My wife and I are headed in on a trip this weekend. We are headed to Horseshoe from Poplar in hopes of seeing moose. It is the only remaining of the three large mammals of Northwoods that I haven't seen. Part of my trip routine is to keep an eye on the weather in the days a weeks ahead of a trip. The forecast has been pretty consistent up until yesterday. Prior to yesterday, a chance on rain on Saturday but nice temps. Not too cold, not to hot, and not too rainy. I am really wanting a great experience for my wife. This is her third trip in our thirty years of marriage while I have made probably around 20 in that time. Roughing it isn't really her thing. She loves being in nature as long as she has access to a hot shower :-).

Yesterday there was a change in the forecast. The rain is gone and it looks like clear skies for stargazing. Bonus! However, the Ely forecast shows a high of 91 on Sunday. Quite warm for the Northwoods.

We quickly made sure to pack our swimsuits!

I'm heading in on the 10th, and I'm really hoping things cool back down before then. I hate hot weather, and camping in the 90s isn't my idea of fun. Good luck with your trip!

Also looks like dewpoints around 60...will definitely be a bit uncomfortable over the weekend. Now that we are only 3-4 days out I would not expect any major change to this forecast. Lows around 60 makes for warm sleeping weather but I don't think unbearable.

BTW, Here is NWS prototype local forecast link I use that is quite useful#
Just go to the map and zoom in to wherever you want.

Your temps up the trail could vary by 10 degrees depending on wind.


Take a quiet paddle thru Allen and swallow area looking for moose. Be very very quiet, bring binocs and do some bird watching at the same time

I wouldn't take too much heart to the weather forecast. When we went a few weeks ago they were calling for rain every single day for 7 days straight, we ended up only catching one or two good storms. The lakes up there are like a microclimate, a storm could form or dissipate pretty quickly. Look for breezy campsites to help with bugs and keep you cool. With this heat spike mosquitos could be worse than usual.

Lol of course, was looking forward to some cooler fall like temps for a quick trip this weekend!

Lots of swimming and don't forget the electrolytes packets!

It does look like it will be a bit warmer, in the 80s or so, though it has been pleasant up here recently. Some mosquitoes in the evening, though mostly bug free. There have been a good deal of shooting stars this week, seems to be more than typical. The cooler nights are producing fog over the warm lake in the mornings & evenings, so the views have been pretty stunning. Personally, when it is hot out, I plop my chair at the edge of the water, just shallow enough to keep my bum dry, & put my feet in the lake to use it as a giant heat sink while I read or whatever.

Hope you two have a fun trip & that you get to see your moose!

Cricket67: "BTW, Here is NWS prototype local forecast link I use that is quite useful#
Just go to the map and zoom in to wherever you want."

Thank you for the awesome link!

I’ll be heading in around the same time and less concerned with the heat than the winds it may bring with it.

We are coming up the week of Sept 10. I don't like warm weather tripping (for me defined as anything over 70 degrees in the daytime). Those warm temps also do nothing to help with the mosquitoes.

Hoping for cold night temps and daytime temps in the Gunflint area no more then 60's.

shouldertripper: "I’ll be heading in around the same time and less concerned with the heat than the winds it may bring with it. "

Yeah, that was catching my eye as well. That is part of the forecast that seems extra suspect to me when it comes to up North. Seems like for every trip I see higher winds predicted in the forecast that we experience on the ground.

That being said, if we have any sort of rollers on Poplar we are going to have to make a game time decision. If it was my son and I, we would most likely go for it. With my wife, I do not want to do anything that could remotely be perceived as a negative experience for her. I am still pinching myself that she, unprovoked, said she wanted to do a trip this year.