By John Keefover of Keefography
BWCAW BACKPACKING THE BORDER ROUTE TRAIL
5 DAY THRU-HIKE OF THE BORDER ROUTE TRAIL IN THE BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA WILDERNESS.
In October 2022 I Thru-Hiked the 65 mile Border Route Trail along the Minnesota & Canada border in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. We hiked East from the end of the Gunflint Trail at the Magnetic Rock Trailhead and went passed many picturesque lakes, rivers and cliffside overlooks on our way to the Western Terminus which shares the same trailhead as the Superior Hiking Trail I hiked back in June. For this trip I was with a group of backpacking YouTubers and their friend Chuck. Check out their channels to see their videos of the trip: Midwest Backpacker, Rob Pelton, Miyagi on the Trail.
Though the BWCAW is more known for paddling, there are several rugged backpacking trails including the BRT (Border Route Trail) which was the first long-distance, wilderness backpacking trail in Minnesota that was planned & constructed by volunteers. It’s still maintained by volunteer crews in the Spring & Fall as well. Being mostly in a designated Wilderness area, mechanized tools are not allowed so hand tools are used to clear and build. If interested you can volunteer to help maintain the trail or even make a donation to the Border Route Trail Association.
I highly recommend downloading an offline GPS file on your phone as well as bringing a paper map & compass. The best map for this trail is the North Country Trail Border Route Trail map. The Avenza app has a Boundary Waters Canoe Area map pack for the whole BWCA that costs $20. You can also download Gaia map files as well for the trail. They are a good reference but don’t rely on them completely. I double checked my paper map a couple of times on the hike.
Being in the BWCAW you need a permit for both day-use and overnight hikes if backpacking between May and September. If going outside of those months then a self-filled permit is all you need. Day-use & off-season permits can be filled out at the trailhead and are free. In-season overnight hiking & paddling trips need to be reserved through https://www.recreation.gov/ and cost $6 for the permit itself, and then $16 per adult or $8 for youth. Starting in 2022 the United States Forest Service reduced the number of entry point permits for the BWCAW citing natural resource damage, overcrowding and congestion. It’s always important to Leave No Trace and protect this wilderness for generations to come. Now onto the trip! Settle in for a detailed report with lots of photos.
Our group at the start of the hike. Left to Right: Miyagi on the Trail (Brad), Keefography (John), Chuck, Midwest Backpacker (Jeremy) & Rob Pelton.
BORDER ROUTE TRAIL
DAY 0: LOGISTICS & LODGING
The 5 of us come from different parts of Minnesota and even Wisconsin. Due to our schedules we all drove North separately. Miyagi & I were the first ones to get up there and so we met each other at the Border Route Trail’s Eastern Terminus where we left Miyagi’s big car. After the hike we would all get in his car and get a ride to our cars elsewhere. We didn’t want to leave all of our cars at the trailhead since there is limited room there.
After dropping off his car we hopped in mine and headed back to Grand Marais to meet Rob & Jeremy at the Gunflint Tavern for food & drinks. Chuck was running late so we waited for him until he showed up right before the tavern closed. We all got in our cars and headed to the Pincushion Mountain Trailhead. Then we took Chuck’s car after leaving the other 3 cars at the trailhead there.
While driving up the Gunflint Trail it started snowing. It was coming down so hard and fast it looked like we were going warp speed in a sci-fi movie! Eventually we got to the Gunflint Lodge where we were staying in one of their bunkhouses. It was the perfect place to rest up before the big hike and it’s just a few minutes away from the trailhead in the morning. They also have a good restaurant for breakfast in the morning to load up on a hearty meal. We all hung out in the bunkhouse for a bit before going to bed as we prepare to get up early for breakfast in the morning.
DAY 1: MAGNETIC ROCK TRAILHEAD - TOPPER LAKE ~18 MILES
We got ready in the warm bunkhouse and then went to load up Chuck’s car with the gear. It was cold out getting down to 25 degrees last night! Thankful we were staying at the lodge for what would be the coldest night of the trip. Right at 7 AM we headed over to restaurant for their breakfast buffet before we set off on the adventure. After breakfast we drove to the Magnetic Rock Trailhead for the Western Terminus of the Border Route Trail. When we got there we were greeted with a fresh layer of snow! For the first couple of hours we were walking through a snowy and frosty late fall trail.
