Superior Hiking Trail
Key figures
Length
- Stated
- About 482.8 km, the stated length (Superior Hiking Trail Association)
- Map line
- 476.6 km, OpenStreetMap along the official track
- Used for
- The charts on this page, and comparing trails in the search
- about482.8km
Difficulty
- What
- How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
- Scale
- Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
- Keep in mind
- It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
- Terrain: DemandingNatural ground: 95 %
- Climate: Demanding in May–SepCold: 3 °C at night (May)
- Effort: HardAverage day: ≈ 10 h 45 (an average day over 14 days)
- Terrain: Demanding; Climate: Demanding in May–Sep; Effort: Hard
Suggested
- No stages
- No official stages: hikers choose their own camps
- Source
- Superior Hiking Trail Association
- 14–28days
Per day
- How
- The length and the ascent over the suggested 14–28 days: from the most days to the fewest
- Source
- Superior Hiking Trail Association
- Ascent
- The terrain model's estimate (≈): no source states the climbs
- 17.2–34.5km· about 420–840 m ↑
- Season
When are you going?
The page rates its climate for them.
Landscape
- Source
- ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
- Forest: 96%
- Grassland and shrubs: 2%
- Farmland and villages: 1%
- Water, snow and ice: 0%
- Bare rock and sand: 0%
- Mostly Forest
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons by Tony Webster; each photo's licence in the gallery
Location
- Country
- United States
- Regions
- Minnesota
- Start
- Southern terminus (Minnesota–Wisconsin border)
- Finish
- Northern terminus (270-degree Overlook)
- Route type
- Point to point
- Travel hubs
- Duluth International Airport (DLH)38.4 km by road · 71 min
- Managed by
- Superior Hiking Trail AssociationOfficial website
- GPX
- GPX trackOur tracing from OpenStreetMap
- Trail
- Start
- Finish
- Contour lines
Difficulty
Terrain
- Rates
- How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
- How
- Rated over the whole main route.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Path grade
- the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
- EasyT1
- ModerateT2
- DemandingT3
- HardT4 to T6
- Climbing
- the stated ascent over the stated length (else the terrain model's over the map line)
- Easyunder 15 m per km
- Moderate15–30 m
- Demanding30–50 m
- Hard50 m or more
- Steep stretches
- share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
- Easyunder 5 %
- Moderate5–15 %
- Demanding15–30 %
- Hard30 % or more
- Natural ground
- share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
- Easyunder a third
- Moderatea third to two thirds
- Demandingtwo thirds or more
Demanding
- estimated T2
SAC hiking scale
- This trail
- T2 (our estimate)
- Basis
- The association calls a thru-hike very challenging, physically and mentally; the trail follows the rocky ridges above Lake Superior through forest, up and down many short climbs between about 180 and 560 m (Wikipedia), on a footpath for hikers only. Mountain hiking on rocky and rooty ground, without exposed passages (T2).
- Scale
- The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
- Why
- Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
- Keep in mind
- An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
- T1 · Hiking
- Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
- T2 · Mountain hiking
- A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
- T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
- The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
- T4 · Alpine hiking
- Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
- T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
- Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
- T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
- Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.
- Climbingestimated 25 m per km
- Steep stretches3 % of the way
- Natural ground95 %
Climate
- Rates
- How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
- How
- From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Heat
- mean daily high at the lowest point
- Easyunder 22 °C
- Moderate22–27 °C
- Demanding27–32 °C
- Hard32 °C or more
- Cold
- mean nightly low at the highest point
- Easy8 °C or more
- Moderate3–8 °C
- Demanding−2 to 3 °C
- Hardbelow −2 °C
- Wet days
- days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
- Easyunder 10
- Moderate10–14
- Demanding14–18
- Hard18 or more
- Snow
- days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
- Easyunder 1 day
- Moderate1–3 days
- Demanding3–6 days
- Hard6 days or more
- Wind
- mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
- Easyunder 15 km/h
- Moderate15–20 km/h
- Demanding20–25 km/h
- Hard25 km/h or more
Demanding in May–Sep
Outside the season (all year): facilities may be closed, and the weather is harder to plan for.
- Heat · July24 °C by day
- Cold · May3 °C at night
- Wet days · May11 days
- Snow · May2 days
- Wind · September25 km/h
Effort
- Rates
- How long are the days?
