Scenic State Park

Yesterday I packed up my stuff for another solo Eric adventure. I would be heading to McCarthy Beach State Park and Scenic State Park with a stop for a short hike in Superior National Forest. And so at about 10 a.m. I hit the road, passed the Miller Hill Mall and headed up towards the Iron Range.

My first stop was the grocery store in Virginia, Minnesota to get some food for camping. I then got back into the auto and headed into Superior National Forest. I briefly stopped at the Laurentian Divide picnic area for a really short hike along an interpretive trail.

I then headed deeper into the forest for a hike on an overgrown ski trail along side the Sturgeon River. The hike was scenically uninteresting, but on the way back to the car I got buzzed several times by some sort of hawk. That was exciting.

From the Sturgeon River Trail I headed to McCarthy Beach State Park. I hiked the Hiking Club trail there. Other than a walk along Pickerel Lake where I watched a loon dive and resurface a few times, it was another uninspiring hike. I had intended to camp at McCarthy beach, but it was still pretty early when I finished my hike and so I headed farther west to Scenic State Park.

Scenic State Park in appropriately named with a few really pretty lakes. I set up camp alongside Coon Lake, ate dinner, and then went for a hike to the beautiful Chase Point on an ice age relic esker. I was able to catch the sunset from the esker, before returning to my campsite in a thick swarm of mosquitoes.

Today I woke up and laid inside the tent for a while avoiding heading out into the early morning mosquitoes for as long as I could. Eventually I got up and ate breakfast, and then headed over to the park office to rent a kayak.

The paddling out on the lakes was fun. I paddled over to and around a small island. There were a lot of water lillies growing in the shallow areas. I then paddled across Coon Lake to check out a few loons that I saw swimming around. One of the loons dove practically under the kayak! I also saw a curious muskrat swimming around and checking me out. After two hours of paddling I returned the kayak and headed out. I had intended to hike the Hiking Club trail at Schoolcraft State Park, but it started pouring rain on the way there and so I headed home to Duluth.

Gooseberry Falls: The Old CCC Camp

Just a few photos of the remains of the CCC camp at Gooseberry Falls State Park.

Peregrine Watch

Noelle hard at work at her weekend job with Peregrine Watch.

Photo of the Day: French River Falls

This is a photo of French River Falls which lies just off of Minnesota highway 61. Most people speed right by it, not realizing it's even there.

Soudan Underground Mine State Park

A pretty interesting lightning storm passed through last night but I was able to stay dry and safe in my tent. This morning I packed up my wet tent and hit the road headed west to Soudan and the "Cadillac of Mines". What an interesting place! I got there a bit early and spent some time wandering around the surface of the park. I checked out the Engine House and Crusher house as well as the Headframe and trestle.


At 10am I went on my tour. I opted for the underground Mine Tour which began with an over 2,000 foot descent down into the cool, dark depths of the mine. Once we departed the cage, we rode a train to actual tour area. The tour was okay, but the mine itself was quite interesting.

Upon returning to the sunlight, I hiked the short 2.5 mile Hiking Club Trail. The trail passed by some more remnants of the mining industry. I went over the 50 mile mark in my Hiking Club book and was able to collect my second patch.

Ely, Minnesota: The Coolest Small Town in America

Yesterday evening after work I hit the road for some more adventure. I headed up Highway 61 and then veered away from the North Shore and headed west on Highway 1. My destination was the fair city of Ely, Minnesota which was voted the "Coolest Small Town in America" by Budget Travel. I found a campsite at the nice South Kawishiwi River campground.

I woke up this morning after a great night's sleep and headed over to Bear Head Lake State Park. At the park I hiked a little over seven miles, practically every trail in the park. While the scenery was not the most exciting I've ever seen, I enjoyed the walk and saw some birds, frogs, and a turtle. I was able to chalk up three more miles in my Hiking Club book.

From Bear Head Lake I headed back to Ely and explored town a little bit. I got lunch at Dairy Queen and then headed over to the very interesting Dorothy Molter Museum. In case you're not familiar with Dorothy Molter, she is also known as the Root beer Lady. For years she lived at Isle of Pines on Knife Lake in what is now the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. She operated a small resort on the island until the area was designated a wilderness. After that she lived there and offered visitors root beer and hospitality for donations. She also happened to be a nurse and helped out many canoeists who ran into trouble on the lakes.


After the wilderness designation there Molter was informed that she would have to leave the area, but after some legal wrangling with the forest service she was allowed to stay until her death. I picked up a book about Molter called "Root Beer Lady" by Bob Cary. So far it's an interesting read and I hope to learn much more about Molter before I finish it.

My tour guide at the museum told me about a nearby waterfall that I hadn't before heard of, so after my tour I headed out of town to check out Kawishiwi Falls. The falls were more impressive than I expected. Finally, I checked out the famous Pillow Rock of Ely Greenstone before returning to my campground.

Where I Work: Scenes of Gooseberry Falls

The Falls
Red Ossier Dogwood

Highbush Cranberry

Blue Flag Iris