Signage & Snow at the Magnetic Rock Trailhead.
I’ve hiked to Magnetic Rock a couple of times before and I always love the little beaver pond you come across right away. It was a nice scene this morning with frost and snow covering the trees and brush around the reflective water.
Beaver pond right when you start the hike from the Magnetic Rock Trailhead.
Shortly after that there’s an overlook with another boggy area and rolling hills that were covered in frost and fall colors.
Fall colors and frost on the rollings hills around a bog.
We got to Magnetic Rock pretty quickly. It’s an interesting spot with a monolithic rock, but it was cold and we have many miles to hike today! I took a photo of Miyagi posing in his shorts with snow all around before we continued onward.
Miyagi posing in front of Magnetic Rock.
There was construction going on at the bridge over the Cross River next to Gunflint Lake. The crew waved us over and asked if we were cold, specifically Miyagi in his shorts! It’s fine once you’re moving and it’s worth being out here anyway! From here you could see the Gunflint Lodge where we stayed last night and had breakfast this morning.
Gunflint Lake from the Cross River. The Gunflint Lodge can be seen on the shores in the upper right hand frame.
The snow started to melt away with the ever so slightly increasing temperatures. The highs for the trip are mid 40s with lows in the mid 30s. Through here the trail was easy going on wide open cross country ski trail for a little bit which was nice to crank out miles. In the winter a lot of the lodges are connected by groomed ski trail until it enters the BWCAW.
Jeremy & Rob on a part of the trail that shares a Cross Country Ski Trail and covered in fall colors.
We made our way back towards the Gunflint Lodge where the BRT crosses with their myriad of hiking, horse, and ATV trails. All of the intersections can get a little confusing. The view from on top of the High Cliffs is amazing though! It was a big cliff face overlook with a sea of yellow leaves and Gunflint Lake far below. You could see the lodge from up here too. We got a kick out of the fact that we’ve already hiked around 8 miles and we’re right back to where we were this morning!
Gunflint Lake and the Gunflint Narrows into Magnetic Lake and Canada from the High Cliffs. An Eagle soared over the Gunflint Lodge.
We continued on along and above the lake. You don’t realize just how long Gunflint Lake is until you are hiking next to it! How fitting when we got to Loon Lake there were 2 loons on the lake. When I’m backpacking I bring 2 lenses with me for my camera. A wide angle 16mm f/2.8 for Night Sky Photography and grand vistas, and a mid range telephoto lens at 24-105mm which is a varied aperture at f/4-7.1. It wasn’t quite the range to get a good shot of the loons close up but they’re still neat to see. Especially in the BWCAW.
We kept getting views of Gunflint Lake. Eventually we got to Bridal Falls towards the end of the lake. We checked out the falls which were more of a trickle now compared to when I was here last during the spring thaw. Speaking of camera gear again I definitely miss having my filters with me while backpacking. Especially a circular polarizer to help reduce glare on wet rocks, add contrast and saturation and help slow down the exposure a little bit for silky smooth waterfall shots. I don’t typically carry filters on long treks like this one though. They add extra weight, and are fragile. Still got some shots that I like!
Bridal Falls with scattered autumn leaves.
We’re only about 3.5 miles away from our campsite now and the sun just started to break through the clouds which felt great up on this exposed ridge above the lakes. The wind was still strong though and it was very chilly when a breeze cuts through you. After climbing up a hill we got one last expansive view looking back at Gunflint Lake with the sun creating dappled light on the landscape in front of us.
The Eastern tip of Gunflint Lake and fall colors.
It was mostly just a straight shot from there to our campsite on Topper Lake. Luckily for our group set up I was the only one in a tent because there was only one somewhat flat spot to set up. It was a nice grassy spot though there were lots of big rocks and roots everywhere underground while I was placing the stakes. The other 4 guys are all in hammocks and easily found places to hang. 3 were right on the lake shore and hoping that the cold wind doesn’t come blowing in off the lake at them.
