Grand Marais/Gunflint Trail
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When I was nine years old, my father took
our family north on a vacation. All I remember was turning east
and north out of Duluth and following Lake Superior for what seemed
forever. The farther north we went, the more beautiful the scenery
became. Reaching Grand Marais -- once a village built by the
Ojibwa -- I remember seeing a narrow road heading northwest and asking
my father where it led. He said: "It's called the Gunflint Trail,
and it leads sixty miles through some of the most beautiful and rugged
country we have in the United States... great fishing too." And he
was obviously right. Grand Marais is a gorgeous harbor town,
nestled up against the shores of Lake Superior and right on the very
edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Superior
National Forest. (continued below)
Grand Marais/Gunflint Trail
(continued)
The county seat of Cook County,
MN, Grand Marais is a unique collection of small businesses,
artisans and diverse people that combine to make a vibrant community;
it's a place that makes you feel both at home and on vacation...
and makes you want to stay for a very long time. It is four
seasons full of bright blue sky and numerous things to do, places to
shop, dine and stay. But there is one more distinction.
Grand Marais is the beginning --
or end, depending on one's point of view -- of the Gunflint Trail, a
path and a place that is as brilliantly beautiful as it was when I
first heard its name spoken by my father some fifty years ago.
Created by glaciers that carved out the land and later filled the
basins with sparkling water, the trail got its name from the mineral
chert, discovered by the Ojibwa and French explorers there. It
is a route to the eastern entry points of the BWCA, leading to some of the
finest lodges, outfitters, hiking trails, lakes, rivers, camping and
fishing this country has to offer. Along the Trail you'll find
rugged combined with luxury and remote combined with modern comfort;
you'll find character, tradition, friendliness and warmth. It
is a place that gives an impression of being forgotten by time...
It is a place that you should visit.
