Hi, all.

My group would like to get some hiking in on our trip we're planning for July or August. It'll be a canoeing trip, but we'd like to find some good hiking trails.

We're looking for casual/sightseeing-type hiking that would be good for a few hours to 1/2 day. Maybe a location that is near several trails that we could choose from. To be clear: this is a canoeing trip and we're looking for to do some hiking, too.

I know about trails like the Sioux Hustler and the Kekekabic and those are fine, but there's also trails like the one around Bass Lake, just East of Burntside and that one isn't even indicated on the Paddle Planner map. We had fun walking around that 6 mile trail with the waterfall/wading at the end!

I'd appreciate it if anyone could offer any suggestions on trails and nearby entry points. We'll be coming out of the Ely area.

Thanks!

If you enter the Little Indian Sioux North you can camp on Shell, Heritage, Lynx, Hustler, or Oyster Lake. All these lakes have access to the Sioux Hustler Trail. You could hike a few hours or all day if you want. This is probably the best option in my opinion. But there are the North Arm Trail off the North Arm Road. These trails can be accessed from Slim Lake, Siilaca Lake or Cummings Lake.

Another option would be the Kekakabic Trail. There are way too many lakes to mention that the trail passes by but it starts near Snowbank Lake and ends just up the Gunflint Trail from Gunflint Lake.

Old Pines Loop east of Disappointment - around 8-10 miles iirc.

Sounds like Angleworm is just your thing. Start by hiking with your canoes, then canoe, then when you want to hike more there's a trail all the way around the lake!

On a serious note, the far east end offers some good opportunities to hike sections of the Border Route. From Clearwater lake you can get on the trail at the Mountain Lake portage and walk it past the West Pike portage all the way to Gogebic lake.

As Egknuti mentioned, Slim Lake EP #4 offers excellent hiking opportunities. Here's a trip report detailing that area. (the hiking is towards the end of the report.)

Also, the Hook~Big Rice portage trail provides another ideal leg stretching opportunity (without actually doing the portage fully loaded) through diverse ecosystems.

Also in the east around Duncan Lake entrance is the Caribou Rock trail up to Rose Lake. This intersects the Border Route trail. To the east of the falls and stairway portage are some of the most senic overlooks in the BWCA imho. To the west a new loop goes south around Partridge Lk to the new Moss lake trail back east to Caribou Rock. Obviously more than a half day hike doing the loop, but five different directions to hike from Stairway portage area.

Great hiking with marked trails and signs on the north side of Burntside by YMCA camp du nord. It's called the "north arm trails". There's a bunch of loops as well as an extended trail that goes all the way into bwca and Cummings lake. Some beautiful trails and scenery (some of the best in the state I think). Round trip 15 miles if you go all the way to Cummings. Short 20 minute drive from ely to trail head.

There are several hiking trail loops accesible from Lake Disappointment. I don't know if they've all been cleared after last years blowdown though.