My Zpacks Plex Solo tent at our campsite on Topper Lake with Golden Hour light on the treetops behind,
We were just finishing up eating dinner when Rob noticed the almost full moon just about to rise above the tree line across the lake from our campsite. I ran and grabbed my camera and got some shots of the moon and its reflection in the waters. We decided not to have a fire tonight. We’re all feeling pretty lazy after hiking 18 miles and went to bed. I’m going to wake up early so I can break down camp before shooting the sunrise and start hiking right after.
Waxing Gibbous Moon rising above Topper Lake and fall colors.
DAY 2: TOPPER LAKE - WEST CLEARWATER LAKE ~15 MILES
I slept great last night, occasionally waking up to wicked loud gusts of wind. Was toasty warm throughout the night though when I woke up in the early morning at 6:30 it was quite cold. Miyagi had already got up and left camp. Rob, Jeremy and I were all packing up and hit the trail around the same time. Chuck was still sleeping. Before I left our campsite I took some sunrise photos of our lakeside view.
Sunrise and fall colors on Topper Lake.
Not much of note for a few miles trail besides the usual muddy spots and downed trees. There was a marked vista on the map but it was pretty much completely grown in like quite a few other ones. Even in the late fall with leaves falling off the trees you could just barely see a lake off in the distance. Not long after that vista the trail came to Mucker Lake. The trail crosses a creek here through a nice little cedar grove. Being on this side of the Laurentian Divide the creek flows North from Mucker Lake and into South Lake.
Creek Crossing rock hopping through a cedar grove.
Once on the other side of the creek I came to the conclusion that Mucker Lake is aptly named. Would have loved to have some muck boots going through the mud along the lake here! There were some nice views of the other side of the lake though in early morning light.
Mucker Lake reflection.
The next part of the trail is my most anticipated section coming up to the Rose Lake Cliffs. I’ve made an attempt to get here on a previous BRT hike but had to bail off when a nasty severe storm rolled through. This time it was a beautiful day, albeit a little cold. Before we got to the cliffs there was a sneak peak overlook that was absolutely stunning as well! You could even see the cliffs off to the right that we’ll be standing on soon enough.
View looking towards the Rose Lake Cliffs.
I caught up with Miyagi at the Rose Cliff overlook and was surprised to see another person was with him there. I was even more shocked when they turned around and I knew who it was! It was my good friend and fellow photographer Nick Lonke who was out shooting the fall colors. Miyagi took off once again while Nick & I were catching up on life and our adventures. Jeremy showed up while we were talking too. I took both of their photos standing on the overlook.
The view here was absolutely incredible. In my opinion the best in Minnesota if not the entire Midwest! Maybe I’m a little biased. The rugged hike makes the reward that much better. Especially with the yellow leaves everywhere too. I’d say this would have been peak fall color if not for the cold front and high winds blowing the leaves off. A chain of lakes can be seen below which are Rose Lake, Rat Lake, South Lake, and just a tiny glimpse of North Lake can be seen in the background. I could’ve sat here for hours and would love to be here for sunset but the strong wind was freezing up on this towering cliff and we have many more miles to get to camp. Nick followed along with me to head back via the Caribou Rock Trail which cuts off of the BRT.
View from the Rose Lake Cliffs at peak fall color.
There was another overlook shortly after the cliffs. This was looking the other direction where Rose Lake continues to its Eastern end with rolling hills, cliffs and palisades seeming to emerge from the lake. You could also see a portion of Duncan Lake to the right.
Overlook towards the eastern end of Rose Lake.
We ran into Jeremy & Miyagi again taking a break and taking in the view of yet another overlook on Rose Lake. From here you could see a cliff we’ll be hiking along soon and far off in the distance you could see the cliff above Lake Watap we’ll be above later. Rose Falls was also roaring down below us.
Miyagi taking in the views above Rose Lake.
We took the Stairway Portage down to the falls. Recently volunteers have replaced the old wooden stairs with rocks. This way the wood won’t deteriorate and need to be replaced again and it just looks more natural as well. Bet they’d be slippery if it’s raining, especially when portaging a canoe!
The newly rebuilt Stairway Portage.
