Angleworm Hiking Trail — Attraction in Slim Lake

Beautiful, very peaceful trail that, to me, was a perfect Boundary Waters hiking experience. The trail circles around Angleworm, Home, and Whisky Jack Lakes and is quite challenging, repeatedly going down to the water's edge and then back up onto the ridge. But you're pretty far up into the Boundary Waters here so you won't encounter many people (I saw 1 boat and 6 or 7 hikers) and the forest is pristine, with old, majestic White and Red Pines along the lakes.

Two caveats: (1) the trail is poorly marked and it's easy to get lost. I downloaded the trail on All Trails and I needed to consult it 5 or 6 times or I would have gotten lost; (2) there's a very marshy section near the beginning and even in September, the boards that crossed the marsh were completely submerged and you had to hike through 2 or 3 inches of water. So waterproof hiking boots are critical. And if you don't have hiking poles, you'll have to find two good hiking sticks for this stretch.

Fast hikers can probably do it in 5 hours in good conditions but for many, this will be either a full day's hike or one to break up...

How do you rate a hiking trail?? It has rocks, roots, and some small elevation gain and loss. The trail is heavily traveled, but I would still recommend carrying a map or downloading the Avenza map and purchasing the Boundary Waters maps. Permits are required for day use and you must purchase a permit online for overnight use. It's truly hard to know how long this trail is, but the loop itself is 12 miles per the Forest Service. When you consider the portage in and out the trail comes in under 16 miles. I've done this as a day hike as well as overnight. Cell service is spotty with AT&T, with none being the most frequent. If you take all this into consideration you should be prepared for a good hike. I recommend the overnight trip because it is more relaxing that way and you can't beat a night...

START EARLY if you want to make sure you get back in daylight. When the sun starts to go down it can be a little difficult to make out parts of the trail. It is well worth the long day of hiking. Beautiful lake, very, very quiet with great cliff overlooks. Early to mid-September is paradise. The camping on Angleworm is fantastic. Longer portage keeps the crowds down. Fishing is hit and miss with bigger fish than some...