I had been meaning to climb Eagle Mountain in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area for some time. I had some back pain this spring, and I realized I should climb it while I was still young enough. Eagle Mountain is the highest point in Minnesota, at 2,301 feet above sea level. It's perhaps not much of a mountain, but it's what we have. Eagle Mountain was recognized to be the highest point on Minnesota in 1961, when a geological survey indicated it was higher than the Misquah Hills High Point, which is 2230 feet. The trailhead starts from outside the BWCA, and you hike into the BWCA as you proceed along the trail.
We stayed in a Two Islands Campground in the Superior National Forest. The campsite was fairly primitive, it had pit toilets, and a well, which produced rusty water — there’s a lot of iron in the water up there. It may have been safe to drink, but we just used it for washing dishes. The campsite did have a boat launch and a great view of one of our numerous lakes.
The trail is a there-and-back trail, often taking about 2.5 hours to reach the summit, of 5 hours for the round trip. It was 7 hours before we got back to the trailhead, because we rested a lot. The trail starts out steep and rocky and then gets steeper and rockier. It doesn’t require any mountain climbing equipment — it’s just a rather strenuous trail, not climbing Denali. At one point, the trail will branch off, with one branch going to Brule Lake and the other to the summit. The most difficult part of the hike is at that point, where you’re scrambling over boulders. It gets smoother after that.
When you get to the summit, you’re treated to a very nice vista of the BWCA and a number of lakes. Bring plenty of water, or bring something to treat the water you find. Whale Lake looks very clear, but you never know what’s in the water.
The hike back was really tiring, and we were rationing water. I had some water purification pills that I should have brought along. We were passed along the trail by younger people with more stamina. It was certainly worth doing once, I’m glad I checked it off my bucket list. but I don’t know if I’d do it again. I’ve just got a lot of hikes still on my bucket list. I’ve never visited Voyageurs’ National Park, nor have I gone canoeing in the BWCA.
We also visited the North Shore of Lake Superior that weekend, but that’s for another diary.