Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail, 7th Edition, published 2013, 232 pages, published by the Superior Hiking Trail Association. Guide details 310 mile footpath on the North Shore of Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota. Complete details for day hikes or backpack trips with 93 free backcountry campsites. Easily one of the top trails in the United States. Includes detailed maps.
I hiked the Gooseberry to Tettegouche portion, camped three nights, saw Bear and Bean lake, the precipitious overlook and cliffs, many sticks and stones, a number of rivers, streams and cricks and crawdads...pretty much an amazing four day, three night hike. This guide was right on. The baptism river, and the falls before lake superior, are amazing to view, to swim in and to appreciate the occasional group of Aer Linguis flight attendants...ah, Erin.
Goosebery river Split rock river Beaver river Baptism river Bean lake Bear lake
Fish caught: 0
Days hiking: 4
Nights camping: 3
Weight, in pounds, of unneccessary stuff I brought with me: 25-30
Mixed feelings about this book. Practically speaking, it is super annoying how the mileage is laid out: hiking distances from parking lot to parking lot, when really you're hiking from camping spot to camping spot. Also most people tend to hike North to south while the book goes south to north, so you are doing a lot of math in your head. Still, it is comprehensive and also the only book out there detailing this trail. I've used this book to plan many day hikes, weekend trips and one sections where a friend and I hiked 105 miles of it.
Very informative but at times a bit confusing on the twists & turns to getting to trailheads, etc. will be using a map, for sure instead of having my nose in the book! Looking forward to hiking this trail in sections with my sister. I learned a lot about the flora & fauna along the trail & am looking forward to actually experiencing it first hand
Thorough guidebook. I used it this summer and fall(2008)when I backpacked the SHT. Get the maps from SHTA too. Mile by mile description, including campsites and water sources. I've read this repeatedly while planning for the trip.
I was planning on hiking the trail end to end sometime. But when I read the trail is 277 miles and takes 3 or 4 weeks to complete, I much more appreciated the well researched, mile by mile description. It's like I hiked it already. And, boy, are my feet sore!
To be fair, my five star review is probably strongly influenced by my backpacking experiences I've had on the SHT, and not solely the content of the book. But, this book is incredible useful in planning a trip, and informing you regarding what you will see and experience during your hikes.
Provides a good overview of the area along with specific sections of the trail. I found the backstory and history of the area to be pretty interesting as well. Not particularly useful on the trail, but great during the planning of a trip.
Very helpful especially for our first hike on the Superior Trail. We're planning a 4th hike this summer and I continue to refer to this detailed account. It saved us from spending too much time in the wrong places and led us to some extroidenary spots with less traffic. Definitely a gem.