Alphabetical List of BWCA Hiking Trails
Angleworm Lake Trail - 100% of this trail is now online in the counterclockwise direction
A 15 mile long loop trail that makes a circuit of Angleworm Lake and Home Lake. Located 17 miles west of Ely along the Echo Trail. This is BWCA Entry Point 21 - Angleworm Lake Trail
Banadad Ski Trail
Benezie-Becoosin Loop Trail - 100% of this trail is now online (eastbound direction)
This is a loop trail (1.5 miles) that can be added onto the Snowbank Lake Trail and/or the Kekekabic Trail. This short trail leads to four campsites scattered along the shores of Benezi Lake and Becoosin Lake.
Big Moose Lake Trail - 100% of this trail is now online in both directions
The one-way trail distance is 2.1 miles from the trailhead to Big Moose Lake.
Border Route Trail - 5% of this trail is now online in both directions
A 65 mile long trail that begins at the north terminus of the Superior Hiking Trail on the east and ends at the eastern terminus of the Kekekabic Trail on the west on the Gunflint Trail. Some of the most spectacular overlooks to be found in the BWCA are accessible from this trail. Many access trails provide access to the Border Route Trail allowing for a nice assortment of day trips and short weekend hikes for those who don't have time to through hike the trail. The Border Route Trail is now part of the North Country National Scenic Trail.
Brule Lake Trail - 100% of this trail is now online in both directions
A fairly rugged and not frequently traveled 6.7 mile long trail that runs from Brule Lake to the junction with the Eagle Mountain Trail in the BWCA. It is possible to through hike, point-to-point, both the Eagle Mountain Trail and the Brule Lake Trail. Campsites at Fishhook Lake and Whale Lake.
Caribou Rock Trail - 100% of this trail is now online in the northbound direction
A 3.9 mile trail that extends from the Gunflint Trail to its junction with the Border Route Trail.
Centennial Trail - 100% of this trail is now online in the counterclockwise direction
This is a 3.3 mile interpretive loop trail. The north side of this loop follows the Kekekabic Trail for about a mile. Trail provides views of historic Paulsen Mine and provides some spectacular views near where the old trestle bridge used to stand. Accessible from the Gunflint Trail.
Clearwater Lake Palisades Trail - 100% of this trail is now online going up the palisade
A steep 0.53-mile hike up a rocky trail to the top of the westernmost of the Clearwater Lake palisades. Views from 300 feet above the lake. This trail is only reachable by boat.
Crab Lake Trail
A spur trail that provides access to the Border Route Trail. It is 2.4 miles from the parking lot to the junction with the BRT.
Daniels Lake Trail
Beginning near Clearwater Lake Lodge, the trail traverses 3 miles before joining up with the Border Route Trail.
Disappointment Lake Trail
This trail connects with Kekekabic Trail at about Mile 455 near the Band Saw Blade and just west of the Drumstick Lake Campsite. It is total of 3.9 miles in length. From the Kekekabic Trail, it heads north for about one mile along the east side of Disappointment Lake until it forms a three way junction with the Old Pines Trail (which itself heads east from the junction). From the junction with the Old Pines Trail, the Disappointment Lake Trail heads north, still along the east side of Disappointment Lake. It passes over the ridge between the north end of Disappointment Lake and the south shore of Ahsub Lake. From there it heads two more miles west to its junction with the Snowbank Lake Trail near the east shore of Snowbank Lake.
Eagle Mountain Trail - 100% of this trail is online
A heavily visited trail of 3.5 miles that takes you to the highest point in Minnesota - Eagle Mountain. Eagle Mountain is 2,301 feet high and the highest point for over 500 miles in any direction. This trail also connects to the Brule Lake Trail. The trails can be combined into a through hike, point-to-point. Campsites at Whale Lake.
Johnson Falls Trail - 100% of this trail is online
Hiking trail starts at Pine Lake next to the Canoe Lake portage. The trail takes about 30 minutes to hike and leads to upper and lower Johnson Falls. The trail starts out fairly level as it meanders along the Crocodile River. There are some muddy sections and some occasional downed trees to climb over, but trail is usually in decent shape. As you get closer to the lower falls, the trail steepens. The lower of the two falls is itself quite impressive, but the upper falls is even better. Continue hiking up a modest slope until reaching the second falls. If you have even more energy, there is a pretty wetland above upper Johnson Falls that you can hike too.
