Contact Info
320 N. Highway 53
Cook, MN 55723
- Phone:
- 218-666-0020
Basics
- Length:
- 15 miles
- Difficulty:
- Intermediate,
Difficult
- Time:
- 6 - 7 hours
Description
From the parking lot, it is 0.4 mile to the Echo River Picnic site. This scenic day use site is not in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW.) However, if you hike on to Little Vermilion, Dovre, or Herriman Lakes, or south along the Echo River, you will enter the BWCAW (see map.) By following a few simple rules, you can help to preserve the area’s wilderness character.
Features 15 miles of trail, more than half in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) 3 wilderness campsites Scenic overlooks at Echo River, Herriman and Dovre Lakes Walk-in picnic site at Echo River Fall colors.
Details
Length:
Difficulty:
Difficult
Time:
Additional Details:
Whenever you enter the wilderness:
- A permit is required.
- Limit of 9 people in a group.
- No cans or bottles.
- Overnight hikers must camp at a campsite (see map) or at least 150 feet from the trail or lakeshore.
For Your Hike:
- Pack your swimsuit and a picnic lunch for the sand beach on Little Vermilion Lake.
- Enjoy the scenic views of oxbows along the Echo River. Take your binoculars, or a bucket for blueberries in mid-July. If the berry crop is good, you may find easy picking on the rocky loop at the end of the trail.
- Hike through mature red and white pines among rock outcroppings on the Dovre Lake loop.
- Take your camera to capture the blaze of fall colors around Herriman and Knute Lakes at the end of September. The maples, aspen and oaks are also beautiful along the Echo River and the Dovre loop.
There are no trail signs in the wilderness. Use a topographic map and compass, and watch for rock cairns to guide you in the ledge rock areas.
