Superior National Forest Forest Road 173 Isabella Lake Loop

Forest Road 173 cuts a narrow ribbon through some of the Superior’s most untouched timber, where 200-year-old white pines tower over a maze of beaver ponds and granite outcrops. The route starts innocuously enough from the Gunflint Trail but quickly turns into a proper bushwhacking adventure, with fallen timber regularly blocking the path and creek crossings that’ll have you checking your differential clearance. Isabella Lake sits at the end like a hidden jewel, ringed by massive pines that somehow escaped the logging era.

This is genuine backcountry driving that demands high clearance and four-wheel-drive — stock SUVs will struggle with the rock gardens and mud holes that appear without warning. May through September offers the best conditions, though spring can be dicey with frost heaves and washouts. No permits needed, but bring a chainsaw for inevitable deadfall cleanup. What you get is solitude most Minnesotans never experience, plus some of the best brook trout fishing in the state if you pack a rod.