Need to know:

Where to start: Silver Bay Trailhead (see map below. I’m including this because whatever we Googled on the day led us somewhere totally different)

Was it worth it? Yes, I give it a 10/10

Highlight: View of Bean & Bear Lakes

Distance: 5.2-6.3 miles (Depends on which return trail you choose)

Suggested time here: It took us about 4 hours with kids

When we visited: October 2020

I’m going to start out with a bold statement, this was the best Minnesota hike we’ve ever done!

If you’re going to be in the Silver Bay area and you don’t mind a moderate/difficult hike, this is a MUST DO! I did not research this hike ahead of time but we found ourselves in Two Harbors with an empty day ahead of us so I told the boys to layer up and get ready for a hiking adventure. However, I didn’t realize just how big of a hike this would actually be so that’s why I’m writing this post, so you can go into it knowing more than I did!

This trail is part of the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT). The SHT is a whopping 296 miles long and goes from Duluth, MN to the Canadian border, pretty cool, eh? (Note: The trail is occasionally marked SHT along the way, so don’t be surprised if your kids affectionally name it the SHIT trail at some point along your journey like mine did!) This small section of trail is also known as the Twin Lakes Trail and leads to two BEAUTIFUL hidden lakes in the middle of the forest. The views along the trail are fantastic and it’s well worth the drive up here from the Twin Cities and the hours on the trail.

Starting out at the trailhead, just follow the path to the SHT Main Trail. Keep a look out for the blue paint marks. You’ll see them on the trees and rocks as you go and it was kind of a fun way for my boys to navigate. We were all in high spirits when we took off, probably because we were blissfully unaware of exactly how long it would take us to get there. At one point we passed a man going in the opposite direction, and my youngest asked “How far is it?” and the man just smiled and said “It’s farther than you think!”… And he was right!!!

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This is categorized as a moderate/difficult trail and that seems to be right on the mark. This was a tough one with lots of ups/downs and some pretty rough terrain at times. If your kids are used to doing long hikes they’ll be just fine. On the other hand, if they’re just starting out (or under probably age 9), I’d say give it a few more years before attempting this one.

Soak up the views!

We missed the peak of the fall leaves by a few weeks however it was still gorgeous along the trail. We had Lake Superior views in the distance though, and you can’t get much better than that! Side note, I went to college at the University of MN Duluth so I have a special love of Lake Superior. Any Duluthians or former Duluthians will understand this.

Another highlight was passing through quite a few different terrains as you make your way along the hike. You start in a rocky area and quickly it becomes a thick forest. You’ll cross some man made bridges, you’ll climb up some fairly steep slopes and it all adds to the fun. It seems like every 20 minutes or so you enter a totally different area. That aspect definitely helped to keep the little people interested.

The Breakdown

A few miles in and we were all still feeling pretty good but the weather was starting to take a turn. Just before arriving at Bean Lake overlook we got pelted by winds and icy rain. You know the kind, the little ice balls that hurt your face! This was when the little peoples’ spirits broke. Now when I say they broke, I mean they really broke. There were tears, a threat to launch oneself off the cliff if we continued, and a general refusal to move another inch. We had to do a little convincing and may have bribed them with a few snacks but we were SO close to the overlook! After that little break (and breakdown), they both made the decision to finish it up.

The Hidden Lakes!

The view of Bean Lake was pretty amazing but we stayed only long enough to snap a few pics. While we were standing by the edge it was so windy that it was one of those mom moments where you hold onto their hoods just in case. They were antsy to get the heck outta there so we continued on the trail only a bit further to see Bear Lake. I knew we were running on borrowed time so I wasn’t surprised that the boys had zero interest in continuing on. We missed out on the popular photo spot were you can get both lakes in the same shot. I was a bit bummed about that but it just leaves us something to come back for next time!

The return walk didn’t seem to take nearly as long (isn’t that always the way) and everyone was looking forward to a big lunch and the hotel hot tub so we had a little extra pep in our step.

In conclusion, would we do it again? YES, 100% yes. Were the boys proud they did it? Oh yeah they were! If you ask them about it they’ll probably tell you it was a piece of cake 😉

If you’re in the Silver Bay area, also check out my post about Black Beach, Minnesota’s own black sand beach!

Please let me know in the comments below if you’ve done this hike and what you thought of it! Do you agree this should be in the best Minnesota hike category?


Happy Exploring!

More Info:

• Dress for all weather scenarios
• Don’t forget your snacks & water
• There are no paved paths (not stroller friendly in the slightest)
• There are no bathrooms or drinking fountains