Superior Hiking Trail #5-3 - Onion River Road to Lutsen Mountains

Superior Hiking Trail

Map 5 - Section 3

Lutsen Mountain Recreation Area to Onion River Road Trailhead, Return via Gitchee-Gumi Trail

Date Hiked - November 23rd, 2025

Miles - 18.5

Elevation Gain - 2418 ft. 

Duration - 7h 10m

It's the same Superior Hiking Trail that it is all year...

Except for the unseasonably lovely weather in November, and how early it got dark, and the lack of North Shore tourists, and no bears, and no mosquitos, and no ticks, and no overgrowth... 

Come to think of it, I think I prefer hiking the SHT in the autumn, especially when I don't have to make the four-hour drive home afterwards! 

I don't know why it took me so long to think of the idea. The hike the previous weekend likely got me wound up for the Superior Hiking Trail after spending most of the summer in Washington state. September saw my life turn into a whirlwind of status quo disturbances, and yet, therapy and proper medication were bringing me to a fully present state in reality in a way I'd never before experienced, and by late November, I appreciated every moment on the trail without the need for escapism or dissociation. 

And again, a lovely weekend stay at the Mountain Inn, rather than attempting to drive four hours after a seven hour hike? Definitely allowed me to press farther and harder than I might've otherwise, especially since all I had to do was walk up the rest of the hill to get started. 

I started northward with a decent climb to the overlook around the bend, fallen leaves crunching beneath every step, and the barren trees leading to incredible sightlines normally impossible at times when most of the tourists are present in Northern Minnesota. Instead of continuing northward, I doubled back and opted for the journey through Mystic and Moose Mountains respectively. Every step along the trail in the solitary seclusion the SHT provided me on that day injected energy and healing into my once-deprived stable state of mind. The steep ascents and descents for which the SHT is notorious didn't bother me in late November as they might've with greenery, bugs, and chokeable humidity levels, and trading that for 40 degrees and an early sunset was more than worth it. 

But also, dear Wanderloon, maybe noting that approach of early darkness would've been advisable to recall while working down an intense and difficult hike when a return trip would need to be considered? 

I'm a wanderer. Even with being therapized and medicated, some things will never change. 

With a few extra hours of daylight, I probably would've done the Oberg Mountain Loop in addition to the considerable miles and elevation gained with this southward trek, but that whole thing of deep woods with no light and treacherous terrain? How about I not do that? 

It still got dark, I'm not hiding from that at all (even though I could've, because it was dark, you see.) But, twilight visibility and decreasing temperatures were easier to manage on a paved trail that placed me back at the road up to Lutsen by the time it was dark, rather than fucking around with rock staircases that take pleasure in tripping fools.