Minnesota's Highest Points and Notable Terrain

Minnesota is not a mountainous state, but the Canadian Shield terrain of the northeast has genuine rugged character, and Eagle Mountain's wilderness setting makes it one of the more rewarding state high points.

Eagle Mountain (2,301 ft)
Minnesota's highest point — in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, accessible by a 7-mile round trip hike through boreal forest and over Precambrian bedrock. The summit is forested with limited views, but the hike through the BWCAW's lake-and-forest landscape is excellent. Eagle Mountain is one of the more remote state high points in the eastern US — the trailhead requires a gravel road drive from Grand Marais.

Carlton Peak (924 ft)
In the Sawtooth Mountains of the North Shore — Carlton Peak's exposed rock summit gives the finest panoramic view of Lake Superior and the North Shore accessible by trail in Minnesota. The 4-mile round trip hike from the Temperance River trailhead is on the Superior Hiking Trail.

Palisade Head (350 ft above Lake Superior)
A volcanic rhyolite escarpment on the North Shore — not a summit but a vertical cliff face above Lake Superior. The view from the parking area at the cliff edge encompasses 180 degrees of Lake Superior, the North Shore, and the Sawtooth Mountains.

Misquah Hills
The highest terrain in Minnesota outside of Eagle Mountain — the Misquah Hills north of Lutsen reach 1,800 feet, overlooking the North Shore. The Lutsen Mountains ski area operates on these hills; the summer gondola provides summit views of Lake Superior.

Boundary Waters Portage Terrain
The BWCAW's terrain — bedrock outcrops, glacially polished rock, and occasional ridges reaching 1,400 feet — gives a rugged character despite modest absolute elevations. The feeling of wilderness from the water's perspective, with the Shield bedrock surrounding the lake, is unlike anything else in the eastern US.