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The
rugged Kekekabic Trail, or "Kek", extends from the end of the Fernberg
Trail in Ely near Snowbank Lake to the Gunflint Trail near
Gunflint Lake. The trail connects to the
Border Route Trail
off of the Gunflint Trail.
The trail extends 40 miles through the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA).
Permits
are required (Hiking
Entry Points 56 & 74).
Originating in the 1880s, a portion of the trail
led from the Gunflint Trail to the Paulson Mines. The remainder of
the trail was cleared in 1930s as an access trail for firefighting and
forest management. A fire tower once stood near Kekekabic Lake, hence
the trail and lake's name derived from the Ojibwe "Keke-quabic" which
means "Hawk's nest on the rocks."
The
Kekekabic Trail is now maintained by the
Kekekabic
Trail Club and its volunteers. In March 2009, a
bill was introduced to reroute the North Country Trail to include
the Kekekabic Trail, the Border Route Trail,
and the Superior Hiking Trail.
Kekekabic Volunteer Trail Clearing Trips
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