Mt. Baldy Hike

The top finally comes into sight: the 3-mile hike is easy and pleasant, the vistas that await you are splendid on a sunny day.

Another treasure preserved by The Nature Conservancy, Mt. Baldy has been a favorite hiker's destination for decades. The journey on a mild, sunny day is a delight itself—lots of butterflies, ripened thimbleberries in August, a gentle path through the north woods. The top is treeless with ancient bedrock 3 miles thick, the product over 200 volcanic eruptions over millions of years.

Looking down from Baldy's summit you see Eagle Harbor below 4 miles to the south.

Lake Superior spreads out majestically 730 feet below to the west. Distant freighters are visible. Just four miles away lies historic Eagle Harbor, its old lighthouse and church steeple standing out among the scattering of buildings. Miles of thick cedar forests lie to the east, with hawks soaring above. To the north winds Superior's rocky coast line.

The track, called the Helmut and Candis Stern Preserve, is over 1,500 acres. The Conservancy purchased it from International Paper in 2002. A few pockets of virgin white cedar remain, but the secondary forest is a mature 75 years old.

Traveling north on M-26 the highway makes a 90-degree turn to the right at the harbor and another 90-degree turn to the left. Don't make that second turn—go straight on Front Street/Eagle Harbor Cut Off Road for a couple thousand feet. Turn left onto the gravel two-track and follow it to the small, simple parking area.

Return to Eagle Harbor