best winter hikes on Lake Superior, ranked
+good links & what to wear winter hiking
Winter hiking up on Lake Superior is absolutely magical, and I truly can’t recommend it enough! There’s something about the soft sound of snow, or the feeling of sun on your face, the glow of it through bare trees, the creek of a frozen waterfall that truly can’t be beat.
Winter hiking has added risks compared to summer, especially where ice is involved. Be sure to consult locals on ice conditions, and when in doubt, don’t walk on frozen rivers or lakes.
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1) Kadunce River Hike, Grand Marais
Easily one of the coolest possible winter hikes, Kadunce River can be an absolutely gorgeous winter hike. It’s wayyyy up north, hard to get to logistically, and hiking on the river bed comes with a lot of risk. Generally, the river is only accessible to hikers in the coldest part of the winter, and while the river is generally shallow the plunge pools at the bottoms of waterfalls are deep. There is no such thing as safe ice, and I do not recommend this hike if you are unfamiliar with winter hiking or ice.
Up the North Shore there are actually a lot of really cool hikes and ski trips you can take up river canyons! The Kadunce is the the most front-country option, with a parking lot and lots of options to turn around easily. February tends to be the best month to attempt, but truly keep in mind that there is no cell service here and falling through the ice can lead to hypothermia.
Because of the risks associated with this hike and access dependent on ice conditions, this is a location I choose not to share on social media1.
Check out a winter guide to Grand Marais, MN
2) O Kun-De-Kun, Keweenaw Peninsula
This is a new-to-me incredible little 3+ mile hike in a winter wonderland! When we went the trail was snowshoe-friendly, skiable, and hikable all at the same time. When you reach the river, cross the bridge and hike back towards the waterfall to reach the little hidden cave and waterfall curtain.
This hike is located in the southern Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and despite it’s somewhat remote location moderately trafficked in the winter as one of the few plowed parking lots.
Check out a winter guide to the Keweenaw Peninsula
3) Day Hill, Split Rock Light House
Day Hill is a personal favorite that I haven’t really shared much about yet. When I lived in Two Harbors, MN and worked as a barista at Cedar Coffee Co I would come here and hike probably twice a week after work. Where Split Rock Lighthouse is popular and easy to find, this little corner of the park is less so.
Day Hill is well, just a hill up over Lake Superior looking down at coves and the lighthouse and way, way in the distance the South Shore and Wisconsin where I live now and it’s a fairly quick hike and a beautiful. It’s a little confusing and hard to find, but here’s a PDF map. At waypoint W, head toward the lake and the viewpoint on a spur trail. When you see a large old stone fireplace on a bare rock hill, you’ve made it.
Check out a winter guide to the North Shore, MN
4) Sea Caves Trail, Bayfield Peninsula
The Sea Caves Trail in the Bayfield Peninsula is the best way to see the Apostle Islands ice caves! Once upon a time, Lake Superior froze enough to walk on and people were able to hike to the ice caves. The Lake hasn’t frozen enough to make this possible since 2015, and may never be accessible again as the conditions to make the ice on that side of the peninsula passible are sort of a goldilocks of conditions.
winter hiking outfit: fjallraven Keb pants, smartwool top, Steger Mukluk boots, Granite Gear Pack
Still, the hiking trail above the caves is open year round, and it can be just as incredible to hike out and experience the caves from above.
Check out a winter guide to Bayfield, Wisconsin
5) High Falls, Tettegouche State Park
Easily one of my favorite moderate hikes in the winter his hiking to High Falls in Tettegouche State Park beginning at the visitor’s center. This hike is about four miles round trip and leads to the gorgeous frozen waterfall of high falls. This trail is super icy, so microspikes are pretty much a must.
Seriously one of my favorite hikes! I wouldn’t cross the river no matter the ice level, but the river is super shallow along the far bank (like inches and frozen solid here), so we walked just out to this rock.
quick guide to what to wear winter hiking:
A lot of people thing they need snowshoes to get into winter hiking, but you definitely do not need snowshoes! Unless you’re hiking after a big fresh snow, a good pair of winter hiking boots with thick socks and microspikes is likely plenty.
