Eagle Mountain is a very easy highpoint to find and hike with preparation. The rangers from the different districts are happy to provide trailmaps and directions; Denise and Donna were very helpful from the Tofte/Gunflint Ranger District. The best route without construction is Cook County Road 2 just North of Tofte that heads West and then turns North. Cook County Road 2 will lead to Forest Road #170 East which will require a turn to the right; be sure to not take the first Forest Road #170 that goes West and requires a left turn. The signs are very obvious including the Eagle Mountain Trailhead sign; this is why I did not bother to write down the mileage. The Eagle Mountain trailhead is at the Northeast corner of the dirt and gravel parking lot. The trail was snowpacked but very easy to follow; the only junction has a very nice sign on the Northwest corner of Whale Lake that points uphill to Eagle Mountain. The 3.36 mile one-way hike from the trailhead to the summit took me one hour and fifty minutes even with my severely strained calf muscle from my winter survival course in Rocky Mountain National Park two weeks earlier; my doctor was not happy. I did take Forest Road #4 or the Caribou Trail back to Lutsen; this road has construction and is extremely rough. I hope these directions help; if not, the forest rangers are your best resource.
Alan Smith
Overland Park, Kansas