This Is the Most Claustrophobic Hike in Minnesota—Would You Try It?

While we have a lot of interesting terrain and rock formations in Minnesota, we don't have many slot canyons or gorges—at least, not many that aren't full of water all the time. There are a couple of hikes I can think of, though, that folks with claustrophobia may want to avoid. The first is in the Metro, in the Mississippi River gorge. The other, which I think is probably the most claustrophobic hike in Minnesota, starts out along the North Shore, just a few miles outside of Grand Marais.

The hike in the Metro is a small "slot canyon"—it's a slot, but at only a few dozen yards in length, it's kind of short for a canyon—at Crosby Farm Regional Park in St. Paul. Although it doesn't appear on official park maps, this "secret" spot is popular with hikers, folks just out exploring, and, in the winter, ice climbers.

The North Shore hike isn't quite as simple because it involves hiking up a river gorge in which a river is still flowing—the Kadunce River, northeast of Grand Marais, to be precise. The hike starts off in a pretty straightforward manner from a wayside along scenic Highway 61. The trail is a spur of the Superior Hiking Trail.

You'll hike a portion of the Kadunce River Wayside Trail for a short distance until it approaches the river. At this point, you'll have a decision to make. Stick with the trail and follow the river along the rim of the gorge, or hike the river itself. The advantage to the latter is that you'll get to see and experience a pair of waterfalls much more closely than you can from the trail above. The advantage of the former is you'll stay dry—and untriggered by claustrophobic conditions. The most important considerations in making your decision are, as with all river and canyon hikes, flow rate and weather. If the river levels are high or rain is forecast, stay on the trail. Period.

On the other hand, a hike up the mile-long gorge of the Kadunce River can be refreshing on a sunny day when river levels are low. The cool, wet walls of the canyon rise nearly a hundred feet above you as you scramble along the rocky river bed. If you're comfortable on wet and slippery rocks, you can climb alongside the first waterfall. You can also stay on the trail and enter the river above the first waterfall if you prefer not to make the scramble. The second waterfall is the end of the hike for most folks, as it's larger and shouldn't be ascended without climbing gear.

Winter is an excellent time to experience this hike, as well, because you can simply snowshoe or crampon across the frozen surface of the river. As you can imagine, in the depths of a Minnesota winter, the Kadunce River Canyon is a popular destination for ice climbers.

There may be a more claustrophobic hike in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but I can't think of one. Fortunately, I don't suffer from the condition, so I'm lucky to consider this hike to be beautiful—but I can understand why some folks may choose to avoid it. Have you hiked the Kadunce River Wayside Trail through the river gorge? What did you think? If you can think of any other hikes in Minnesota that folks with claustrophobia should avoid, we'd love to hear about them over on our Nomination page.

Are you up for more hiking adventures in the Bold North? If so, head on over to Only In Your State’s AI-powered itinerary planner for some travel inspiration—you may be surprised where it leads you.