hiking Trail – one of America’s National Scenic Trails. This 310-mile trail is marked with blue blazes and parallels Lake Superior’s coastline from the BWCA Wilderness down to Jay Cooke State Park. Trailheads access the Superior Hiking Trail every 3-11 miles, so it’s suitable for day hikes.
Resources:
- An Overview of Eagle Mountain (Summit Post)
- Map of Eagle Mountain Trail (US Forest Service)
- Eagle Mountain Trail (U.S. Forest Service)