A wilderness vacation on the Minnesota-Canadian border, adjacent to the famed Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

At Gunflint you have a choice between two types of vacations—an adventure canoe trip into the largest canoeing wilderness in the United States, or a vacation at the lodge with all the comfort and amenities we can give you.

We are located about 1 hours drive north of Grand Marais on the Gunflint Trail, an access road to the wilderness country. Wilderness surrounds the lodge on all sides—the 1,000,000 acre BWCA with over 1,000 clear water lakes, and the Canadian wilderness to the north. Here at Gunflint you can often step outside in the evening to hear the calling loons, catch a

radiant sunset, or stay up a bit later to watch the northern lights. The noises of life here are a bit different—the wind in the trees, the calling song birds, waves lapping on the rocky shore, and the smell of wood smoke from the fireplace. Live TV and cell phones have not come to our remote community so distractions are at a minimum, although we have broken down and we have a hot spot in the conference center if you just have to check your messages.

Summer and Winter Lodge Vacations

At our Minnesota lodge, you have 23 lakeside cabins from 1 to 4 bedrooms in size to choose from. All have a full bath for each bedroom, a living room with rock fireplace, full kitchen, VCR, and many cabins have a private sauna, hot tub, dishwasher, and washer & dryer. In the main lodge you have two dining rooms to choose from. Justine’s is our fine dining with everything from homemade soups to signature salads to walleye to tasty steaks to pastas. The second dining area is the Red Paddle bistro with homemade walleye chowder, pinini sandwiches, big juicy hamburgers, plus tasty appetizers and desserts. Beverages of your choice are available.

Two full time naturalists offer daily activities that include breakfast paddles, hikes to the high cliff, kids fishing fun, candle making, wild flower trips, birding excursions, moose searches, and the list goes on and on. The stable offers 1 and 2 hour rides, plus breakfast and dinner rides. Fishing can be done on your own or with a guide, and we have walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and lake trout in our lakes. Fishing boats are all 15’ and 16’, with 25 hp electric start motors. A variety of canoes and kayaks at the waterfront are yours to use anytime. A small swimming beach is adjacent to the dock. Picnic lunches are packed if you want to go out exploring for the day by canoe or boat.

In the winter, recreation includes cross country skiing on close to 80 km of groomed trails, dog sledding and snowshoeing. Three full time dog mushers lead trips from ½ hour to ½ day.

Package trips at the lodge include a honeymoon package, family package, romantic package, women’s retreat, horseback riding weekends, grand slam fishing package, and a moose calling package. In the winter, there are cross country skiing packages, dog sledding packages, full moon lovers packages, a quilting retreat, and a dog lovers weekend.

Canoe Trips

Canoe trips are integral to our Gunflint Boundary Waters vacations. Our outfitting facilities (Gunflint Northwoods Outfitters) offer complete canoe trip services for trips into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) and the Quetico Park of Canada. The managers will carefully plan a custom canoe trip for you that can range from overnight to a 14 day challenging trip. We have dozens of canoe routes to choose from, so there are choices from easy trips to the tough ones. You are assisted through all the planning phases and we reserve all your wilderness permits for you. If you select complete outfitting, you can choose between several models and makes of canoes, choices in paddles, and you pick meals from our extensive menu that sound good to you. Prior to your departure you go through a complete route briefing, and a wilderness ethics overview.

Here in the BWCA most of the paddling is on lakes with very little white water. Your trip planning includes recommendations on the best camping spots, good fishing holes, any tricky navigation, the best moose viewing locations and any scenic spots of note. Our wilderness is a fun area with no poisonous snakes, no poison ivy (except in two small spots), and no animals that threaten you. Here we travel the same routes as the Voyageurs and the native Americans of days gone by. There are no homes or roads in the wilderness, and it is just one huge northwoods to explore in, do a bit of fishing, some photography, or just relaxing by your campfire.

Canoe trips can be combined with a resort vacation if you choose. You are welcome to come and stay one night in a cabin, then go canoeing for a few days, and then return to a cabin for several days. We call that a rustic-plush trip.

Package canoe trips include a fishing trip, family trip, guided trip, a Canadian trip, partial outfitting, and group canoe trips for youth groups.