Rose Falls, also known as Stairway Falls was a busy place for day hikers and paddlers. It’s right on the portage between Duncan Lake & Rose Lake and is the destination for the cut off trail: Caribou Rock Trail. We stopped and talked to a group of 3 three out for a day trip in their canoe. 2 more hikers came by off the Caribou Rock Trail as well. Since there were so many people I didn’t want to break out my camera and tripod. Plus the light was harsh on the top of the falls and I’ve shot here before so I’ll cheat and put up an older photo from a previous trip.
Rose Falls, also known as Stairway Falls.
After leaving the waterfall a rustic old log bridge crosses upstream of the falls. We said goodbye to Nick who was getting off here onto the Caribou Rock Trail to get back to his car by Hungry Jack Lodge. It was good to run into him randomly out there!
Jeremy & Miyagi crossing the old rustic bridge above Rose Falls.
Much like Gunflint Lake, Rose Lake is very long. We followed along with it for some time until we got to the Eastern end where I stopped to filter water at the Rose Lake East campsite. The Rose Lake West Campsite was back a bit and tucked into the woods on a hillside. It’s kind of far from water access but it is well protected if a storm rolls through. The East site was very nice right on the lake and had a bunch of big downed trees creating a perfect wind break. Lots of tent pads and places to hang a hammock. There’s also a nice view of some cliffs off in the distance.
Cliffs as seen from the Rose Lake East Campsite.
We’ve heard lots of reports about the section ahead now. It is “The Long Portage” from Rose to Rove Lake which is almost 2 miles long. A large portion of it is also flooded now too. We’ve heard various reports on water level from knee to waist deep. It’s going to be cold this time of year now! Another friend of mine said he was able to bushwhack around it completely recently, but we’ll see when we get there. Indeed there were two flooded sections due to beaver activity. Miyagi, Jeremy & I decided to bushwhack around them to the right. It wasn’t too bad and you could see signs where other people have done the same. Would much rather have dry feet then going through that deep cold water. After we were through we sent a Garmin text message back to Rob & Chuck who hopefully weren’t that far behind, letting them know to go around it.
Just 2.4 miles to our destination campsite at West Clearwater Lake Campsite. It’s a popular spot for both hikers and paddlers so hoping it’s not occupied by the time we get there. We were making good timing putting us on track to be there around 4 PM. Thankfully there weren’t any other flooded sections of trail at least! The trail hugs the shoreline of Rove Lake before turning towards the campsite. Right at the eastern tip of Rove Lake there’s a nice view of some impressive cliffs. Those are the cliffs we’ll be on above Lake Watap tomorrow!
The last stretch to camp was a buttkicker… it’s up a steep hill with very technical ground over tons of rocks and what was basically a river running down in it. Tried my best to rock hop and stay out of the water and mud since we just went through the effort of bushwhacking around the flooded sections to keep our feet dry. Even the 0.3 mile spur trail down to the campsite was tough at the end of a long day. It’s a pretty steep hill down to Clearwater Lake. When I got to the campsite I saw two canoes and was worried we’d have to keep pushing on to the next site. Luckily the couple that was there said they were just about to take off and the other group was out doing a day hike to Lake Watap. Thank goodness! None of us wanted to go any further today. Shout out to Devin, AKA Durty2shoes in the canoe who recognized me!
A paddler in a solo canoe crosses the Clearwater Palisades across for our campsite.
I claimed my tent pad that had the least roots and the others showed up shortly after. There were plenty of places to hang a hammock here. This site has had lots of recent reports of a problem black bear however. It’s a pretty big one and isn’t afraid of people. I had read one report from a group of 9 who came across it and it didn’t react to them yelling at all. Another group of hunters fired off warning shots and it didn’t even react to that either! It was brazen enough to steal food bags right in front of people too. We’re going to be extra cautious here with cooking, disposing of garbage, brushing teeth and going to the bathroom. Of course I found a skittles bag and some skittles scattered around the fire grate… I picked them up and put them in my garbage bag. From our campsite on the lake the Clearwater Palisades were directly across from us. I waited until the sun started to set to catch the last warm golden light illuminating the fall colors on the cliffs.
Golden Hour light before sunset on the Clearwater Lake Palisades illuminating the fall colors on the cliffs.
