Hiking to Magnetic Rock has been on my to do list for the North Shore for a while.
Every time I’ve been to Grand Marais, it’s fallen off my radar, mostly because of its distance up the Gunflint trail.
To get there you go 45 miles up on County Road 12 and then take a 1.5 mile hike to the big rock that has a magnetism about it, however the 45 mile chasm between my lodging in Grand Marais and it never created a sense of urgency for myself or my fellow travelers.
We usually traveled to Grand Marais in the winter so making the trek was even less appealing up a two lane winding road in a Minnesota snowmageddon.
So this past fall when I had the chance to get out to the rock, I jumped on it.
Before I made the trip I researched the area we’d be hiking through.
The history of Magnetic Rock’s region
Magnetic Rock is located deep in Superior National Forest. It’s in the heart of the 1999 derecho, straight line wind storm that left 1 dead and 60 injured. In its wake, the storm also knocked down nearly 500,000 acres of forest.
This blowdown created the perfect environment for wildfire. The region isn’t unfamiliar with fires, a fire went through the Magnetic rock are in 1974, but by 1999 it had recovered some.
In 2007, disaster struck again. The Ham Lake fire that destroyed 40,000 acres burned through the area. It was the worst fire in 90 years for the state of Minnesota.
Now, 7 years later, life has started to return to the Magnetic Rock area. The hike provided a beauty that is unlike most you’ll find along the north shore.
Seeing life renew
Because of the burn and the loose soil, growth has been slow. This allows you to see an enormous amount of terrain for great distances. As you hike to Magnetic Rock you travel up a few overlooks. As you look out, you see hills and Minnesota’s version of mountains all around you. Down in the valleys you see the remnants of the forest fire, surrounded by life struggling to reclaim the land.
As the two battle it out, the destruction of the fire and the rebirth of the forest, it’s a heck of a juxtaposition.
Because of the burn, as you hike to Magnetic Rock, its uniqueness stands out even more, jutting up from the land as a monument to what’s happened here.
Time battles on
If you’re looking for a unique hike in the north shore area, this is it. It’s hard to say how long it will stay in its current form. One thing is certain. Time battles on, and as it does, life will continue to reclaim more ground from the burn area at Magnetic Rock, changing the landscape around the namesake feature from what it is today, back to version of what it once was.
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