GUNFLINT TRAIL

The Gunflint Trail, a 63 mile paved road, winds up through the Sawtooth Mountains from Grand Marais, Minnesota on the north shore of Lake Superior to its end at Saganaga Lake at the Canadian border. The Trail is surrounded by the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and Superior National Forest.

In the last hundred years the Trail has changed from a native trail used primarily when lake travel was impossible, to the modern road it is today. It was first upgraded to ox-cart status in the late 1800s by prospectors looking for gold and silver as well as loggers following tales of the huge white and red pines covering the region. For many years prospectors cut trails through the bush to locations where they hoped to find their fortune. The Paulsen mine was the most notable of these projects. Iron ore of a reasonable grade was found in the area near Round Lake.

The lakes of the region were the home to many Natives Americans and eventually a major part of the fur trade between them and fur traders from Scotland and France. Beaver furs were used to make hats for the well dressed gentility of Europe. The border lakes from Saganaga to Gunflint, Rose, Mountain and the Pigeon River were the primary route of the voyageurs for many years. The lore of the voyageurs is long and colorful. You can feel what they felt and, in many cases, see the same sights they did as you paddle and portage through canoe country. Many of the campsites in the area have been used for generations and the portage trails were originally created by native travellers over the years.

The timber industry has been a large presence in the area as well. Roads were the key to getting the huge logs out of the bush and to Lake Superior where they were rafted to Duluth - Superior to be milled into the lumber that built the major cities in the Midwest.

In the early days of the automobile the Gunflint Trail was a very unfriendly place. It was barely wide enough for a single vehicle, rarely maintained, and never plowed in winter. Trail residents went to town only rarely in the winter months. The road was of corduroy construction with small logs laid across the road bed and covered with gravel. In summer it was a rough and often muddy ride. As demand for wilderness recreation grew in the 1940s and 50s, the Trail gradually grew too. The last section was paved to Lake Saganaga in 1976 and today the Gunflint Trail is a well maintained artery into the heart of canoe country.

In every season, you'll want to take care when driving along the Gunflint Trail - wildlife is abundant, and it's not uncommon to see deer, moose, fox, bear, and assorted smaller animals crossing the road. In the winter, take your time. Moose often come up to the road to lick the salt, and the sight of a kneeling moose or two in the midst of the Gunflint Trail is not unusual. The road is plowed and treated for safer winter driving, but a good set of tires is a must, and a full tank of gas is always a good idea.

Fall along the Trail offers striking colors and prime hiking, biking, and canoeing. Winter features world-class cross-country skiing, dogsledding and skijoring, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and sleigh rides. Spring brings wildflowers, pin cherries, chokecherries, raspberries, thimbleberries, great fishing, and migrating song birds, while summer is for boating, relaxing, canoe trips, and camping.

Cross-country skiers can enjoy over 200 KM of signed, groomed, and tracked trails. Trails vary to match skiers' expertise from novice to experienced. Skate skiing is offered in much of the system. Completely separate from the ski trails, the main snowmobile trail artery runs about parallel to the Gunflint Trail for over 60 miles. Spur trails wind their way through the woods in scenic loops. For snowshoers, the Gunflint Trail is a winter haven. Explore the snowy forest and trek into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Ice fishing is great on the many Gunflint Trail lakes. Real winter excitement awaits those venturing out by dog sled. The Gunflint Trail even offers mushing lessons.