While I was shooting the sunset the guys got a campfire going. I was going to join them, but then I noticed the Full Hunter Moon was about to rise right along the slope of the Palisades across from us. I ended up bushwhacking quite a bit down the overgrown and rocky shoreline to get to a spot with a much better view of the projected moonrise trajectory. It was stunning watching the brilliant moon rise over this Boundary Waters lake! Glad I brought my headlamp with me because it was dark out by the time I was done shooting. I didn’t realize just how far down the shore I went while I was determined to get the moon shot. It was a pain getting back to the campsite in the dark, but it sure was worth it!
Full Hunter Moon rise over the Clearwater Lake Palisades.
After I made it back to camp we all sat around the fire. When it came time to retire, Miyagi hung all of our food bags using a pulley hang to really get it up well away from the ground and trunks of trees. We put out the smoldering fire and went to bed around 8 PM to be ready for another big day tomorrow.
DAY 3: WEST CLEARWATER LAKE - PINE LAKE CAMPSITE ~14 MILES
The wind died down last night and it was completely still and peaceful morning by the lake. We all got up around 6:30 AM and were on trail by 7:30. First we watched the sunrise over Clearwater Lake. There was some fog rolling across the water and it got me excited thinking there might be fog at Lake Watap where we’ll be on a big cliffside overlook shortly.
Misty morning sunrise at the Clearwater Lake Palisades.
Sure enough as we started hiking there was a little teaser overlook with thick fog on the lake and the rising sun starting to light up the trees and hills around it. I literally started running in excitement to get there quick! I startled the guys as I came up behind them quickly! Whew… finally made it up to the cliffs. It was just incredible up there! Fog engulfed the lakes and darted through the trees along the shores and rolling hills. The rising sun behind us was illuminating the landscape below but there was still a stark dark line cast by the shadow of the cliffs we were on. I absolutely love to photograph fog and that was the best! We could’ve spent the rest of the day up there taking in that view but it was cold. In fact frost was forming on our backs from the sweat after we took our packs off. After some time we left that amazing overlook and continued on the ridge.
For some time the trail follows along a ridge in between Watap & Clearwater. There were a few marked overlooks on the map but they must’ve all been pretty grown in. However we were now getting into the major blowdown area from a tornado in October 2021. It was sort of like a jungle gym in some parts going over and around them. There actually was one nice overlook up here that wasn’t grown in. This had a view of Mountain Lake with a pretty little island on it.
Mountain Lake overlook.
Coming down from that overlook the ridge was where most of the tornado blowdown was. Thank goodness in May of 2022 the USFS and volunteer crews cleared hundreds of trees using only crosscut saws! It was basically impassable before. Just seeing the myriad of massive downed trees cut on this steep hillside made it look like quite the undertaking. Thank you so much to the crew working on that and all of the volunteers who help maintain the trail!
Tornado blowdown clearing hundreds of downed trees using only handheld crosscut saws by volunteer crews.
Once through the blown down section the trail crossed a portage between Clearwater and Mountain Lakes then has you climb up another ridge with an overlook. This spot is looking back towards where we just were on the previous overlook. The line of destruction was pretty clear with blowdown where the tornado went through. You could also see the Clearwater palisades that were across our campsite last night.
Rob at the 2nd Mountain Lake overlook. On that large hill you can see the path of the tornado blowdown. To the left off in the distance is the Clearwater Lake Palisades we camped next to the night before.
At this point in the hike Chuck was hurting quite a bit. He told us his knee was in a lot of pain on every downhill. He made the call to skip our planned campsite and go to the next one a few miles farther. His reasoning is that our planned campsite on Pike Lake had a half mile downhill spur to it off the ridge and down to the lake. We hiked together as we finally left Clearwater Lake behind. The trail climbed quite a bit up to Gogebic Lake which sat at pretty high elevation compared to Clearwater we just climbed out of. There was a neat old bridge in a cedar grove crossing a creek between Clearwater and West Pike Lake.
Chuck at the Eastern tip of Clearwater Lake at the portage to West Pike Lake.
Gogebic Lake was nice but pales in comparison to what we’ve seen on this trip so far. It’s a small lake with only one campsite and one portage in or out. It’s on a heckuva rocky hill too! The three of us stopped to take a break and had lunch at the campsite. We haven’t seen Jeremy in awhile and haven’t seen Rob since he took a break back at the Mountain Lake overlook. We’re all sort of hiking our own hike on this trip going at our own pace. Throughout the day we’d all meet up at an overlook or at our planned campsite. None of us are too worried about each other. We’re all experienced, have a planned itinerary, paper & digital maps, and Garmin InReaches to communicate with or send an SOS if need be.
