Run away to the woods with us for lots of trail time, campfires, and secluded relaxation! Our Minnesota Backpacker’s Retreat invites you to escape into the wild beauty of Minnesota’s North Shore for four unforgettable days of hiking, relaxing, and recharging.
We’ll start by backpacking into the historic Tettegouche Camp at Tettegouche State Park along the shores of Lake Superior — a cluster of rustic, lakeside cabins tucked deep in the park’s 9,000 acres. The cabins are only accessible by a 4-mile hike, but are hooked into the park’s extensive trail system. Once we’re settled into camp, we’ll spend our days exploring the park’s famous trails, paddling on our own secluded lake, and enjoying some true feral relaxation with books, games and journals in hand.
This retreat is designed for folks who both want to deepen their backpacking confidence and skills, and have a super relaxing, away-from-it-all, summer camp style vacation. You’ll learn tactical backpacking skills, like packing a pack, cooking and water treatment in the backcountry, and navigation, while enjoying a laid-back, comfortable experience in cabins. We’ll have other activities on the agenda too, like a gourmet backpacking meal demonstration, a knot-tying workshop and lots of time around the campfire with new pals.
It’s a choose-your-own-adventure kind of long weekend: Push yourself to the limit by hiking as many of the park’s trails as you can, or hang back and experience lake-side yoga! We’ll balance activity with plenty of downtime, allowing us to truly savor the peace of the woods. So whether you’re an experienced backpacker or new to it, this experience has something for you!
Adventure Rating: Beginner-Intermediate
This trip is a great introduction to backpacking and good for beginners, but is in a secluded area without access to many modern amenities. The trails of Tettegouche can be rugged and technical. Participants will carry 25-30lb backpacks (or less, if you pack light!) along <5 miles. There will be some moderate elevation gain.
ACTIVITIES
Hike the many trails of Tettegouche State Park, famous for its waterfalls and beautiful views of Lake Superior. We’ll hike to Mt. Baldy, the highest point in the park, to see a view of the lake and our own camp.
Enjoy a gourmet backcountry dinner demonstration, where we show you how to spice up your backpacking food to create a real trailside feast! We’ll use our backpacking cooking gear to craft a delicious dinner, and provide expert tips and tricks for making food your favorite activity out in the woods.
Because our cabins are on a secluded lake, the Minnesota DNR has provided us canoes and equipment to paddle! Enjoy sunrise or sunset views while on the water, or try to spot as much wildlife as you can. Got a fishing pole? Feel free to bring it along!
Challenge yourself in a casual knot tying workshop, where we’ll learn and practice a variety of useful knots for outdoor adventures.
Get your body feeling good and strong with a simple morning backcountry yoga session. Your guides will lead you through helpful poses and stretches that will aid you in future hiking adventures.
And of course, we’ve built in a lot of time for reading, rest, and relaxation. We encourage you to make this trip what you’re seeking, and if that’s plenty of downtime to just unwind, we’re happy to provide you with that!
Backpacking with Wander Women: Things to Consider
Wander Women backpacking trips are physically exerting as you will be carrying up to 25-30 pounds of weight in your backpack while hiking in hilly terrain.
If you are looking for a trip where you can sneak away for lots of alone time, this is probably not the trip for you. Although, there will be chill time built into the trip!
This is a very hands-on trip. You will be expected to help with different aspects of setting up and tearing down camp, and general camp duties. This will all be done under the guidance of experienced guides.
There will be personal items you will need to pack. We will provide you with a detailed packing list prior to the trip.
Be prepared to camp in all types of weather (rainy, cold, hot, stormy)
ACCOMMODATIONS & LOCATION
Tettegouche Camp is located in the interior of the 9,000 acre park. We’ll have 3 cozy cabins, each equipped with woodstoves, simple kitchenettes, and screened porches. You’ll carry in your own gear, including sleeping bags and personal essentials.
We’ll also have access to a one-room day-use lodge with picnic tables, two fireplaces and a lake-side screened-in porch.
The cabins do not have running water or bathrooms, but there is a showerhouse at the camp with toilets, showers and running water that we’ll be using. A luxury in the backcountry!
About Tettegouche State Park
Established in 1979 to preserve an outstanding example of the North Shore Highlands Biocultural Region, the 9,346 acres of Tettegouche State Park contain a unique combination of natural features: rugged, semi-mountainous terrain, one mile of Lake Superior shoreline, six inland lakes, cascading rivers and waterfalls, and an undisturbed northern hardwood forest.
In the heart of the park, on the shores of Mic Mac Lake, Tettegouche Camp was built over a hundred years ago. You can rent any of the four original, rustic log cabins for an overnight stay or use the lodge, built in 1911, for a unique picnicking site (hike-in only). Experience the quiet northwoods wonder that has captivated humans through the centuries. Source: Minnesota DNR
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Your registration provides you:
Two professional Wander Women guides to help make the trip as seamless and fun as possible
Cabin accommodations & parking
A Wanderer swag bag full of goodies
All backpacking meals
Group backpacking supplies, including water filters, satellite communicators and first aid kits
A detailed pre-trip online guide with everything you need to know for your trip
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
Participants will be responsible for providing/paying for:
Transportation to/from the trip (we always encourage carpooling and can connect you with other participants to ride with!) and to trip activity locations
Park entrance fee
INVESTMENT
Shared cabin: $565
Private cabin: $615
PAYMENT PLAN
We offer payment plans for all our trips, so you can pay a deposit now and the rest over time! WeTravel (our booking platform) easily lets you make a downpayment (this is also your non-refundable trip deposit.) and set up automatic payments for the remainder. For the payment plan schedule, just check the WeTravel page for details. There is NO fee for choosing the payment plan option!
Deposit for this trip: $285 / $305