I'm headed up tonight for a short 3 day hike off the Gunflint. I couldn't find anyone who had done the specific loop I intend to do. We're going to hike from Hungry Jack Lodge to the Moss Lake Trail heading west, then head north on the South/Partridge Lake Trail until we hit the BRT, then follow the BRT east to the CRT, and follow the CRT south back to Hungry Jack Lodge.

We're hoping to camp on South Lake or the northeast Partridge Lake campsite, but I understand neither of these are anything to write home about. I would like to do 2 nights in the woods, but there's nothing really around the midsection of the CRT for night 2. We may try to bushwhack to a southeast site on Duncan, near the portage, but it's not exactly close so it would be a fair bit of bushwhacking.

If anyone has any tips or questions about this route or anything along it, please let me know! I will share my thoughts when we return for sure.

My day hike from the north tip of Duncan (we paddled from Hungry Jack Outfitters rather than hiking the Caribou) to the Rose Lake Cliffs and back covered 4.7 miles in 3:20, a fairly slower-than-average 1.4 mph -- with sightseeing, photography, a Clif Bar or two, etc. What I'm saying: I found it a bit tougher than your average trail (much more rugged than most of the SHT, for example) and a bit of a heads up to allow enough time.

That said, the overlooks are out of this world.

flynn: "I'm headed up tonight for a short 3 day hike off the Gunflint. I couldn't find anyone who had done the specific loop I intend to do. We're going to hike from Hungry Jack Lodge to the Moss Lake Trail heading west, then head north on the South/Partridge Lake Trail until we hit the BRT, then follow the BRT east to the CRT, and follow the CRT south back to Hungry Jack Lodge.

We're hoping to camp on South Lake or the northeast Partridge Lake campsite, but I understand neither of these are anything to write home about. I would like to do 2 nights in the woods, but there's nothing really around the midsection of the CRT for night 2. We may try to bushwhack to a southeast site on Duncan, near the portage, but it's not exactly close so it would be a fair bit of bushwhacking.

If anyone has any tips or questions about this route or anything along it, please let me know! I will share my thoughts when we return for sure."

I did this loop with two other guys last November. You could do the loop in a day, though there are some significant climbs on the BRT and you will want to stop to admire the views. https://www.strava.com/activities/1947413521

We stayed at the Partridge Lake site you mention; it has a tremendous amount of recent deadfall (has been cleared) in and around the site but otherwise wasn't bad. Because of the deadfall there was a ton of firewood available. We saw an amazing sunset there. It was very, very quiet.

I would definitely suggest not bushwhacking. Because of the blowdown the underbrush is super thick. It's almost like a recent burn area around the Duncan portage there. You could stay at the stairway portage. There are definitely tent pads and informal fire grates with rocks there, though it's not an established campsite obviously.

We did it! I can't imagine trying to do it in a single day in my current physical shape, lol. My pack was about 31lbs with 1L of water in it, pretty comfortable though, so I think I did well on the weight. The Moss Lake Trail and South Lake Trail are both pretty easy terrain in general, but they were quite overgrown in some spots. A little water in some spots resulted in wet socks, bummer. It was pretty humid and dewy during our time out there so we got a little wet each day. I am happy to report that all of the water we encountered on the trip was incredibly clear and a perfect refreshing temperature.

We accidentally ended up following a trail through a marsh, possibly a game trail, near the Moss/South Lake Trail junction. I was leading the group and didn't see the other path, I just trucked ahead and we found ourselves on a wet trail. Socks definitely got wet despite our best efforts. Only a small detour though.

The Partridge Lake West site was very small, but had one big pretty flat tent pad and a fire grate right on the water. Looked like it could be a buggy place depending on weather and time of year, but overall kinda nice and cozy.

Holy crap though, the trail down to the South Lake campsite is a heck of a climb, in both directions. We weren't looking forward to going up it the next morning. Nice firepit area right on the water, but lots of deadfall and potholes all over the place. Easy to misstep and roll an ankle. The site can support 1 hammock max in 1 decent spot on the latrine trail, right off to the side. It's not close to the lake unfortunately but it's a spot. I liked this site a lot due to the views.

The Patridge Lake East campsite has a ton of blowdown as well as on the trail to the campsite. Thank you to whomever cut all of this up!! And thank you to everyone who cleared all of these trails. There were some huge trees!! Overall this site was OK, on the lake, and was totally silent basically all day and night that we were there. About 1 passable hammock spot near the water, but with a pothole about 6ft away that made me fear rolling an ankle in the middle of the night when taking a leak.

The BRT was overall much less overgrown than the Moss and South trails, and though it was pretty easy going east from the South Lake junction to the Partridge Lake junction, it got difficult going further east, and finally showed what I expected from the BRT, some rugged terrain. There were some tough spots and some easy spots. I enjoyed it! But I was expecting even more challenge to come with the Caribou Rock Trail. Shug told me at the State Fair this year "it will surprise you". Well I knew it would be tough but there were some spots that really surprised me, like the insanely steep bursts over 50-100ft, using full knee extension every step for minutes at a time...

I was right. The CRT was a tough son of a gun in some spots. Lots of decently long bursts of 45 degree inclines, even a couple seemingly 60 degree inclines up a rocky switchback. It was beautiful back in the woods with tons of moss all over the rocks and lots of big trees. But man, that terrain is challenging. We did it in about 3.5 hours taking a couple short breaks at the overlooks and to catch our breath after extremely steep sections. I had just enough peanut M&Ms to give me the energy to push through the couple big climbs and repetitive moderate climbs and descents, but only just.

Of course the views were great. We had just enough partial sun on the third day from Partridge East down the CRT that the overlooks were just stunning. My friends and I agreed that it the vistas were worth the effort, but definitely presented a significant challenge for such a reward. I enjoyed the BRT and think I might like to section hike it over the next few years, spending more of my vacation time on canoe trips and other travel and whatnot.

This route can definitely be done in 1 night by going past the South Lake campsite and straight to the Patridge Lake East campsite. The terrain between the two is not that difficult and only takes an hour and a half extra, two at the most. My friends and I were ready to be done after something like 5 hours of hiking on day 1, to the South Lake campsite, but I think the extra time to Patridge wouldn't have destroyed us. That being said, the short day in between gave us a chance to recuperate, and we hung out having a fire, drinking whiskey, and BSing. It was nice.

I would recommend this route to anyone who wants a challenge with some rewarding views. The cliff overlooks are humbling, and Rose Falls is a perfect lunch spot with an audio/visual treat. I would caution anyone with heavy gear, as there is a lot of elevation on the BRT and CRT, and the difference between a 30lb pack and a 40lb (or 45-50lb) pack is significant. Bring high energy foods for the hills and a healthy attitude. Enjoy the scenery but watch your footing! This route will test your dexterity and endurance. I feel glad for having conquered it but I'll be sure to get a little more in shape before I do it again. :)