Hey all!

This is going to be a buddy and mines first BWCA hiking trip. We are both experienced hikers who have done multiple chunks of the Superior Hiking trail and are both able to crunch 15+ miles per day.

We are planning a straight drive from the cities to Sioux Hustler and are planning a 3 days, 2 night trip.

We are both confident and know there are a few tricky sections where patience, a compass and map might be needed.

When reading various trip reports I see experiences vary from really good to some saying that half the trail you are postholing in mud bogs and eaten alive by thousands of deer flies.

I am looking to see if anyone could report on the recent conditions of the wetness of the trail and also the deer fly conditions. I am assuming since it has been a fairly dry summer that the postholing through bogs and averaging 1mph shouldn’t be the current conditions?

I don’t know anything about the conditions of the trail, but the Deer Flies disappeared by mid August.

Here's a different thread from earlier in the season with a little info about conditions: https://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=forum.thread&threadId=1204414&forumID=152&confID=1

As inspector13 mentions, we're past bug season. Bug pressure will be close to zero.

I haven't hiked the trail this year, but I've never had to posthole through mud/bogs, even when wet. Expect beaver dam crossings, a few logs over streams, and a wet foot crossing at the stream between Shell and Heritage, unless water levels are really low. The Pauness to Shell portage (can be used to access a camp site on Shell) was also flooded by beaver activity, but you can cross on the beaver dam.

Hikers often have trouble with the trail being overgrown, but given that its getting later in the season this should be less of an issue.

Note that the trail rides slower than the SHT. The tread isn't anywhere near as well developed. That said, 3 days/2 nights is pretty manageable.