Misquah Hills
Encyclopedia
The Misquah Hills are a range of large hills or small mountains in northeastern Minnesota
, in the United States
. They are located in or near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
within Superior National Forest
. They contain Eagle Mountain
, the highest point in Minnesota at 2301 feet (701 meters).
, Lima Mountain (2238 ft), Gaskin Mountain (2245 ft), Brule Mountain (2226 ft), Pine Mountain
(2194 ft), and Peak 2266.
Their total elevation above the surrounding plateau does not exceed 600 feet, although they reach roughly 1700 feet above nearby Lake Superior
at Eagle Mountain, the highest point in Minnesota at 2301 feet (701 meters) above sea level. Still, at this elevation they are the highest points for nearly a thousand miles in any direction, as well as the second-highest range of the Canadian Shield
in the US, after the Adirondack Mountains
.
within the Duluth Complex
, a relatively recent addition to the larger Precambrian
rock formations of the Canadian Shield
. This complex was formed during the Midcontinent Rift event. The rock type of the Misquah Hills ranges from granite
to quartz monzonite
to monzodiorite. These rocks date to 1106.0±5.1 Ma, placing them in the middle of the Stenian
period of the Mesoproterozoic
era. The Misquahs are geological cousins of the Adirondacks and the Laurentian Mountains
of Quebec
; they bear some visual resemblance to these ranges, though on a smaller scale.
and varieties of spruce
; eastern white pine
, red pine
, quaking aspen, paper birch
, and northern white cedar are also common in the area. The Misquahs are part of the Northern Boreal Forest.
survey team remeasured several summits in the Misquahs in 1961, using aerial photographs and benchmarking (geolocating)
, resulting in the current set of height measurements.
. Many of the peaks remain unnamed, most are only accessible by water, and only Eagle Mountain
, Lima Mountain, and Pine Mountain have summit trails.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They are located in or near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , is a wilderness area within the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota under the administration of the U.S. Forest Service...
within Superior National Forest
Superior National Forest
Superior National Forest, part of the United States National Forest system, is located in the Arrowhead Region of the state of Minnesota between the Canada – United States border and the north shore of Lake Superior...
. They contain Eagle Mountain
Eagle Mountain (Minnesota)
Eagle Mountain is the highest natural point in Minnesota, at . It is located in northern Cook County and is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Superior National Forest in the Misquah Hills, northwest of the community of Grand Marais. It is a Minnesota State Historic Site.Eagle...
, the highest point in Minnesota at 2301 feet (701 meters).
Geography
The Misquah Hills are oriented east-to-west, south of Cross Lake and Winchell Lake. Their peaks are all within four miles east and seven miles west of Misquah Lake, and include several of the highest points in Minnesota, including Eagle MountainEagle Mountain (Minnesota)
Eagle Mountain is the highest natural point in Minnesota, at . It is located in northern Cook County and is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Superior National Forest in the Misquah Hills, northwest of the community of Grand Marais. It is a Minnesota State Historic Site.Eagle...
, Lima Mountain (2238 ft), Gaskin Mountain (2245 ft), Brule Mountain (2226 ft), Pine Mountain
Pine Mountain
Pine Mountain may refer to:Place names*Pine Mountain, Georgia , the name of a number of locations in the U.S. state of Georgia*Pine Mountain Club, California, a populated area in Kern County...
(2194 ft), and Peak 2266.
Their total elevation above the surrounding plateau does not exceed 600 feet, although they reach roughly 1700 feet above nearby Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
at Eagle Mountain, the highest point in Minnesota at 2301 feet (701 meters) above sea level. Still, at this elevation they are the highest points for nearly a thousand miles in any direction, as well as the second-highest range of the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
in the US, after the Adirondack Mountains
Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
.
Geology
The bedrock of the Misquah Hills is a granophyreGranophyre
Granophyre is a subvolcanic rock that contains quartz and alkali feldspar in characteristic angular intergrowths such as those in the accompanying image....
within the Duluth Complex
Duluth Complex
The Duluth Complex, the related Beaver Bay Complex , and the associated North Shore Volcanic Group are rock formations which comprise much of the basement bedrock of the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota...
, a relatively recent addition to the larger Precambrian
Precambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
rock formations of the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
. This complex was formed during the Midcontinent Rift event. The rock type of the Misquah Hills ranges from granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
to quartz monzonite
Quartz monzonite
Quartz monzonite is an intrusive igneous rock that has an approximately equal proportion of orthoclase and plagioclase feldspars. The plagioclase is typically intermediate to sodic in composition, andesine to oligoclase. Quartz is present in significant amounts. Biotite and/or hornblende...
to monzodiorite. These rocks date to 1106.0±5.1 Ma, placing them in the middle of the Stenian
Stenian
The Stenian is the final geologic period in the Mesoproterozoic Era and lasted from 1200 Mya to 1000 Mya . Instead of being based on stratigraphy, these dates are defined chronometrically...
period of the Mesoproterozoic
Mesoproterozoic
The Mesoproterozoic Era is a geologic era that occurred between 1600 Ma and 1000 Ma . The Mesoproterozoic was the first period of Earth's history with a respectable geological record. Continents existed in the Paleoproterozoic, but we know little about them...
era. The Misquahs are geological cousins of the Adirondacks and the Laurentian Mountains
Laurentian mountains
The Laurentian Mountains are a mountain range in southern Quebec, Canada, north of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River, rising to a highest point of 1166 metres at Mont Raoul Blanchard, north east of Quebec City in the Reserve Faunique des Laurentides. The Gatineau, L'Assomption, Lièvre,...
of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
; they bear some visual resemblance to these ranges, though on a smaller scale.
Ecology
The Misquah Hills are thickly forested, though there are granite outcrops and bare summit rocks in some places. The forest cover consists largely of balsam firBalsam Fir
The balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada and the northeastern United States .-Growth:It is a small to medium-size evergreen tree typically tall, rarely to tall, with a narrow conic crown...
and varieties of spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
; eastern white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
, red pine
Red Pine
Pinus resinosa, commonly known as the red pine or Norway pine, is pine native to North America. The Red Pine occurs from Newfoundland west to Manitoba, and south to Pennsylvania, with several smaller, disjunct populations occurring in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia, as well...
, quaking aspen, paper birch
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera is a species of birch native to northern North America.-Description:...
, and northern white cedar are also common in the area. The Misquahs are part of the Northern Boreal Forest.
Exploration
The Misquah Hills were surveyed by Newton H. Winchell, Minnesota state geologist, and Ulysses S. Grant II in the 1890s, who, using an aneroid barometer mistakenly gave the title of highest peak in Minnesota to an unnamed 2230-foot summit near what is now called Winchell Lake. A United States Department of the InteriorUnited States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
survey team remeasured several summits in the Misquahs in 1961, using aerial photographs and benchmarking (geolocating)
Benchmarking (geolocating)
Benchmarking is an activity in which individuals or teams of participants go out and find benchmarks . They typically then log their finds online...
, resulting in the current set of height measurements.
Recreation
Hiking in the Misquah Hills has long been overshadowed by the vast amount of excellent canoeing in the lakes of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area WildernessBoundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , is a wilderness area within the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota under the administration of the U.S. Forest Service...
. Many of the peaks remain unnamed, most are only accessible by water, and only Eagle Mountain
Eagle Mountain (Minnesota)
Eagle Mountain is the highest natural point in Minnesota, at . It is located in northern Cook County and is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Superior National Forest in the Misquah Hills, northwest of the community of Grand Marais. It is a Minnesota State Historic Site.Eagle...
, Lima Mountain, and Pine Mountain have summit trails.