Hunting Shack River Route
Put your canoe in the Hunting Shack River on the south side of the Echo Trail. It’s a 15-minute paddle to Pauline Lake or a half hour to Astrid Lake.
There are no portages into either Pauline or Astrid. From Pauline, there is a 20-rod portage into Nigh Lake.
From Astrid, there is a 200-rod portage across Forest Road 200 to Maude Lake. The Astrid Lake Hiking Trail is accessible from the campsites and portages.
Backcountry campsites are available on the lakes.
Other Access
There is a 20-rod portage into Pauline Lake off the Echo Trail about one mile east of Hunting Shack River. Roadside parking.
There is an 80-rod portage into Astrid Lake and a 120-rod portage into Maude Lake off Forest Road 200, two miles south of the Echo Trail. Roadside parking. All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) may be used to haul a canoe or small boat on the portages into Astrid or Maude Lakes. ATVs may not be used beyond the portages into Astrid or Maude.
Location
Hunting Shack River crosses the Echo Trail 29 miles northeast of Orr, MN.
- From Orr, take St. Louis County 23 to Buyck (16 miles).
- At Buyck, County 23 turns into County 24. Continue on County 24 for 4 miles to the Echo Trail (County 116).
- Turn right on the Echo Trail, continue 9 miles to the Hunting Shack River.
- Roadside parking just east of the river crossing. Be sure to pull your vehicle well off the road.
Jeanette Lake Campground is a small, single-loop campground on a peninsula reaching out onto the glacier-carved Lake Jeanette in Superior National Forest.
The Astrid Lake Area has 7 miles of hiking trail, 6 backcountry campsites and a canoe route with 4 interconnected lakes, including Astrid Lake, Maude Lake, Pauline Lake and