Trident Ensign

Trident Ensign is an easy hike of about 0.7 miles that sits within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, on the Kawishiwi Ranger District of Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota. The Forest Service manages the land, and the route is short and low, with a total elevation gain of about 150 feet from the trail's start at roughly 1,390 feet to a high point near 1,430 feet. The climb is gentle, with the steepest stretch at about 7% grade near the start. Because the route is out and back, you go up to the high point and then down again, and the whole trip takes about half an hour. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Ely run to highs around 77°F in July and 72°F in June, with lows in the low 50s. Winters are cold, with January highs around 15°F. Other routes lie close by. Vera-Ensign is about a mile away, and Birch-Frog is just over a mile off. The Ensign-Vera Winter cross-country ski route is also about a mile away. The Knife River, a canoeing route, is about 2.5 miles from the trail.