When we were done eating we followed the trail up and around Gogebic. On the map there was a marked beaver dam and sure enough there was a huge dam right where the trail goes through! Now the trail just follows along on the low side of the dam and on top of it to meet up with the other side. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the flooded sections we went around before.
Chuck at the beaver dam crossing on Gogebic Lake.
At the next marked overlook we found Jeremy hanging out in the sun. The overlook had a nice view but it was pretty grown in. Having said that the 4 of us still took a break here. It was pretty brisk out especially up on these ridges and cliffs but the sun felt great! There was still no sign of Rob but the four of us continued onward. More hills to climb. Today has definitely had the most elevation gain so far on the trip. Guess that’s a good thing considering Chuck’s knee when going downhill. The next overlook was even more concealed. There’s 2 marked overlooks left before our campsite so hope they’re good ones! Unfortunately the next one wasn’t great either. There was a decent shot through the trees of an island on West Pike Lake. By the fourth one we were just ready to get to camp so we kept on going.
The spur trail down to the site was half a mile long but it was a nice easy gradual hike down. Not like the spur down to the West Clearwater Lake campsite last night. Chuck would’ve been just fine getting down here, but too late now. This was a very nice campsite set up in the pine forest with a nice bed of pine needles and trees to hang from. The lake was just down a little hill and had a nice landing for canoes. After setting up camp Miyagi & Jeremy got a campfire going and I decided to go hang out by the water where the sun was shining. It felt great to soak up the sun where it was actually warm! I ate my dinner and waited for sunset to take some photos. Rob was sitting around the fire when I went back to camp too. His knees were also hurting too. We’re hoping Chuck had an alright night at the other campsite. We tended to the end of the fire and went to bed around 9 PM.
Golden hour light at sunset on Pine Lake.
DAY 4: PINE LAKE CAMPSITE - PIGEON RIVER ~14 MILES
I slept great last night. So much so the guys told me I slept through a light rain in the early morning. It was still misty and gloomy at 6:30 AM. Cold again too right around freezing. Rob was hurting quite a bit today in the same way that Chuck was with extreme knee pain on downhills. He’s going to toughen it out but might have to bail early at McFarland Campground 7 miles away. Hopefully him and Chuck will be ok to finish though! We broke down camp and headed down to the lake for sunrise. It was so cloudy and foggy there wasn’t any color or light from the sun. It did make for quite the ethereal scene with fog drifting over the water and a loon calling off in the distance. You could just barely make out the shoreline on the other side of the lake.
Foggy morning at the Pine Lake campsite.
While walking along the ridge to the east of camp the fog over East Pike Lake was so thick it almost made it seem as though we were way up on a mountain in the clouds. Even without the fog you couldn’t see much through the trees anyway. This whole section is much less dramatic than the rest of the trail. From our campsite there isn’t a marked overlook for 7 miles. It’s mostly just one long ridge walk.
What much of the Border Route Trail looks like in the fall.
Chuck wasn’t at the Pine Ridge Campsite nor the nearby portage when we went by and we haven’t heard from him. Guessing he just went on ahead already this morning. I could see a fresh set of footprints on the trail so assuming they’re his. He must’ve been really hurting on the portage along the BRT and down to East Pike Lake. It was like a 45 degree slope for a long time. Even my knees were starting to hurt on that one. Couldn’t imagine portaging up or down that one!
By now the sun was starting to come out and the fog was burning off. Still didn’t have any real views and won’t for a few more miles. At last I saw a real sign that Chuck was ahead of us. On a dirt patch in the trail there was an up arrow with an “M” for his trail name, Mule. I’m sure we’ll catch up to him at the next overlook or campsite. Shortly after spotting another Mule arrow 2 guys came hiking my way. I asked if there was a guy up at the overlook and they said he was quite a ways past that by now and seemed to be in good shape.
