Home on the Range #054: Bean & Bear Lakes on the Superior Hiking Trail
Adam Scepaniak 09.30.23
This week on “Home on the Range,” we make a departure from our standard topics of hunting, foraging, cooking, and homesteading in pursuit of a little more adventure. My wife and I were exploring the “North Shore” of Minnesota (the north shore to Lake Superior still within the state of Minnesota) which is renowned for its hiking, streams, waterfalls, and gorgeous views. With it also getting cooler and the leaves changing colors, it is starting to become prime “leaf looking” season. In Minnesota, that means donning your flannel, eating everything with a spritz of pumpkin in it, and lots of hiking to appreciate the Great Outdoors. High on my exploration list has been Bean and Bear Lake near the tourist town of Silver Bay, MN. Bean and Bear Lake are coveted for their picturesque views and it is a challenging hike for those who want a bit of cardio. We’ll share our experience of hiking Bean and Bear Lake on the Superior Hiking Trail to see if this is a hike you might want to commit to in the future. Let’s dive in!
“Home on the Range” Series Coverage on AllOutdoor
- Home on the Range #053: Northstar Forge Knife Forging Process – Part II
- Home on the Range #052: Northstar Forge Knife Forging Process – Part I
- Home on the Range #051: Railroad Spike Knife Forging at Northstar Forge
- Home on the Range #050: Honey, Bees & Beekeeping – How Sweet It Is!
- Home on the Range #049: Still Hunting – Ground Hunting Deer w/o a Blind
Welcome to our reoccurring series of “Home on the Range.” Here, we would like to share all of our experiences for those who may be homesteading, living off the land, hunting, farming, ranching, and truly investing in nature and the great outdoors. The ability to provide for yourself and your family can be tremendously rewarding and simultaneously difficult at times. So, in “Home on the Range” we want to share our different exploits so you can learn and hopefully we can receive your feedback along the way as well.
Bean & Bear Lakes on the Superior Hiking Trail
There are multiple jump-in points to get to the Bear Lake Overlook/Campsite (the most stunning view on this hiking loop), but most people begin their journey at the Silver Bay Trail Head to the Superior Hiking Trail. This is exactly what we did, and we knew we were in the right spot because this large trailhead had 50+ vehicles parked there by noon on a weekday. As congested as the parking lot was we still easily found a place to park, and the hiking trail never felt crowded at any point in time. The loop we took is close to 7 miles after all.
- Elevation Gain: 1,118 Feet
- Dogs/Pets: Welcome on the trail (must be leashed)
- Distance: 6.9 Miles
- Trail Type: Loop
- Time to Complete: 3 – 6 Hours (fitness level, speed, and/or weather dependent)
- Forest/Region: Mixed Coniferous & Hardwood
As mentioned, we started our trail hike at the Silver Bay Trail Head when it was overcast and cool. The longer we hiked the more craggily elevation we gained and it began to mist. The North Shore of Minnesota has received a moderate amount of rain in recent weeks so the trail was soft and wet where dirt was present, but not soupy (that comes later). The trail throughout this loop was not terrifically well marked unless you knew what to look for which we figured out about 1 mile in.
Certain trees, and even the ground, will have blue chalk (likely more environmentally-friendly than spray paint or tying off plastic ribbons) to signal which way to go. The Superior Hiking Trail leads you down wooden bridges, crossings, stone steps, tiny creeks, and across gnarly tree roots. It is definitely an adventurous trail, but it can be overcome by anyone if you aren’t on a time constraint. We saw little children, tiny dogs, and even a group of hunched over yet giddy women (bless their hearts for being out there; I hope I can still hike when I am 70+ years old).
The longer we hiked the more excited I got to see the Bear Lake overlook that everyone loves. My wife, Andrea – who has an ability to live in the moment that I simply don’t possess at all times – collected gorgeous leaves of varying shades and hues to create an autumn rainbow of foliage. She also spied probably 20+ different types of mushrooms along the trail, and we even saw a beautiful white weasel! The ermine (American ermine or American stoat) was completely white, curious, playful, and hung out long enough for us to appreciate seeing him, but not long enough for a photo op. Weasels typically will have their coats change color throughout the seasons:
- Winter – White
- Fall – Brown with White Chest
- Summer – Brown
- Spring – Blonde/Tan with White Chest
Hopefully this weasel wasn’t alluding to winter coming soon since he was already pure white! After reaching Bean Lake, we were only a stone’s throw away from Bear Lake. We began to see more people coming and going on the Superior Hiking Trail as we approached the Bear Lake overlook – the focal point of this hiking loop. This meant even more elevation gain as we got to the best view on the trail, and it did not disappoint.
The Bear Lake overlook was a great place to stop, rest, drink some water, catch some selfies, and take in the scenery. Our photos from here are fantastic and they don’t even do the view justice. It was supremely magnificent. After taking everything in, the clouds ushered us to move on because it began to rain. Our return loop home on the Superior Hiking Trail was a lot of downhill hiking which felt nice after 2 hours of hiking uphill. The only downfall was the rain making for extremely muddy and soupy trail conditions. I caught my feet sliding and slipping dozens of times – thankfully, I never actually fell over – and Andrea giggled at me every time it happened because I must have looked like I was skating on ice (plus she intelligently brought better hiking boots than I, and wasn’t “ice skating” like me).
We hustled the return hike back to the truck because the rain was coming down pretty heavy for about 30 minutes and we did not pack any rain gear. Even when we hiked downhill faster than we had ascended those mountainous hills, we got to enjoy a lot of beautiful foliage, mushrooms, and birds. What probably made me the happiest about this hike other than the view at Bear Lake was seeing so many other happy hikers. Young and old, fit and less fit people, dogs, children, and everything in between. It makes me happy to see so many types of people enjoying nature.
Overall, for anyone who is wanting to hike the Superior Hiking Trail and check out Bean and Bear Lake, I cannot recommend it enough. We had a bit of adversity with rain and abundant mud, but even that didn’t dampen our spirits. On a cool yet sunny day with even more leaves changing colors, those hillsides would be even more stunning and the hike would be that much more enjoyable. As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
