Blind Ash Bay Trail - Voyageurs National Park

On our second day at Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, I hiked the Blind Ash Bay Trail. The route is rated moderate by the park service. It is an out-and-back trail with a loop at the far end. The park service lists the distance as 2.5 miles, but the trail markers show it as being 2.7 miles. Neither of these measurements includes the connector trail required to reach the official trailhead. The Kabetogama Overlook connector trail is listed as 0.1 miles for a total distance of 2.9 miles. According to my GPS, the actual distance is a bit longer at 3.1 miles. This is broken down as follows:

	Trail   Markers	GPS
Kabetogama Lake connecting trail	0.1	0.16
Common leg of Blind Ash Bay Trail	1.0	1.06
Loop of Blind Ash Bay Trail	0.7	0.68
Common leg of Blind Ash Bay Trail (return)	1.0	1.06
Kabetogama Lake connecting trail (return)	0.1	0.16
Total mileage	2.9	3.12

To reach the trailhead from the Ash River Visitor Center, drive 0.3 mile south on Mead Wood Road to a paved parking area on the right. The ADA trailhead is at the south end of the parking area, while the standard trailhead is at the north end. The two trails merge in a short distance into a gravel lane that leads to the Kabetogama Lake Overlook. Immediately after the overlook is the trail junction for the connector trail from one of the parking areas near the visitor center.

The longest descent and climb on the trail are from the overlook on the loop down to Blind Ash Bay and back up to the loop junction. This portion of the trail descends 100 feet over a distance of 1000 feet, but then climbs back up 100 feet over a distance of about 600 feet.

Although this is one of the most used trails in the park, I only met two other hikers along the way. I hiked the trail on our early August 2017 visit to Voyageurs National Park.

Topographic map with GPS route

Part of the paved parking area

Trailhead with new timber and gravel stairs

Meeting up with the ADA trail

Side trail to Kabetogama Lake Overlook

Wayside exhibit and benches at the overlook

View from the Kabetogama Lake Overlook

Trail through the ferns

The trail passes through open forest into a more densely wooded area

Plenty of sunlight in a small clearing

Single-track path

The trail is in here somewhere

Crossing a drainage area

Atop another hill

More open forest

Approaching the service road

Rocks and roots

Up and over

Easy path to follow

Even the rocks are green

Boardwalk

Bench at ¾ mile

Heading down the hill

Flat, easy walking

Crossing another drainage

Stone steps

Side slope walking

Chest-high ferns

Second boardwalk

Trail marker

Beginning the loop counter-clockwise

Harder to find the trail with only half as many footprints

Climbing the hill

More ferns

Rocky ground leads to open forest

Bench

View of Kabetogama Lake from overlook

Beginning the descent to Blind Ash Bay

Continuing to descend

Dense, young forest

First views of the bay

Fewer, more mature trees

Another view of the bay

Some of the ground is too rocky for trees

Hiking by the bay

Blind Ash Bay from the trail

Beginning the climb back up to the loop junction

Continuing the climb

Nearing the summit

Cresting the ridge

Entry to Voyageurs National Park is free.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/voya.