Pristine Wilderness
Do you want to truly get away? Try visiting the three-million-acre Superior National Forest. Located in Minnesota’s “Arrowhead,” it’s bordered by Canada, Lake Superior, and Voyageurs National Park. Established in 1909, it’s the largest National Forest east of the Mississippi River.
The Forest is the southernmost edge of the boreal forest ecosystem. You’ll discover thousands of clean lakes, rocky landscapes, iconic megafauna, and colorful fall foliage. Within lies the beloved one-million-acre Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).
It's the perfect place to get away from it all. One of my trips to the BWCAW was in 1975 with my medical school roommates and several buddies. You’ll find me in the back row on the far left.
Nighttime
While the stunning sunrises, sunsets, paddling, portaging, and wildlife spotting are magnificent, it’s the night sky that excites me. This National Forest offers a welcome respite from urban light pollution for star gazers. The BWCAW was designated a dark sky sanctuary in September 2020 by the International Dark Sky Association.
It’s best to visit a week before or after a new (dark) moon. Late Fall or Winter are best because it gets dark early in northern Minnesota, plus there are no bugs! But any season works. You need to wait until about an hour after sunset.
It requires an additional ten to thirty minutes for your eyes to adjust to darkness. You will see a sky like no other sky you’ve seen from the city. Wear warm clothes in winter and bring lots of bug spray in summer (the mosquito is Minnesota’s unofficial state bird).
The Shot
Last August, I was with Jon Christofersen photographing the night sky at various locations along the Gunflint Trail Road in the Superior National Forest. We stopped at West Twin Lake at a boat launch.
At night, looking through the viewfinder is minimally helpful. You just see dark, vague shapes. It requires a photo to review on the camera’s LCD screen to determine your composition.
After fiddling with my camera height and location, this composition with the dock leading to the uprights pointing to the Milky Way was my favorite.
Thanks for looking,
Chuck Derus