- How
- No official stages: rated by an average day at the fewest suggested days, the hardest plan a source suggests.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Average day
- walking time of an average day at the fewest suggested days (length and climbs divided evenly), by DIN 33466
- Easyup to 4 h
- Moderate4–6 h
- Demanding6–8 h
- Hardmore than 8 h
Hard
- Average day · an average day over 14 daysestimated 10 h 45
Climate
- Days in season · lowest point
- −6 to 24°C
- Nights in season · highest point
- −16 to 14°C
- Wet days a month
- 6–11
- Daylight
- 8.5–15.9h
| Month | Lowest point, day high / night low (°C) | Highest point, day high / night low (°C) | Wet days | Snow days | Frost nights at the highest point | Daylight (h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -6.4 / -13 | -9.6 / -16.1 | 7.1 | 5.6 | 31 | 8.9 |
| February | -4.8 / -11.7 | -8.9 / -15.4 | 5.9 | 4.5 | 28.2 | 10.2 |
| March | 0.9 / -5.6 | -3.3 / -9.5 | 7.2 | 5.4 | 30.3 | 11.8 |
| April | 6.7 / 0.1 | 2.5 / -3.5 | 9.6 | 6.3 | 25.5 | 13.6 |
| May | 13.6 / 6.7 | 9.5 / 2.9 | 11.4 | 1.5 | 5.8 | 15.1 |
| June | 20 / 13.5 | 15.3 / 8.8 | 11.2 | 0 | 0 | 15.9 |
| July | 24.4 / 18.1 | 19.5 / 13.2 | 11.4 | 0 | 0 | 15.6 |
| August | 23.9 / 18.1 | 19.6 / 14.2 | 10.4 | 0 | 0 | 14.2 |
| September | 20.1 / 14.4 | 15.9 / 10.8 | 10.5 | 0 | 0 | 12.5 |
| October | 12.2 / 7.3 | 8.4 / 4 | 10.5 | 0.9 | 4.9 | 10.8 |
| November | 4.2 / -0.4 | 1 / -3.1 | 8 | 4.1 | 21.8 | 9.2 |
| December | -2.7 / -8.2 | -5.4 / -11.1 | 8.3 | 6.4 | 30.7 | 8.5 |
Climate by month
- Source
- ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
- Places
- The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
- Bars
- From the mean night low to the mean day high
- Wet days
- At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
- Daylight
- Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
- Shading
- The trail's season
Terrain
- Highest · lowest point
- 568m high181m low
Gradient
- Steepest climb
- 19 % (11°), 95 m up over 500 m
- Steepest descent
- −18 % (10°), 90 m down over 500 m
- Gradient
- Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
- Keep in mind
- Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
Gradient Angle Feels like 10 % 6° Noticeable on a road 20 % 11° A steep path, slow going 30 % 17° Very steep, often steps 100 % 45° Scrambling - 19% ↑−18% ↓
Steep stretches
- This trail
- 5.8 km up, 7 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
- Steep
- 15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
- Why it matters
- Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill
- 12.8km
Surfaces
- Natural ground: 95%, 439.3 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
- Gravel: 2%, 10.1 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
- Paved: 3%, 15.2 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.
- Unknown: 0%, 0.2 km. Stretches whose surface OpenStreetMap doesn't record.
Terrain along the route
- Heights
- Copernicus terrain model, 30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route; in forests it reads the treetops
- Colours
- Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
- Ground
- The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 14% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)
Landscape
Landscape along the route
- Source
- ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
- Points
- Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
- Groups
- Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
- Keep in mind
- What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there
Sleeping
Wild camping
- What
- Pitching a tent outside campsites. Whether it is allowed, restricted or prohibited depends on the land and the country; the rule for this trail is below the cards.
Prohibited
Camping
- What
- Official campsites along the trail. Bring your own tent.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of the finish
Available
Campsites · 124 in OpenStreetMap
Huts
- What
- Mountain huts (often staffed, with meals) and unstaffed bivouac shelters, usually on the trail itself.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of the finish
None listed
Hostels
- What
- Dormitory beds for walkers: hostels, hiker lodges and pilgrim hostels.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of the finish
None listed
Rooms
- What
- Private rooms, usually in villages near the trail: B&Bs, guesthouses, hotels, farm stays and monastery guesthouses.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of the finish
Available
3 in OpenStreetMap
Wild camping is prohibited. Camping in undesignated areas (stealth or dispersed camping) is strictly prohibited along the whole trail; stay at the 94 SHT campsites (no reservations, fees or permits; shared), or in Duluth, which has none, at the fee-for-use campgrounds near the trail. No campfires in Duluth.
Places to sleep along the route
- Ticks
- One per place to sleep: 124 campsites, 0 huts, 1 hostels, 3 guest houses
- Counted
- Within 1 km of the trail; no hotels or day shelters
- Shaded
- The longest stretch without any, km 12.3–38.9
- Source
- OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally
Water & Supply
Clean water
- This trail
- 26.6 km without clean water, km 12.3–38.9
- Rating
- Frequentup to 10 km
- Regularup to 20 km
- Scarcebeyond
- Counted
- Within 500 m: 13 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 2 places to sleep with drinking water, 109 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites
- Refills
- Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out
- Source
- OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route
- 26.6kmScarce
Any water
- This trail
- 26.6 km without any water, km 12.3–38.9
- Rating
- Frequentup to 10 km
- Regularup to 20 km
- Scarcebeyond
- Counted
- Clean water, plus the 0 springs within 500 m
- Keep in mind
- Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer
- 26.6kmScarce
Shops
- This trail
- 155.8 km without a shop, km 309.1–464.9
- Counted
- 18 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of the finish
- Keep in mind
- Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one
- 155.8km
Water and shops along the route
- Ticks
- One per place along the main route
- Counted
- Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of the finish
- Shaded
- Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
- Source
- OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally
Wildlife
Wildlife
- Shows
- Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
- Level
- Ours, read from the official source
- High
- A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
- Moderate
- It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
- Low
- The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
- What to do
- From the official source: Superior Hiking Trail Association
- Pictures
- Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us