You’ll want to wear a wool or synthetic baselayer that will stay warm even if you get wet from sweat, followed by a midlayer, a puffy jacket, and then some sort of outer layer to cut wind like a shell, anorak, or thick wool sweater.
The idea of this layering system is that as you get warmer, you can pull off layers and put them in your winter hiking pack to avoid sweating and overheating.
For pants, I recommend a baselayer followed by a loose-fitting water resistant shell pant. Check out a full guide to women’s winter hiking pants here.
For more on winter hiking basics, check out the full and detailed guide to winter hiking for beginners!
small business spotlight: Island City Kombucha
Island City Kombucha is a small, family-owned and operated business in Minocqua, Wisconsin. Last month, they sent me over a sample pack and I was SUPER stoked to notice that the label on the elderberry Kombucha pictures the Sand Island Lighthouse, which is out in the Apostle Islands where I work as a guide!
Also the Kombucha is delicious! Spot the Sand Island Lighthouse :)
print media, film, and dirt: why grit is in
Grit is in. The messy iPhone shots of the back of your car after an adventure. The drowned-rat pouring rain selfie on the canoe portage. Photos shot on film cameras. Print magazines, independently-owned.
More and more, it seems like people are craving dirty, authentic outdoor moments; gone are the days where sharp photos and curated Instagram feeds dominate outdoor media; gone are the days of easy clickbait reels.
I think we as a culture are exhausted by the seemingly endless stream of outdoor content that feels unattainable. I think we’re tired of digital media and marketing, of spending hours and hours scrolling video content, and want something nostalgic that feels tangible. We want the feel of print media and film photos if not the actuality of it.
All of the photos did well on Instagram— iPhone shots with a gritty preset over the top, all moments in less than perfect weather, in kind of wild conditions that aren’t typical for outdoor adventures.
So order a copy of trails magazine and read up on film photography. Plan a backpacking trip and sleep in the dirt. ‘Tis the season.
Media recommendations: what I’ve been reading & watching lately:
This week Andy & I watched Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix, a dramatization of wellness influencer Belle Gibson’s fall from grace when it came to light that she faked her cancer. I found the most interesting part is how it treats the wellness industry and influencers within it. We all want to believe that bad things only happen to bad people and that doing good or eating well can cure us, and a lot of wellness influencers, consciously or unconsciously prey on that. The show goes into how easily people fall for pseudoscience and how an influencer can make something sound like science. Ultimately though the show touches the hard reality that there is no magic fix all for our ailments, and drinking a shot of Apple Cider Vinegar every night, or drinking unpasteurized milk and eating all organic, isn’t an easy fix to all our ailments and is sometimes dangerous. Most importantly, no one deserves to be sick.
Native American activist Leonard Peltier, freed from prison, is welcomed on North Dakota reservation
“Then why share it here?” because realistically this hike is moderately popular, certainly not a secret, and has a paved parking lot and here on Substack people are more likely to read the relevant safety info before bookmarking a hike and heading out! It’s more about pushing people to tackle trails fully-informed about them than it is preventing people from accessing the trails (which I definitely don’t want to do). Also the conversation surrounding sharing hiking locations is pretty heated; I just try and do what feels right to me.
I’ve yet to hike it in the winter, but the North Country National Scenic Trail from Mouth of Two Hearted River State Forest Campground north of Newberry, Mich. is stunning. We hiked 9.5 miles east last August and were treated to gorgeous Lake Superior views along a meandering ridge before the trail goes inland (also incredibly picturesque sections in the woods and along the river). That entire stretch between Paradise and Grand Marais, and of course Pictured Rocks, offers so many trails and remote SF campgrounds, including one I believe you’ve mentioned before that is right on the lake — aptly named Lake Superior SF Campground. 🌊🤍 Loved reading about these hikes, Maddy!
Great suggestions. I’d add the trails in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, although most would require snowshoes or back country skis. I spent the last week or so in Munising and had the park to myself once I left the trails by Sand Point Road.