SHT Castle Danger trailhead bivy?

Hi Ryan,

I'm not from the North Shore but am a frequent SHT hiker. The trail assn strongly discourages any sort of "camping" outside of established campsites because so much of the trail crosses private property and we don't want to lose that privilege! Not all private property boundaries are marked … that is done only if the owner requests it.

IIRC, Castle Danger trailhead parking is in the boonies surrounded by forest and barely noticeable, much less visible from the road. I doubt you'd be noticed, much less bothered sleeping in your car.

A more costly alternative would be getting a room at the Two Harbors AmericaInn

Have a good hike! And please report back on trail conditions.

I Google Earthed the trailhead already, and it does look secluded enough. I was not planning on going off the trail or parking lot, really, just need enough room to lie down…I definitely have no interest in trespassing especially in the "boonies." I'll be up early enough anyway to clear the trail.

Thanks for the feedback; I hope to post a report sometime next week.

Just thought I'd leave this here for future hikers who do a BPL search for "Superior Hiking Trail" or "Castle Danger." When I got to the trailhead there was a sign posted that said the trailhead itself is on private property and that sleeping there or in cars is absolutely prohibited. So, I strongly recommend NOT doing that.

Fortunately I was able to get there earlier than I thought, so my walk to the first campsite was not in the dark. While going to sleep, I was able to hear a few cars in the distance driving past the trailhead, so that access road is traveled at night by locals.

It's a great week to get out there…TR coming later today. Just a bit of mud in what seem to be the "usual" places. Most areas are either dry, dry-ish, or the mud that is there isn't too wet. Worst sections for muck that I recall offhand were Castle Danger to Gooseberry, Section 13 area, Finland Rec Area to Crosby-Manitou, and Britton to Oberg (harder mud there). Ridge systems like in Tettegouche, etc are much more "high and dry."

Blueberries are out in force, too.

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