Mukooda Trail

Mukooda Trail is a 2.8-mile round-trip loop across the narrow wooded land between Sand Point Lake and glacially carved Mukooda Lake. It climbs over rocky ridges, with views opening from the higher ground, and takes about two to three hours. Choose it when the boat ride is part of the fun and you want a remote walk rather than a quick roadside stop. Reaching the trailhead means a roughly six-mile boat trip from Crane Lake, so plan around the full outing, not only the hiking time. There is no road access to the Mukooda Lake Day Use Area.

The tread is narrow, winding and uneven, with exposed rocks and roots, steep climbs and descents, and long drop-offs. “Moderate” does not mean level or smooth here. Watch each step where rock breaks through the path and take care near the edges. The high ridges are the places to pause for the water views. Treat the rough sections as part of the hike, not a connector between viewpoints; expect to move more slowly than you would on a groomed lakeside path.

The exposed ridges show rock scraped by glaciers, while scattered boulders are glacial erratics carried and dropped as the ice retreated. The land was lifted and folded long before the glaciers carved its low places into lake basins. Mixed deciduous and coniferous forest alternates with open rock, so the walk keeps shifting between close woods and views across water. The trail itself was completed in 2020 by two conservation crews and park staff, a newer route threaded through a much older landscape.

At the southern end, the trail reaches the remains of Filben Cabin, once known as The St. Paul Club. During Prohibition it served as a hideout for Minnesota gangsters. Thomas Filben laundered money from a slot-machine empire and became a banker to the underworld. The cabin was remembered as a surprisingly comfortable retreat: a player piano was hauled through woods and across lakes, and John Dillinger was among its reported guests. Most of the building was removed by the 1980s, but foundations remain. A 0.4-mile round-trip option to the cabin is also listed; it is unclear whether that is included in the 2.8-mile loop figure, so leave room for extra walking if you take the cabin spur.

Start at the Mukooda Lake Day Use Area. If you do not have a boat, arrange a licensed water taxi or guided trip before setting out. Personal watercraft are not allowed on Mukooda Lake. Vault toilets are near the trailhead, but a drinking-water source is not listed, so bring the water you need. Pets are not allowed, and the listed hiking season is spring and summer. No reservation is required for the hike.