A hiker has wrapped up her 2026 section of Minnesota's Superior Hiking Trail, finishing the trip in style with roadside lattes, air-fried burritos and a finale along one of the trail's prettiest stretches of river.

The final two days of her 22-day trip played out along the trail's southern reaches near Grand Marais in Cook County. Day 21 was a 12-mile stretch made memorable less by the terrain — gentle snowmobile track, boggy boardwalk over Sundling Creek, a stand of big pines — and more by her husband Bill, who staged a support operation at every road crossing. First a hot latte and chocolate croissant from Grand Marais at County Road 6, then frozen burritos cooked in a campsite air fryer at Bally Creek Road, and finally a thermos of vegetable beef soup at County Road 45. Trail romance aside, the day also showcased the trail's less glamorous side: long raised boardwalks over flooded bog, and a race against forecast rain.

The rain did arrive, hammering the couple's small teardrop camper overnight. With no bathroom and an outdoor galley, they gave up on camp cooking and drove to the Cascade Lodge Restaurant, which was packed with everyone else escaping the weather.

Day 22 brought sunshine and the last four miles, hiked together. The trail follows the Cascade River through a string of waterfalls and rapids before a short spur leads into Cascade River State Park, right beside their campsite — an unusually tidy ending. The northbound campsites en route, Cut Log and Boreal, come with a catch: steep climbs from camp down to the water for filtering.

The takeaway for anyone eyeing the SHT: it delivers a proper backpacking experience — swinging weather, real elevation, big Lake Superior views — and lends itself well to section hiking with a vehicle-supported setup. Road crossings are frequent enough that a non-hiking partner can meet you with supplies, and the Grand Marais area offers lodge dining as a bad-weather fallback. The hiker finished the year with about 80 miles of the trail still to go, and is already planning to come back for them.

Credit: The Trek