Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Minnesota / Superior Hiking Trail

Superior Hiking Trail: Grand Marais to Judge Magney

Superior Hiking Trail (Pincushion Mountain Trailhead to Judge C.R. Magney State Park)

The Superior Hiking Trail’s last long stretch near the lake starts just above Grand Marais and works northeast across a string of river gorges, then drops to Lake Superior for a walk along the shore before reaching Judge C.R. Magney State Park. A Paria Outdoor Products guide to this part of the trail lists Pincushion Mountain, the Devil Track River canyon, Kadunce Creek, “The Lakewalk,” and Devil’s Kettle Falls among its landmarks.

It’s about 24 miles in three Superior Hiking Trail Association (SHTA) sections, with 12 campsites.

The hike

From the Pincushion Mountain Trailhead, which has overnight parking and an outhouse, the SHTA describes a “Steep 0.25 mile spur trail to panoramic vista at Pincushion Mountain summit.” The trail then “Descends steeply into spectacular Devil Track River gorge.” A tributary bridge here was rebuilt in 2026 with a new 37-foot fiber-reinforced polymer span, according to the SHTA, which lists it as repaired and open with some work pending.

The 9.2-mile section from County Road 58 to the Kadunce River “crosses many creeks and beautiful Kadunce River,” and has six campsites, the most of the three. Paria’s itinerary, written by Alicia Owen in 2020, spends the first night at Kimball Creek Camp, 10.9 miles from Pincushion, and the second at Northwest Little Brule River Camp, seven miles farther. The private parcel between Lindskog Road and County Road 14 closes during firearms deer season; see the notice above.

Past the Kadunce River State Wayside (no overnight parking), the SHTA says Blueberry Overlook “has expansive view of Lake Superior,” and the trail then follows the shore. Melanie McManus, writing as The Thousand Miler on a 2018 thru-hike, calls this “a desolate, pristine section of the lake” with “crystal clear” water. She was sorry to have passed the North Little Brule River campsite without staying. The trail crosses the Little Brule River and Gauthier Creek before reaching Judge Magney.

Judge Magney State Park has overnight parking with a state park vehicle permit, plus drinking water and an outhouse at the trailhead (SHTA). The trail north of the park follows the Brule River for more than two miles past Devil’s Kettle Falls, which Paria describes as a 50-foot tiered falls, half of which disappears into a “kettle.” Perfect Duluth Day writer Paul Lundgren, hiking south from the northern terminus in 2000, camped at the Kadunce River and, after running low, found plenty of good drinking water at Judge Magney.

For the next section, see Judge Magney to the northern terminus. To the south is Lutsen to Cascade River.

Tips

Camping

SHT campsites need no reservations, fees, or permits, and every site must be shared, according to the SHTA. Camp only at designated sites (hammock campers too), never at trailheads, and limit your stay to one night. Fires go only in the fire ring, trash is packed out, and food goes in a bear canister or a hang. Most sites are designed for nine or fewer people; groups of eight or more must read the SHTA’s large-group page. Judge Magney’s 36 campground sites require reservations.

The SHTA lists two campsites from Grand Marais to County Road 58, six from County Road 58 to the Kadunce River, and four from the Kadunce River to Judge Magney.

Inside Intel: McManus planned to camp at the North Little Brule River site, near the end of the Lake Walk, and wrote that she was sorry she missed it. Paria’s itinerary uses the nearby Northwest Little Brule River Camp.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Creek crossings to the Kadunce River:

This SHT section crosses many creeks and follows a rocky stretch of Lake Superior shore. We compared the Arc'teryx Beta SL with two shells that cost much less.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.