Photo by Travis Novitsky
The historic Gunflint Trail is both storied and wild. Wolves and moose are frequently sighted, and the dark skies are among the best in North America for stargazing and tripping the Northern Lights fantastic. Think of it as the backcountry yin to the North Shore’s Lake Superior yang: two interconnected forces of nature, geography, and resources that Minnesotans are Powerball-lucky to have in their own backyard.
Photo by Paul Sundberg
Beginning in Grand Marais, the Gunflint Trail is a paved 57-mile road that ends at a roundabout, straddling the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park. It is the gateway to the world’s largest international area reserved for wilderness recreational purposes, and tens of thousands of people pass through each year to paddle off the grid for days or even weeks. Getting there is part of the adventure, too: The drive from Duluth to the end of the Gunflint Trail runs entirely along two of Minnesota’s nationally designated scenic byways.
Wander the Map
The Boundary Waters are one of the world’s top destinations for serious paddlers, who pack in and spend days exploring the landscape. If that’s not appealing (or, not yet), the Gunflint Trail has 100 years of land-based hospitality under its belt and can support a visit as short as a daytrip or as long as a summer vacation.
Beyond Paddling
Those who stay close to the Big Lake may have never ventured past the popular Pincushion Mountain trailhead, located a mere 2 ½ miles up the Gunflint. It’s an easy hike with big scenic payoff, but the parking area is often full. Continue on the Gunflint north to leave the crowds behind on a variety of well-marked hiking trails that lace boreal lakes and lead to lookouts (Honeymoon Bluff, at mile marker 26, with a turn on Clearwater Road), waterfalls (Caribou Rock Trail, one road past Clearwater, with a turn on Hungry Jack Road), or even a 60-foot monolith that has got some serious magnetic game (Magnetic Rock, mile marker 41, just past the sign for Tuscarora Lodge).
Visit Cook County
Replace some of those calories burned with a malt at the Trail Center Lodge. (They’ll make it an “adult” malt for $5 more.) This place has been a Gunflint landmark since 1938 and feeds folks breakfast, lunch, and dinner. While there, check out the one-of-a-kind memorabilia, such as a curio cabinet of vintage Royal Canadian Mounted Police collectibles, featuring scarlet-tunic mounties.
Photo by Travis Novitsky
The Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center near the end of the trail in Grand Marais is a must. Bring a snack and hiking boots and spend the better part of the day immersed in the area’s history. The museum is in the beautifully restored 1938 Chik-Wauk Lodge, built high on the bank of Saganaga Lake. Start with the films for background and context. A binder explores the Gunflint Trail Resort history from 1915 to the present, with an entertaining collection of research, photos, and anecdotes about many of the owners whose businesses are now in the hands of a new generation of stewardship. A nearby interpretive guest cabin is set as it would have been in 1955, welcoming the post-World War II guests who changed the destination from off-road to vacation haven. Take the 1.8-mile round trip Blueberry Hill hike to see the land as the Anishinaabe people may have. There is a boardwalk trail, too, that complies with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
Wander the Map
For visitors who can stay overnight or longer, some of the best options date to those early days of tourism. Just up the road on Saganaga Lake is the 1961 Voyageur Canoe Outfitters, owned since 2015 by Cassidy and Matt Ritter. Seasoned guides who outfit all levels of wilderness trips, they also understand the creature comforts and various experiences sought by today’s guests. “I truly believe there’s something here for everyone,” says Cassidy, who seeks new ways to meet the needs of visitors on the Gunflint in their six cabins. Show up hungry and they’ll make a frozen pizza and pour you a pint of Voyageur’s beer.
Hankering for a pub meal and cocktails? Head 10 miles back down the trail to Poplar Haus. Founded in the late 1950s, it reopened in 2017 under Bryan and Stacey Gerrard, a couple from the Twin Cities who thought they wanted to open a North Loop restaurant but came across a “for sale” sign on the lodge while camping on the Gunflint. “We drove straight to Grand Marais to get a cell signal and called the broker,” says Bryan, whose purchase included five cabins and the only liquor store on the Gunflint Trail.
Provided
The Gerrards gutted the main lodge and rebuilt the interior into a bright, airy Northwoods pub with an urban twist. For instance, instead of real taxidermy over the fireplace, Bryan indulged in a coveted gallery print of Neil Young holding a beer up to a mounted moose head that is wearing sunglasses.
Photo by Megan PAdilla\
Grab a table on the deck and melt into dusk overlooking Poplar Lake with a plate piled high with sesame ginger duck wings and a cribbage board at the ready. Then order another spruce margarita (yep, another one of those Northwoods twists) to wash down the walleye po’ boy, and maybe move back indoors by the fire.
It’s a good night on the Gunflint.
