Gunflint Lodge
Our favorite place on earth! When we lived in Minnesota, we spent many wonderful winter weekends at Gunflint Lodge, located on the Gunflint Trail in northern Minnesota, on Gunflint Lake and bordering Canada.
Some of our kids' favorite memories are from Gunflint as well, and we look forward to our next trip back...whenever that will be!
Some of our kids' favorite memories are from Gunflint as well, and we look forward to our next trip back...whenever that will be!
Getting There
When it's just Mark and I, we usually travel to Duluth the first night of our trip and spend a romantic night at historic Fitger's Inn, on the shore of beautiful Lake Superior.
The next day, it's up early and along the rugged and beautiful north shore past Gooseberry Falls State Park, Temperance River State Park, Split Rock Lighthouse and on to Grand Marais, where we stop for lunch at the Blue Water Cafe and a visit to the Lake Superior Trading Post before heading up the Gunflint Trail. We have spent many memorable weekends downhill & cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing in Northern Minnesota as well.
The next day, it's up early and along the rugged and beautiful north shore past Gooseberry Falls State Park, Temperance River State Park, Split Rock Lighthouse and on to Grand Marais, where we stop for lunch at the Blue Water Cafe and a visit to the Lake Superior Trading Post before heading up the Gunflint Trail. We have spent many memorable weekends downhill & cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing in Northern Minnesota as well.
Our First Visit
Our first visit to Gunflint was with Mike & Mary Alice Everist, and we envisioned a long weekend of relaxing in front of a roaring fireplace in our cabin, after a couple of days of holiday decorating. The guys were both nervous about what the food service would be like, so they insisted that we bring a cooler of champagne, shrimp, cheese & crackers, and other munchies for the weekend. Before we headed over for our first dinner at the Lodge, we enjoyed a wonderful happy hour in our cabin. You can't imagine the shock to discover that dinner consisted of a four-course gourmet meal with wine pairings! Ron Berg was the chef for many years, and is the author of one of my favorite cookbooks - "The Gunflint Lodge Cookbook". Every meal is relaxed and superlative! Needless to say, the cooler wasn't touched for the remainder of the weekend!
Holiday Decorating
Christmas holiday decorating is a special family time at Gunflint Lodge...many guests return year after year for this special event, as we did. Saturday is spent decorating the lodge with a 20-foot freshly cut balsam tree and hanging fresh balsam garlands and wreaths in the Lodge and along the lakeside trails and cabins.
I can't begin to tell you how big this tree is, and how wonderful the fresh balsam scent is as it fills the Lodge.
We spent several years here with Grama and Grampa Benesh, and Grandma & Grandpa VandenPlas. The memories we will always treasure! Aunts, Uncles and Cousins also have experienced the magic of Gunflint Lodge and the Gunflint Trail with us.
I can't begin to tell you how big this tree is, and how wonderful the fresh balsam scent is as it fills the Lodge.
We spent several years here with Grama and Grampa Benesh, and Grandma & Grandpa VandenPlas. The memories we will always treasure! Aunts, Uncles and Cousins also have experienced the magic of Gunflint Lodge and the Gunflint Trail with us.
Santa Collection
Grama Benesh always loved helping to put out the lodge's incredible Santa collection, collected and displayed for many years by Bruce and Sue Kerfoot.
We all enjoyed hanging big old-fashioned Christmas lights on the trees (remember metal reflectors?), old-fashioned glass ornaments, and holiday decorations from every nook and cranny.
Christmas music plays in the background, and the other guests soon seem like family as we all join together to celebrate the season!
We all enjoyed hanging big old-fashioned Christmas lights on the trees (remember metal reflectors?), old-fashioned glass ornaments, and holiday decorations from every nook and cranny.
Christmas music plays in the background, and the other guests soon seem like family as we all join together to celebrate the season!
Fresh Balsam
One of the highlights of the weekend was making a fresh balsam wreath to bring home and hang on our front door, to remind us of our special time at Gunflint.
The wonderful aroma of freshly cut balsam fills the Lodge, the cabin and the car all the way home! There are lots of bows, ribbons, pine cones, jingle bells and other holiday decorations for the wreathes, and each one is truly one of a kind.
The wonderful aroma of freshly cut balsam fills the Lodge, the cabin and the car all the way home! There are lots of bows, ribbons, pine cones, jingle bells and other holiday decorations for the wreathes, and each one is truly one of a kind.
Cookies & Cocoa
For the kids, a highlight of the weekend was helping to decorate the pans of sugar cookies, which were also boxed up for us to take home. Hot cocoa and cookies are always available on the sideboard to enjoy anytime they wanted a treat. When Grama B was there with the kids, she always brought the materials for them to each make a gingerbread house. Hours were spent sledding, reading, relaxing, singing and a jigsaw puzzle was always being worked on the dining room table.
Living on the Lakeside
Although we have stayed in both the romantic cottages and classic cabins, our favorite (Cabin 2) sits on the shore of Gunflint Lake. With four bedrooms and four full baths, it is one of the few places that our large family fits into easily! We love the outside spa, private sauna, whirlpool baths, wood burning fireplace, and full kitchen. Every day the cabin is re-stocked with fresh firewood and kindling. There is a supply of books and family games to play on the shelves.
Winter Snow
The snow is pristine and white, and the quiet that surrounds you as you walk thru the woods is peaceful and magical, and perfect for sledding or building a snowman. On a clear night, there is always the prospect of a colorful display of northern lights dancing crazily across the sky. We've been up here when the temperature/wind chill were -55 degrees, and we still enjoyed the outside spa in the moonlight! The nights are nearly as bright as the day, with the moon shimmering off the white snow.
Feeding the Wildlife
Guests at Gunflint Lodge are invited to take bird seed to feed the birds, and corn to feed the deer. Of course, the animal we all look to find is the Moose, who many times we saw while driving on the Gunflint Trail....they actually lay on the road and lick the road salt. While at Gunflint Lodge, we see deer daily as they feed at the deer stands and outside our cabin windows, foxes and snow rabbits run freely. The kids always love watching the colorful birds as well. And in the quiet evening, you can hear wolves howling in the near distance!
Dog Sledding Adventures
We have enjoyed many an hour dog sledding at Gunflint. The sensation of flying over the snow and through the absolutely quiet woods is magical! The kids loved seeing all of the sled dogs and their separate homes, and watching them get harnessed for the ride - the dogs are so anxious to start running that it is hard to hold them back.
Sleigh Rides
During our visits to Northern Minnesota, we love traveling through the winter wonderland on a horse drawn sleigh being pulled by huge Belgian horses, snuggled under a pile of warm quilts.
We travel a short distance from Gunflint Lodge to the Patten Family Homestead (Okantoe) to enjoy an evening sleigh ride along a lantern-lit trail around Bow Lake and singing Christmas songs at the top of our lungs! The horse-drawn sleighs are so nostalgic...and the evening ends sharing hot cocoa and fresh baked cookies served from a wood cookstove in the warmth of Mark and Nancy's century-old log home, who delight us with stories and history of the area.
We travel a short distance from Gunflint Lodge to the Patten Family Homestead (Okantoe) to enjoy an evening sleigh ride along a lantern-lit trail around Bow Lake and singing Christmas songs at the top of our lungs! The horse-drawn sleighs are so nostalgic...and the evening ends sharing hot cocoa and fresh baked cookies served from a wood cookstove in the warmth of Mark and Nancy's century-old log home, who delight us with stories and history of the area.
