Superior Hiking Trail
Map 1 - Section 2
Jay Cooke State Park to Wild Valley Road
Date Hiked: April 19th, 2025
Other Sections Hiked That Day: Map 1 - Section 1
Grabbing a parking spot early in the day at Jay Cooke State Park was a familiar act.
A little more than a month prior, I'd done the same thing when I completed the Jay Cooke State Park Hiking Club trail as my first stop of the day. By the time I got back to my car after that three-mile trek, the parking lot was jam-packed. I expected a similar scenario on a day that was even nicer than that one, although I'd be gone much longer this time.
While I'd decided to begin section-hiking the Superior Hiking Trail, whether or not I'd be going north or south from Jay Cooke was still a question in my mind. It seemed like many people ignored those first two sections to the south, as even AllTrails had a complete route that started from Jay Cooke and concluded at the northern terminus. This likely has to do with the southern portions of the trail, through Duluth and beyond, being much newer than the rest of the trail. Alas, the curse of the completionist struck again, and after turning around several times on the swinging bridge (as rad of a bridge as it was the first time), I was off.
Two times during the previous summer, I'd attempted sections of the Superior Hiking Trail. Admittedly, doing that while stoned for the first time was a terrible idea, especially as I had no idea how rugged and remote the trail was near the 301 trailhead. A sudden flapping ruffed grouse increased my paranoia, convincing me I'd run into a bear, and I opted to take the road back to my car. I took similar action after hiking a rocky cliffside near Tettegouche later that summer. This time, however, I was prepared. Remoteness, ruggedness, solitude; all things for which 67 state park winter hikes trained me, this time I wouldn't be bailing out to a road after a mile. I'd be bailing out to a road after 8.5 miles, and that's totally different because I completed the sections first!
The epidemic of AllTrails users downrating trails for having the nerve to be muddy in the spring would've had a field day with this 5.9-mile section of the SHT, because slipping and sliding on these kinds of inclines produce more than a multi-colored pant leg. Without trekking poles, the risk of face-planting and getting nature's chilly skincare treatment becomes an even bigger possibility. I was stunned to still see ice in the valleys, but I had to remind myself that despite sporting my Doc Holliday tanktop, it was 50 in Northern Minnesota that day and only felt like summer because I'd experienced a 70-degree differential from other North Shore hikes within those past three months.
The hills seem to go straight up, and crossing the stream requires steady rock hopping. The leaves on the trees must make the views even more impressive sight, but not being eaten alive by flies and mosquitos was a considerable compromise.
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