Superior Hiking Trail Guidebook 9th Edition is Here

The 9th Edition of the Superior Hiking Trail Guidebook is now available. Previous editions were edited but never fully revised and rewritten. Until now. The Superior Hiking Trail Association studied similar guidebooks of other nationally significant trails to make sure theirs was up to industry standards. But the SHTA went a step further. Lisa Luokkala, executive director of SHTA, says, “We also had a focus group of super-users, trail/ outdoor rec and planning professionals provide suggestions on how to strengthen the publication.”

Maybe you already have an older edition? Do I really need the new edition? Luokkala makes the case that, “A lot changes on the Trail in just a few years — trailheads close down or move, and the alignment changes. This information is important when it comes to people safely accessing and using the Trail and also keeping the Trail community in good standing with landowners and managers.”

There is indeed a big emphasis on education inside. The guidebook is interspersed with all kinds of colorful facts and history. For example, Section A, which is the Southern Terminus to the Martin Road Trailhead, goes through Duluth. This is the most urban section of the trail but it’s also the longest distance between campsites. The 9th edition is filled with many short gems like how and why there are 11,000 acres of green space within the city limits of Duluth. It will also give you pointers on what to do about lodging. There are also cautionary tales, like how much of the trail is on privately owned land and how sections of the trail have been lost due to user error (wandering off the trail onto private property).

The introductory section is a mix of facts, history, context, and a How To for the guidebook. While the book is primarily for the Northbound user, it’s more or less third grade math if someone wants to hike South.

The layout and alignment of the guidebook are broken down into six major sections A thru F: A) Southern Terminus to Martin Road Trailhead; B) Martin Road Trailhead to Lake County Road 301 Trailhead; C) Lake County Road 301 Trailhead to Minnesota Highway 1 Trailhead; D) Minnesota Highway 1 Trailhead to Temperance River Trailhead; E) Temperance River Wayside Trailhead to Pincushion Mountain Trailhead; F) Pincushion Mountain Trailhead to Northern Terminus.

This section is the meat of the book and contains a Section Map followed by Trailhead-to-Trailhead overview, both detailed and bird’s eye. The book practically covers every inch of the SHT, every trailhead, every spur, from the Southern Terminus to Northern Terminus, which is a fancy way of saying from the very, very beginning of the Superior Hiking Trail to the end of the road, aka Canada.

Each segment starts with details about the BEGINNING TRAILHEAD: Directions; Parking size; Facilities; Overnight parking; Winter Access; and Special Notes. The Special Notes section has things like, “The trailhead is near the border of Lake and Cook County, located on a curve. Use caution!”

The SECTION SNAPSHOT has all kinds of useful information like Total Distance and Elevation Changes. The Hazards and Concerns section is especially helpful and will alert you to general things on the trail like steep, rocky, washed-out stairs, beware of bikes – that kind of thing. This is incredibly useful to understand if a section is difficult or gentle. The Synopsis is short and sweet but will give you a good sense of what you’re in for. For example, “After a 0.5-mile road walk from Wild Valley Road Trailhead, the SHT turns into Jay Cooke State Park and offers nice vistas of the St. Louis River Valley, particularly during leaf-off season.” Some sections have helpful Pro Tips, like how to use a couple of spurs to turn your hike into a loop.

The CAMPSITE SECTION has everything – name, size, and water source. This section also gives precise distances from campsite to campsite. Occasionally campsites are full and it’s important to know how far you’ll have to go for Plan B.

The MILEAGE SECTION has both Northbound and Southbound distances: Distance from Parking to the Trailhead; Distance from Trailhead to Trailhead; Distance from Spur to something scenic – like a waterfall or campsite or covered bridge.

Of course, you can walk the SHT without consulting this book first. But I spend a lot of time on the trail. It’s quite common that I encounter a few disappointed hikers advising me on what route does not go to the waterfall/bridge/lake. This kind of thing would never happen if you had briefly referenced this guidebook beforehand.

If you’re going out onto the Superior Hiking Trail for an hour or week or more, referencing the 9th Edition of the Superior Hiking Trail Guidebook will improve your experience.

You can pick up your copy of the 9th edition of Superior Hiking Trail Guidebook online at shop.superiorhiking.org/ or at any major outfitter in Cook County.