So my kids (13 and 11) have both been on about 6 canoe trips and I'm wanting to bring them on a one or two night hiking trip and am looking for suggestions. The Angleworm trail looks like a solid possibility, is that doable in 2 nights for kids?

I'm open to any other suggestions too, either in BWCA or on the SHT. Things I'm looking for ::
*easy route finding/no major blowdown
*nice campsites as we'll likely spend more time in camp than hiking
*opportunities to fish from shore (older one LOVES to fish)

So my daughter and I did the Angleworm Trail last fall, click on my "trip reports" icon to read the trip report. It's a great trail for a kid that age if they're into backpacking, but if they haven't done a decent day with a pack on their back before, it's going to be a really tough introduction. It's a surprisingly tough trail, very satisfying for its length, lots of ups and downs. Routefinding isn't hard if you go clockwise, but remember that the trail is only marked with cairns, not with the type of blazes you see on less wild trails. If they've done some backpacking, it's a great choice.

If they haven't backpacked before, I suggest choosing some easier places to get them used to backpacking. Close to the Twin Cities, Mille Lacs Kathio State Park has some good options but it takes some creativity to come up with the miles. Same is true of many state parks, all of which are much easier and good introductions to let them sort out their packs.

I just had a nice time backpacking at Yellow River State Forest in Iowa with my daughter and a friend of hers who's done less backpacking, we all had fun. It's an easier area than the Angleworm, but still interesting, with some moderately hilly parts.

The SHT segments around Gooseberry Falls also can make for some good backpacking that's not too difficult.

Great trip report, looks like a lot of fun!

My kids have never hiked at all before, just portaging. My 11 year old is a real trooper, the difficulty may be a bit much for the 13 year old attitude though. I'll have to think this over before committing.

the Centennial Trail, found on the gunflint trail, would be an appropriate trail for youth. lots of history along that trail, a trifold pamphlet available at either end of the trail so you can follow along with what you're seeing.

there are many more short trails along the GT so you could spend a weekend up there checking out trails.

+1 on the Centenial Trail. Nice trail with lots of history. Much better to have a hike that is easier than you could do and end up with everyone happy and wanting to do more.

On the Ely side the Bass Lake trail would be a possibility or if you wanted something even shorter the Secret-Blackstone trail. The longer loop is only about 3.1 miles and the two established campsites are only about 1/2 mile in from the trail head, but it's a pretty trail. It's also possible to hike around Flash Lake and hookup with the Snowbank Trail.

Anyway, getting out with your kids sounds like a great idea. Just keep it easy enough to be fun!

Hogback Lake area, not far from the Trestle Inn, is a great place for hike in camping and has fishing too.

The Centennial looks really interesting, I love all the historical context that can give to the area. Looks more like a nice afternoon hike than an overnight though. We'll check it out after our paddle trip this summer.

Hogback looks like it could be exactly what I'm looking for, even has the bonus of being an hour or two closer to the cities than what I had planned. Thanks for the suggestion!

While the Centennial is relatively short (nice though) you could also hike hike to where the Kekekabic leaves the Centenial and then continue to Binshick Lake Campsite. Spend the night and then hike back to the junction with the Centenial and finish with the portion of the Centenial loop you had not done yet. While I would not recommend a through hike of the Kek as a first hike, the hike over to Bingshick is easy and pleasant and would add about 2 miles each way to the hike or a total of 4 additional miles.

Lots of good suggestions made so far. The idea to check things out after a paddle trip sounds like a good idea if it works out with your schedule.

The Angleworm trail is really not a hard trip as long as you prepare in advance with pretrips to some state parks. Pack light and be flexible.

Lake Maria state park is 100% backpacking, its a great park close to the cities, you can check out your equipment.

When you feel comfortable with your equipment, then try Crosby-Manitou state park, also 100% backpacking, but a bit more challenging than Lake Maria.

All great suggestions.

I do suggest the Superior Hiking trail though. It gives a good taste of the rigors of backpacking.

A possible route would be the Split Rock River Loop. It is five miles long with 4 campsites. Plus it is all along the river, so very scenic. If they are still feeling energetic, then continue south to Gooseberry State Park via the Superior Hiking Trail. That section is 8.5 miles with a campsite at the halfway mark.


Superior Hiking Trail Two Harbors Section