GUNFLINT PINES ACTIVITIES
EXPERIENCE SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST & THE BWCA WILDERNESS FIRST-HAND
Explore the four seasons of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Superior National Forest in a variety of ways. Come to Gunflint Pines for your favorite activity or learn something new. Either way, we are here to host you and help you have a fulfilling visit to the Northwoods.
FISHING & ICE FISHING
Season: Year Round
A year-round activity at Gunflint Pines! Fish from a dock, on a boat, or in an ice shelter. The fish in our lake include walleyes, lake trout, northern pike, smallmouth bass, and others. Fishing poles for rent and bait for purchase at the lodge.
BOATING & PONTOONING
Season: Summer, Fall
Rent a boat or a pontoon for a day’s excursion on Gunflint Lake. Our lake is seven miles long and a mile wide, with rugged shoreline on the Canadian north side, magnificent cliffs on the south, and a waterfall at the east end.
HIKING AND SNOWSHOEING
Season: Year-Round
Enjoy extensive Gunflint Pines area trails. From quick jaunt to Lonely lake out back, to a day long adventure on a Superior National Forest trail we’ll help find the right hike for you. Snowshoes are available for rent at the lodge.
CANOEING & KAYAKING
Season: Summer, Fall
Gunflint Pines is situated on the historic Voyageur’s Highway—the water route that the earliest explorers and fur traders traveled from Lower Canada to the Great Northwest. Retrace a bit of their route by kayak or canoe. Watercraft are available for rent.
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING
Season: Winter
Gunflint Pines is the gateway to over 70km of Nordic groomed/trackset trails. Our Canadian Shield climate gives the area the longest, most dependable ski season in the Midwest. Ski equipment for rent and trail passes for purchase are available at the lodge. Bring your family or your ski group.
WILDFLOWERS & MUSHROOMS
Season: Spring, Summer, Fall
Smell the perfume of fresh flowers of the boreal forest on a warm summer breeze. See how quickly the colorful giant mushrooms emerge after an autumn rain. Search for moccasin flowers, carnivorous pitcher plants, marsh marigolds, tiger lilies, and many others.
BIRDWATCHING
Season: Year Round
Common birds to our area include loons, bald and golden eagles, black capped chickadees, spruce & ruffed grouse, and three toed and piliated woodpeckers. But spring and fall migrations bring a variety of birds through the area treating us to sightings of boreal or saw whet owls, tundra swans, sandhill cranes, and evening and pine grosbeaks to name a few. Come see what you can find.
BERRYPICKING & FORAGING
Season: Summer, Fall
The upper Gunflint trail is known for its expansive blueberry country but did you know we also have strawberries, thimbleberries, raspberries and even a few hazelnuts. From mid June through fall the berries just keep coming. Pick enough for a malt in our snack bar or your breakfast pancakes or take a bunch home to enjoy throughout the year.
SNOWMOBILING
Season: Winter
You may not have enough snow to play but usually we do! Explore many miles of trails and the frozen border lakes by snowmobile. The trails are some of the most interesting in the Midwest, curving through the Northwoods, and passing across open expanses and through tall timbers. Bring your own snowmobile or ask us where you can rent one nearby.
FALL FOLIAGE EXPLORATION
Season: Fall
Fall is a great time to experience the Northwoods. The hills around Gunflint Pines are teeming with the gold, yellow, orange and red colors of deciduous trees against a background of dark spruce, pine and fir evergreens. Come for a drive or a hike and enjoy the warm days and cool nights and the smell of fall in the air.
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
Season: Year-Round
Whether you’re interested in photographing plants, animals, scenery, or having your senior or engagement pictures taken here the Gunflint Pines is the perfect setting. The woods are teaming with portrait-ready animals and plants. You’ll have the opportunity to capture breathtaking vistas to remember your escape to the Northwoods.
SMALL-GAME HUNTING
Season: Fall
Bring your bird dog to hike and hunt some of the trails in the nearby Superior National Forest or Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to kick up ruffed grouse and spruce grouse. Minnesota’s Northwoods offers some of the best grouse hunting in the country, and you might bag a woodcock or snowshoe hare, too.
SAUNA & SWIMMING
Season: Year-Round
Enjoy our traditional Finnish sauna any time of the year. Located conveniently near our dock, so you can sprint to the lake for a refreshing dip in the cool-to-cold pure water. If you’re interested in a more traditional, summertime swimming experience, swimming out front among the docks is common. If it’s windy we can direct you to a sandy beach in a private cove nearby Seagull Lake for a day at the beach.
SLEDDING
Season: Winter
We’ve got some great sledding for the kids or the whole family right outside our door. Try it for a few minutes or make an afternoon activity out of it. No matter how long you play, we’ll have hot chocolate and a toasty fire to greet you in the lodge. We provide the sleds and the hot chocolate!
WILDERNESS CANOE CAMPING
Season: Summer, Fall
You may wish to take an overnight trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. We can help you with basic information. Plan ahead or throw together an impromptu trip. You can launch from Gunflint Pines to access two BWCA Wilderness entry points: Magnetic Lake/Granite River and South Lake. You can order a permit online and pick it up at Gunflint Pines.
DARK SKY & NORTHERN LIGHTS
Season: Year-Round
Gunflint Pines offers some of the darkest skies in the world for viewing stars, meteor showers, and northern lights. Rest up during the day and plan to spend some time in the middle of the night on our dock or on your cabin deck. On a clear night, you’ll be amazed at the number of stars that are visible, and if you’re stargazing after midnight, you might be treated to northern lights.
MORE GUNFLINT HAPPENINGS
GUNFLINT PINES IN REAL LIFE
