REGIONAL— For Duluth-based outdoor writer Stephanie Pearson, the best hikes in the USA aren’t necessarily in some western national park. Two of them, she’ll tell you, are right here in Minnesota.
Pearson’s newly released book, “100 Hikes of a Lifetime U.S.A.,” published by National Geographic, features both the Superior Hiking Trail and the Border Route Trail among the country’s most spectacular routes — a point of pride for a writer who has been exploring the North Shore since childhood.
Pearson started hiking the Superior Hiking Trail with her parents as a child, and her experiences there helped shape both her muscles and her appreciation for the natural world. The trail begins in Duluth and follows the shoreline of Lake Superior to the Canadian border, accumulating a staggering 37,800 feet of elevation gain. That would more than get you to the top of Mount Everest. For Pearson, it’s not just a great trail. It’s home.
The Border Route Trail, meanwhile, offers something rarer: true wilderness solitude. The 65-mile route crosses much of the northeastern portion of the Boundary Waters, tracing the international border between Minnesota and northwestern Ontario, frequenting ridgelines and high cliffs, offering sweeping views of the Boundary Waters and Canada to the north. It’s not a trail for casual day-hikers. You’ll need navigation skills with a map and compass to safely complete this trek.
Pearson’s deep connection to Minnesota’s North Country goes well beyond the trails themselves. Her great-grandfather Peter Pearson emigrated from Sweden in 1883 to Tower, and her grandfather William spent his free time fishing and swimming in Lake Vermilion, where Pearson still regularly spends time in the summer at her family’s cabin.
Pearson is a National Geographic Explorer and contributing editor to Outside. Beyond the stunning photography and practical trail details, Pearson says her greatest joy in writing the book came from meeting the passionate volunteers across the country who create and maintain trails despite threats from overuse, funding cuts, and worsening storms.
For Minnesotans looking to justify a staycation in a summer that may well include high gas prices, the book makes the case that world-class hiking has been here all along. We just need to get out there and explore.