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"At the Edge of the Gunflint Trail"
 

More about Grand Marais:

Lodging

More Minnesota Destinations:

Alexandria
Baudette
Bemidji
Brainerd
Cook
Crane Lake
Detroit Lakes
Ely
Grand Marais
International Falls
Kabetogama
Orr
Otter Tail
Park Rapids
Stillwater
Tower
Walker

 

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.

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.

 Oceangrafix West Great Lakes Print On Demand Charts #14963, Grand Marais To Big Bay Point; Harbor, 1:120000

Oceangrafix West Great Lakes Print On Demand Charts #14963,
Grand Marais To Big Bay Point; Harbor, 1:120000

 

 

Population:1,426   (2004)
Elevation: 688 feet
Land area: 2.7 sq mi
Zip code: 55604

County: Cook

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