Finally we got to our first view of the day about 7 miles in! There were a lot of trees in the way but you could still see John Lake below and Little John Lake off to the side. Off of John Lake there was river called the Royal River with Royal Lake behind it. I didn’t get a good photo with all of the trees in the way but there were a few Canada Jays, or Gray Jays, flying around that I got a couple pictures of.
Canada Jay.
As we were eating lunch up here on the overlook in the sun two women out for a day hike confirmed that our friend was up ahead at the McFarland Trailhead in about a mile. Sure enough there was Mule laying down on a weathered dock at the McFarland public water access. He’s feeling good enough to finish the trail with us! While the four of us were hanging out at the dock a guy named Jeff came up and talked with us for a bit. He was base-camping at the McFarland State Campground here and taking day trips out on the trails and lakes in his kayak. He was a super nice guy and even gave us ice cold grapes which was much appreciated Trail Magic! Back into the green tunnel we went. The map has 7 marked overlooks until we get to camp but Jeff was saying a lot of those are grown in too. We are officially out of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness zone which was apparent with boardwalks and blue blazes along the trail now.
Blue blazes & ribbons mark the parts of the Border Route Trail not in the BWCAW. The Superior Hiking Trail also uses blue blazes.
Not a good start to the overlooks with the 2. Couldn’t see anything through the trees besides just a glimpse of the Royal River. Finally there was a view at the 3rd overlook! This one featured South Fowl Lake with a glimpse of Royal Lake. It was here where we got a message on the Garmin from Rob saying that he made it to McFarland and will be staying at the campground there. It’s a bummer he won’t be able to finish with us, but better to play it safe and not push your body. When we finish at the 270 Overlook tomorrow we’ll go pick him up back at the campground before we start shuttling cars around.
View from one of the overlooks of the Royal River.
The 4th overlook had much of the same view but with an impressive palisade to the right you could see through the trees. Didn’t get a picture of that so you’ll have to come out here yourself to check it out! I didn’t even realize I went past the 5th overlook until I looked at my map! That one is definitely not there anymore. Coming down from the ridge though you could tell it would’ve been an absolute stunner of a view of that palisade we saw earlier. You could just barely see it over the tree line and it looked massive from this angle. Really hoping the last two overlooks coming up will have a shot towards it. By the time we got to the 6th overlook the angle of the palisade was much different and not quite as dramatic. You could only see the top of it too with trees in the way. That palisade and the land behind it is Canada!
A palisade in Canada as seen through the trees.
Where the 7th and final overlook should’ve been you could sort of see where it might have been potentially at one point on a rocky edge. There was a ton of moss and lichen around it that I didn’t want to trample as well as trees that made it look like it wouldn’t be a clear shot. Guess I was also just over it at this point too. This stretch and day was definitely not my favorite on the Border Route Trail. Maybe we just got spoiled with all of the other magnificent views on the Western end!
The sound of the Pigeon River grew louder as we dropped down from the ridge and hugged the border. We decided to stay along the river here where it flattened out at a previously established dispersed campsite. Originally we planned on camping at the Portage Brook Campsite in about 2 more miles but after scouting it out before the trip from the Otter Lake spur trail we found that the campsite would not work for our group with hammocks. Heck even for me in a small tent there wasn’t really a good spot either. That campsite could really use some help. We settled into the makeshift campsite after hiking 14 miles. The hike went much faster with not as many overlooks to stop and take photos at.
In this spot our phones were picking up the Canadian time which is an hour ahead, but our watches told us the Minnesota time. It wasn’t even 5 PM yet and we’ve already eaten dinner and I was laying in the tent! Tomorrow we would hike the 7 miles to the 270 Overlook and then finish up the trip with the 1 mile spur trail back to Miyagi’s car. Then we would pick up Rob at McFarland and start shuttling our other vehicles.
DAY 5: PIGEON RIVER - EASTERN TERMINUS ~8 MILES
I was the last one out of camp at 6:30 AM. It was still quite dark with sunrise not until 7:15. I donned the headlight and headed out solo. The trail followed along the Pigeon River a little longer. At a higher elevation point I could see the pink glow of the sun starting to rise off in the distance. The once full moon was setting in the other direction. Frost shimmered on the vegetation with my passing light. Soon I came upon a rickety dock-like bridge over the Stump River.
Bridge over the Stump River with the setting Waning Gibbous Moon.
