Eagle Mountain is the highest natural point in
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
, United States, at . It is in northern
Cook County
Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. ...
in the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW or BWCA) comprises of pristine forests, glacial lakes, and streams in the Superior National Forest. Located entirely within the U.S. state of Minnesota at the Boundary Waters, the wilderness are ...
and
Superior National Forest
The Superior National Forest, part of the United States National Forest system, is located in the Arrowhead Region of the U.S. state, state of Minnesota between the Canada–United States border and the North Shore (Lake Superior), north shore o ...
in the
Misquah Hills, northwest of
Grand Marais. It is a Minnesota State Historic Site.
Eagle Mountain is only about from Minnesota's lowest elevation,
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...
, at 600 feet (183 m).
It is part of the
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield ( ), also called the Laurentian Shield or the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), th ...
. There is also another much shorter peak also named Eagle Mountain in northern Minnesota. The shorter peak is part of the
Lutsen Mountains ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...
.
Access
The hike to the summit can be made in about two and a half hours. The distance to the peak is about with an elevation gain of . The trail is rocky and moderately strenuous.
Whale Lake is about halfway along the trail and offers two campsites to hikers. The peak of the mountain is marked with a plaque.
Permits are required because portions of this hike enter the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW or BWCA) comprises of pristine forests, glacial lakes, and streams in the Superior National Forest. Located entirely within the U.S. state of Minnesota at the Boundary Waters, the wilderness are ...
. Self-issued permits are available at any Superior National Forest ranger station or at the trailhead. Instructions and the permit can usually be found at the trailhead kiosk.
Among the
highest natural points (
highpoints) in each U.S. state, Eagle Mountain ranks 37th.
See also
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List of mountains of Minnesota
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List of U.S. states by elevation
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
References
External links
Eagle Mt/Brule Lake U.S. Forest Service. Map and access information.
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{{Minnesota hiking trails
Highest points of U.S. states
Hiking trails in Minnesota
Mountains of Minnesota
Protected areas of Cook County, Minnesota
Superior National Forest
Mountains of Cook County, Minnesota