Kekekabic Trail in NE Minn. closed for fire risk

The U.S. Forest Service has closed a rugged hiking trail through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area due to the very high fire danger in northern Minnesota.

The entire 40-mile Kekekabic Trail is closed effective Friday, from Snowbank Lake Road near Ely to the Gunflint Trail. The closure will remain in place until further notice, and includes the associated connector trails and loops.

Forest managers say they're concerned that hikers could become trapped if a wildfire starts and spreads in the BWCA interior.

The closure is in addition to a ban on campfires, charcoal or wood-burning campstoves on federal lands in the Superior National Forest. Similar restrictions are in place for other public lands in northern Minnesota.

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On the Net:

Superior National Forest: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/superior

Minnesota Incident Command System: http://www.mnics.org

Kekekabic Trail Club: http://www.kek.org

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