There were plenty of reports this summer about the huge ferns that concealed the trail in the Eastern part of the BRT. Could definitely see what they were talking about. This late in the year though they were all brown and withering away from the trail with the cold temps we’ve been having. I crossed another old bridge over the Portage Brook. By now the sun was rising up in the sky and was lighting up the hillside downstream. Fog was drifting through the scene as well.
Portage Brook with fog and early morning light on the hillside in the background.
The Portage Brook Campsite was right after that. This is the site we originally planned to camp at last night, but it’s tiny and doesn’t really have any trees to hang hammocks from. Then I passed the junction to Otter Lake where me & Miyagi came in to scout that campsite before the trip. On the map there’s some elevation to climb up more ridges and there are 7 marked overlooks including the grand finale at the 270 Overlook. To my surprise the first overlook was actually a decent one too. It looked down on an unnamed pond in the shape of a perfect circle that was most likely part of the Portage Brook judging by the map. The moon was right there up above the pond too which was really cool to see!
Waning Gibbous Moon above an unnamed pond.
The next overlook was a cool one too. It stood out to me as one of the only overlooks so far without a lake on it! This was a mostly green pine forest mixed with some fall colors and bare trees surrounded by rolling hills far away. The sun was casting long shadows on the more pronounced hills. A tiny glimpse of the Portage Brook could be seen winding through the forest.
A view of the rolling hills of the Canadian Shield.
The next couple overlooks were more or less the same view just drawing nearer to the hills around the 270 Overlook. In the home stretch now! This trip went by fast… At the second to last overlook there was an awesome cliffside view of the final push up to the 270 Overlook. At the edge of the cliff someone made a fire ring which looks like has been there for some time. Probably not the best place to have a fire literally on the edge of the cliff. Anyway not far to go now! I’ll see the rest of the guys up there waiting for me.
The hill to the right there is the 270 Degree Overlook and the background is Canada.
Finally made it to the end of the Border Route Trail! Miyagi, Jeremy & Chuck were all waiting for me at the sign. They had been waiting a little bit for me so they were eager to get back to the car. It was nice and peaceful up here by myself. The sun was out and the wind was blowing. Leaves were falling all around me but the golden yellow fall colors were still present. The Pigeon River and the Swamp River are partially seen down below. To the North is Canada. The Border Route Trail Eastern Terminus shares the Northern Terminus of the Superior Hiking Trail. What a fitting way to end this hike at the same spot where the SHT ends. It felt like a nice cap to my SHT Thru-Hike back in June. You can read all about that trip with my SHT Itinerary and Trip Reports.
Eventually I left the overlook and took the 1 mile long trail to the parking lot to officially finish off the hike. We loaded up our gear in Miyagi’s car and headed off to pick Rob up at the McFarland Campground. He must’ve been feeling better, as he was walking down the dirt road towards us a few miles away from the campground. After we picked him up we headed back to the Pincushion Mountain trailhead to get the other cars. Before we went our separate way we went into Grand Marais to have lunch and real food at My Sister’s Place. We reflected on our trip over burgers and lemonades and then said our good byes. Rob took Chuck up the Gunflint Trail to get his car back at the Gunflint Lodge, and the rest of us headed home.
This has been a trail I’ve been wanting to hike the entirety of for some time and I had great company doing so. It was good meeting those guys and am looking forward to some more adventures with them in the future. I hope you enjoyed reading this thorough trip report and my images. I also hope this helps you plan your trip on the spectacular Border Route Trail!
Old weathered signage on the Border Route Trail.
Keefography is reader supported. If you enjoy this free content please consider making a CONTRIBUTION, buying my 2023 PHOTOGRAPHY CALENDAR, purchasing PRINTS, and following along on Social Media at Instagram, Facebook, & YouTube. Your support is greatly appreciated to help cover travel costs, permits, gear acquisitions, and time commitments needed to get outside and share these adventures with you all. Thanks!
To see my other BWCAW Trip Reports check these out:
BWCAW BACKPACKING THE SIOUX-HUSTLER TRAIL
BWCAW BACKPACKING EAGLE MOUNTAIN
Trip Report from backpacking the 42 mile long Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Trail. It follows sandy beaches and dramatic cliffs along Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.