Duluth Hills

[Briantb]

take 53 then cutover to hwy2 .. you miss the steeper downhill portion from Miller Hill area

[Karalyn]

My thought is just be sure you are hitched up right, and you will do fine. I towed my son's boat up those hills when his car broke down. The boat is longer and weighs a lot more than your little Scamp. If I did it, anyone can do it. LOL
I am sure you will be hanging on to the wheel for dear life, and praying at first, but once used to it, you will do fine. I remember hauling my Casita past that rest area at the top of the hill and not wanting to turn in for the same reasons you are thinking about. I am more confident now, and you will be too. I went to Escanaba hauling a pop up years agao. It is a beautiful area. Wish I could venture over there again. Go while you can. I can not get hubby to budge for a fun vacation any longer. Michigan's upper pennsula is beautiful.

[Adrian W]

To paraphrase Franklin D. Roosevelt, You have nothing to Fear, but Fear Itself.

With your rig, shouldn't even know it is behind you.

If it seems to start getting too fast going down hill, slip it into a lower gear.

If it seems to be bogging down going up a hill, slip it into a lower gear.

Using lower gears can save your breaks as well as keep the motor working better.

We have made it up some good grades out here in the west when towing out 16' Scamp with a Ford Ranger V-6.

Best of Luck!

PS:
Only been in the Duluth area once (2001), came up from Twin Cities, crossed over into Wisconsin as we got near Duluth (Just to say, we'd been there), then looped into Duluth.....may have gone over a tall bridge....seems like we did. We were in a C-Class MH at the time. No problem in doing the loop.

Then drove over a smallish lift bridge (Duluth Harbor Area) onto a long split-like peninsula or island, just to see the place. Then we drove up the road to Canada. Worse road we've been on for being rough. Had to get the drain plumbing fixed after we got home after the drive. Leaking when showering.

On the way back to Twin Cities, we spent a day by the Harbor, then overnighted at the Wal-Mart. I remember it being very hilly getting up from the Harbor Area.

[james kent]

We have towed our similar sized Boler (without brakes) with a Toyota Highlander through the ares you mention and done the Lake Superior circle tour and through the Rocky Mountains with no problems at all. Just make sure that your tow is in tip top shape before you start your trip and drive responsibly.

[Jim Hovind]

Hills are nothing, we will be camping on Long Island NY in may and have to drive through New York City on a Friday afternoon to get there. I'm dreading that drive a;ready.

[slowpat]

I lived in the Chequamegon Bay area of Wisconsin and shopped in Duluth. I never towed anything, but I drove the hills with a manual shift car.

Once you are out of Superior, WI, you might enjoy taking the highway that goes along the shore of Lake Superior, through Cornucopia, Bayfield and Washburn. It is a very good road with views of the lake in places. Bayfield has some neat old buildings--neat to me being from the Pacific Northwest where buildings are young. You'll connect back to Highway 2 just a few miles west of Ashland, WI.

If you have the time, during the summer months, there was a (this is the truth!) 3 hour cruise, you could take that went around the Apostle Islands. Nobody was singing the Gilligan's Island song.

[Francesca Knowles]

Since you seem to be more concerned about going up than down, is it that you're worried about getting started again or sliding backwards if stopped on a hill?

If yours is an automatic transmission with hillholder you needn't be concerned, especially given what sounds like a fair amount of pulling power.

But if you're driving a stick I can understand any reluctance- it takes a lot of practice to get comfortable with hill-stopping in that circumstance.

Either way:

I'm sure that with practice you'll get the hang of it!

Francesca