Two Trail Renewal Projects Require Closures
Updated September 5, 2024
In 2024, the Superior Hiking Trail Association will complete Trail Renewal Projects on two of the Superior Hiking Trail’s most popular loop hikes – the Split Rock River Loop and Bean and Bear Lakes Loop.
Edited to add: The Bean and Bear Lakes Loop is open as of September 6. The Trail Renewal Project has been completed.
The Association, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, will close sections of these loops to protect the safety of trail users and project contractors.
Due to deferred maintenance and high usage of these sections, both the Bean and Bear Lakes Loop and Split Rock River Loop are experiencing serious erosion and tread issues, and also feature aging infrastructure.
Both loops require updating to modern trail design standards. These renewal projects will restore and renew these gorgeous North Shore trail loops to be enjoyed for many years to come while also increasing their ability to withstand high visitor use and weather-related impacts.
Bean and Bear Lakes Loop: Open as of Sept. 6
The Bean and Bear Lakes Loop closure began May 15 and ended Friday, September 6, and impacted 2.2 miles of the main SHT corridor between the western junction of the spur trail to the Bay Area Historical Society Trailhead and an all-terrain vehicle trail to the north of Bear Lake. This closure also impacted 1.2 miles of the eastern spur to the Bay Area Historical Society Trailhead between the main SHT corridor and the junction with the western arm of the spur.
Trail users were able to bypass the closed section using an SHT spur trail and George’s Gorge Trail, an all-terrain vehicle trail. This closure included the Penn Creek and Bear Lake Campsites, and all Bean and Bear Lake overlooks. All campsites are also open as of September 6.
Renewal of this popular loop will continue next year on the southern side, and will also include improvements to the Bear Lake campsite.
Split Rock River Loop
The eastern side of the Split Rock River Loop will close September 1 and impact 1.8 miles of the main SHT corridor between the eastern junction of the spur trail to the Split Rock River Wayside Trailhead and the river crossing at the top of the loop.
Trail users will be able to bypass the closed section on spur trails, the same reroute suggested when the river is running too high to ford safely. This closure includes the Southeast and Northeast Split Rock River Campsites. Overnight trail users should plan to use a different campsite on this section for the duration of the closure.
When these trail sections will reopen is project dependent. Please check the Association’s Trail Conditions page for more information and reopening announcements.
Due to deferred maintenance and high-usage, both the Bean and Bear Lakes Loop and Split Rock River Loop are experiencing serious erosion and tread issues, and also feature aging infrastructure. Top left: SHTA Trail Operations Director Tamer Ibrahim stands in front of a staircase on the Split Rock River Loop in need of replacement. Top middle: Erosion is undercutting a staircase on the loop. Top right: Aging infrastructure like this puncheon needs replacement. Bottom left: An example of degraded tread and trail widening. Bottom middle: These renewal projects will allow us to move the Trail to more sustainable and resilient locations, and rehabilitate the tread. Bottom right: Trail users have widened the 18″ tread and created a new trail to the left in an attempt to avoid the mud.
Alternate suggested hikes
Looking for a new place to explore on the Superior Hiking Trail while the Bean and Bear Lakes and Split Rock River Loops are closed? Check out these amazing places.
We’ve got a list of suggested hikes ready to go for our Hike 50 Challenge this year. All of these offer beautiful things to see. Click to download.
Looking for a similar river loop hike? Crosby Manitou State Park offers amazing hiking along the Manitou River on the SHT. Create your own loop using state park trails like the Cedar Ridge Trail, Beaver Bog Trail, and Matt Willis Trail, the latter two will also offer a view of Benson Lake. Click to download a park map here.
The Duluth SHT offers three loop hikes at Spirit Mountain, Ely’s Peak, and Brewer Park.
For the fall color season, other places on the SHT offers equally stunning views like Section 13 near Finland or Britton Peak, the Leveaux Mountain Loop, or Oberg Mountain Loop near Lutsen.
These projects are made possible with funding support from the Environment and Natural Resource Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.