Kekekabic Trail - 17% of this trail is now online in the eastbound direction; 20% of this trail is now online in the westbound direction
This is a 38 mile long, very remote and rugged trail that connects the west end of the Border Route Trail (where they meet at the Gunflint Trail - a road) to Snowbank Lake. The Kekekabic Trail also connects to the Snowbank Lake Trail and the Old Pines Trail. The Kekekabic Trail is part of the North Country National Scenic Trail. Overlooks over two dozen lakes. About 15 campsites scattered along the length of the trail, all located on lakes.
Magnetic Rock Trail - 100% of this trail is now online in both directions
From the Gunflint Trail it is about a 1.5 mile hike to Magnetic Rock. Therefore this is roughly a 3 mile out and back hike. The Magnetic Rock Trail is just the western most 1.5 miles of the Border Route Trail. The Kekekabic Trail and the Centennial Trail trailhead is also nearby, just a few hundred feet down the Gunflint Trail on the other side of the road.
Morgan Lake Trail - 100% of this trail is now online in both directions
This is also the portage from BWCA Entry Point 45 to Morgan Lake. The trail/portage is about 370 rods long (just over a mile).
Moss Lake Trail
This is a new trail that completed a key link in a loop linking the Caribou Rock Trail, the South Lake Trail and the Border Route Trail. You can now make a 13.8 mile or 16 mile loop out of these three trails.
Mucker Lake Trail (aka Mayhew Lake Access Trail)
A 6 mile long roundtrip out to Mucker Lake. This trail intersects the Border Route Trail near to South Lake.
Old Pines Trail - 1% of this trail is now online
This trail is also sometimes referred to as the Disappointment Mountain Trail (not to be confused with the Disappointment Lake Trail). A difficult trail to follow in some places, depending on when it was last cleared. The trail is about 15.5 miles long. Connects to the Kekekabic Trail and the Snowbank Lake Trail.
Powwow Trail - 9% of this trail is now online
This trail was extensively damaged by the 2011 Pagami Creek Fire. The entire trail is 29.9 miles, from the trailhead, around the loop (24.5 miles) and then back to the trailhead. The "stick" section of the trail is 2.7 miles in each direction between the trailhead parking lot and "The Wye". Trail clearing volunteers (Thank you!) have re-opened the entire trail. Over 20 lakes, rivers and streams visible from the trail, including, Lake Isabella, the Isabella River and Lake Three.
Sioux-Hustler Trail
A 32 mile long loop trail located along the Echo Trail. For a good full day hike, it is about 6 miles (one-way) from the trailhead to Devil's Cascade, a 75 foot gorge with a rushing waterfall. Near Devil's Cascade the trail splits and creates a loop trail returning to this spot. The loop is 20 miles. The out-and-back to Devil's Cascade along the Little Indian Sioux River is about 12 miles.
Snowbank Lake Trail - 6% of this trail is now online
This trail forms a 24 mile loop around Snowbank Lake. The trail connects the the Old Pines Trail and the Kekekabic Trail. Note that much of this trail was damaged by the 2016 windstorm and as of 2018 long stretches of this loop trail have not yet been cleared.
Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) - this link opens a different website in a new window
A 310 mile virtual hike along this trail. (Note: This link takes you to another website.) The SHT is not in the BWCA, but it is part of the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST). The NCNST includes the Kekekabic Trail and the Border Route Trail.
South Lake Trail
About 7 miles round trip. Trailhead off the Gunflint Trail. Trail goes generally north 3.5 miles until it reaches South Lake. Intersects the Border Route Trail in this area. This is BWCA Entry Point 59.
The Grand Portage - 100% of this trail is now online in both directions
This trail is not in the BWCA, but it is historically significant to the BWCA as it was the portage along the Pigeon River that provided access to the interior lakes from Lake Superior. It's been used for hundreds of years. First by the Native Americans and then by the voyageurs during the fur trade era. Part of Grand Portage National Monument which is run by the National Park Service.
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