Devil Track Canyon and Pincushion Mountain

Last week, I decided to go birding along the North Shore of Lake Superior near Grand Marais, MN.  I walked the shore of the big lake, hiked through Devil Track Canyon, up Pincushion Mountain, and back through the canyon.  The next legs of my journey took me to Sweetheart's Bluff, the furthest reaches of Grand Marais, and up Northern Light Lake Overlook.  Overall, I added 4 new species to my Big Year list (see details at https://www.sillimanbirding.blogspot.com), and saw some amazing sights.

 This picture is of an unusual flock of birds: a Wood Duck, and several Mallard Ducks.  They were sitting on Lake Superior's shore in Grand Marais.  The most unusual part of the flock is the Wood Duck.  I've seen Wood Ducks in other parts of Minnesota,  but never in Grand Marais (or Lake Superior).  I got a good look at them, and ran out in search of some of my birding buddies, Aaron, Sarah, and Ella.  While looking at the Wood Duck, we were also able to identify a Semipalmated Plover, and a Semipalmated Sandpiper as well.  See my birding blog for pictures of those birds.

Next, I drove northeast on Highway 61 to County Road 58 (near Five Mile Rock), and began my hike on the Superior Hiking Trail into Devil Track Canyon.  The Superior Hiking Trail goes most of the way along Minnesota's North Shore of Lake Superior, and is often rated as one of the top hiking trails in the country.

Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

Did you know that Cook County has the highest point in Minnesota, the lowest point in Minnesota, and the deepest canyon in Minnesota?  The previous picture is of the lowest point (Lake Superior), and Devil Track Canyon is the deepest canyon.  Our highest point is Eagle Mountain, but I will have to blog about that another day.

The journey into the canyon has many ups and downs, as there are some side canyons to traverse.  Along the way, I saw some beautiful flowers, including the wild strawberry and the forget-me-not.

Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides)

 The wild strawberry will be fruiting sometime later this month.  Its fruit is smaller that a blueberry you get in the store, and tiny compared to the strawberries you get in the store.  However, the flavor is absolutely amazing.  It will be one of the first fruits of the season, along with a similar plant called the dewberry.  Both of these members of the rose family make very tasty trail food.

As I descended into the canyon, I saw many rapids and waterfalls.  Some of my favorites are all the way down at the bottom.  Between the two campsites, there are several bridges crossing the Devil Track River and its tributaries.  The pictures below are from a couple of those spots:

 When I was passing the campsites, I decided it would be nice to see Pincushion Mountain, located up the other side of the canyon.  I ascended a long set of steps, and eventually merged with the Devil Track Ski Trails.  The pictures below is of a small portion of these stairs:

After traveling a short distance on the ski trails, I came to Pincushion Mountain.  There is an overlook accessible from the Gunflint Trail that is labeled as the Pincushion Mountain Overlook.  It is actually the trailhead (with a great overlook of Grand Marais) that can be used to hike (or mountain bike) to the actual Pincushion Mountain.  If you are coming up the Gunflint Trail, I highly recommend taking a few minutes to at least see the beautiful Grand Marais Overlook from that parking lot.

The actual Pincushion Mountain is a bit of a hike in from the Gunflint Trail, and an arduous hike in from the other side of Devil Track Canyon.  If you are physically able to make it to the mountain, it is an amazing site to see!

 The picture above is towards Thunder Bay, Ontario.  I put the WTIP mug in the picture because Jana, the Development Director at North Shore Community Radio, requested pictures of the WTIP thank you gifts at different places that were visited by the listener/members and/or volunteers.  I think it is a great idea, so I took pictures at the top of Pincushion Mountain, and at the bottom of the Devil Track Canyon, and sent them to her.  She put the canyon picture is last week's "Stay Tuned" member newsletter.

The picture below is looking towards Grand Marais, MN.  You can see a little bit of the Grand Marais harbor and Artist Point jutting out from the lake shore in the distance.

I had a great day last Monday seeing these beautiful sights, and finding some nice birds.  Now it is time for me to go on another adventure further up the Gunflint Trail.