Fall in the forest continues, rainy days mixed with a few amazing days of sun and warmth. This fall has been a little different from some – maple leaves seem to have come and mostly gone faster than some years, though in a few spots like Heartbreak Hill, there are still plenty of maples in color. The aspen and birch have created a second peak of color right now after the maple show.
If you haven’t gotten out in the woods or driven down the shore recently and think that fall is over because the maples have run out, you owe yourself a trip into the woods to see the other hardwoods. It is beautiful out there with the aspen and birch and the tamarack starting to add their own gold to the mix.
A lot of people are enjoying the woods by biking. Many of them may have been planning on competing in the Sawtooth Mountain Challenge single track mountain bike race this weekend, but it has unfortunately been canceled due to wet trail conditions. Because the trails are wet and soft, bikes can do significant damage to them, and our trail partner organization is recommending that people stay off the trails until they dry out and firm up. Soggy trails are at Pincushion and also at the Britton Peak trail. Connector trails between Britton Peak and Lutsen Mountain are closed at this time due to those wet conditions.
At Pincushion, be aware that we are trying to split out uses of this popular site, so the mountain and fat tire bike trails start from the end of the parking lot – they don’t start where the running and cross country ski trails do. This will help to eliminate some of the troubles that happen when trails are used for multiple purposes.
Of course, you don’t have to use trails to enjoy mountain biking. The forest is full of gravel roadways suitable for biking. There are several loops which have been designated as bike routes, but there’s many other miles of road as well. Bikers have to be cautious when they are sharing the road with other vehicles, including logging trucks. Many of our roads are single lane, so bikes need to be willing to give way to other vehicles when necessary.
Bikers also need to plan ahead for travel where there are no places to get potable water or snacks – I aided a biker today who had run out of water with many miles left until their planned campsite. Make sure you bring enough!
Speaking of water, we are shutting down water systems at fee campgrounds as we do every year at this time. Our campground water systems can’t handle freezing temperatures, so they are shut off and drained in October. Currently, McDougal Lake, Little Isabella River, Divide Lake, and Baker lakes no longer have water and are in winter status. We also stop garbage service at this point.
If you are planning on camping at one of these campgrounds, be sure you pack in your own water and pack out your own garbage. The rest of our fee campgrounds will be following shortly, with most of them in winter status by the end of the month. One plus is that you won’t have to pay a nightly fee at campgrounds once their water is shut off. See our website for the current status of all our campgrounds.
Although there’s lots of leaf peepers out on the roads, there’s also a lot of grouse hunters and fall fishing enthusiasts out and about. Regardless of what brings you out in the forest, you may want to know where the log hauling is happening. On the Tofte District, there’s hauling on the Dumbbell River Road, Trappers Lake Road, the east side of the Timber-Frear Loop, the 4 Mile Grade, Sawbill Trail, and Caribou Trail. On the Gunflint District, you’ll find trucks using the Lima Grade, South Brule Road, Pike Lake Road, Cook County 7, Cascade Bluffs Road, Greenwood Road, and the Blueberry Road.
Enjoy our fall, and for the bicyclists – don’t fall!
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