Minnesota 2014

Northern Minnesota

Thursday, August 7 through Monday, August 18, 2014

Stu & I drove (actually, I did all the driving) in my 2014 Subaru Outback to the far northern parts of Minnesota. The main attractions were Portage Falls (extreme northeast corner of Minnesota), Gull Lake and vicinity (also far northeast), and Lake Kabetogama (north-central). (For those not familiar, "Kabetogama" is pronounced: kæbə'toʊgəmə (sort of like cab-uh-TOE-guh-muh).) The entire trip was tracked by a Garmin Monterra GPS. The driving portion was also tracked by the Outback's navigation system. Stu brought a Garmin Fenix watch, and tracked parts of the trip, mainly the hiking, canoeing, and other boating. For the purposes of this website, the Monterra tracks are presented below. You can, if you wish, play with the URL to find the tracks from the other two sources (which can be downloaded to Google Earth or a GIS application for viewing). Instructions are beyond the scope of this page.

The Monterra connected with my Garmin Tempē temperature sensor on most of the tracks below, excluding automobile travel. The temperatures are in the GPX files, in °C. The sensor was carried in my black camera case, so readings were generally a few degrees higher than ambient air temperature, and because it was inside the case, rapid changes in temperature were not recorded.

When topographic maps are available, they are denoted by a "(Topo)" link, sometimes accompanied by a special description. Some are the standard 24,000:1, while others are different scales. Bright pink/magenta lines represent manually-powered transportation (canoe, hiking), and "amethyst" lines represent engine-powered transportation (motorboat).

One GPX file was edited to remove a point that was clearly incorrect.

Overview

Overview map—This is a composite map of all the GPS tracks on a blank U.S. states map, with the states we visited highlighted in yellow.
All GPS tracks (Monterra) / view map—The whole trip, including hikes, canoeing, driving,....

Thursday, August 7

GPX / view map—Our drive from Norman OK to Wichita KS (Hampton Inn). This includes a dinner stop (Casa de los Milagros) in Oklahoma City OK.

Friday, August 8

GPX / view map—Our drive from Wichita KS to Burnsville MN (Hampton Inn). This includes a dinner stop (Green Mill) in Albert Lea MN.

Saturday, August 9

GPX / view map—Our drive from Burnsville MN to the Temperance River State Park. This track also includes our spur to Silver Bay MN, but does not include the short hike we did there.
GPX / view map—Hiking along the Temperance River at Temperance River State Park. (Topo)
GPX / view map—Our drive from Temperance River State Park to Alpine Lodge in Grand Marais MN. At the time we made our reservation, Alpine Lodge was ranked last in Grand Marais by TripAdvisor.com. It was the only place that had a room for us, and we found it to be quite nice, actually. Fairly basic, but nice.
GPX / view map—Our walk to Sven & Ole's Pizza in Grand Marais MN, where we had dinner that night.
GPX / view map—Our walk from Sven & Ole's Pizza in Grand Marais MN, where we had dinner that night.

Sunday, August 10

GPX / view map—Our drive from Grand Marais MN to (the city of) Grand Portage MN. We were looking for the waterfall (Portage Falls), but did not have adequate instructions for finding it. Local inquiry here sent us to the correct location (next)....
GPX / view map—Our drive from (the city of) Grand Portage to Grand Portage State Park MN, site of Minnesota's highest waterfall.
GPX / view map—Our hike to/from Pigeon Falls (highest waterfall in Minnesota) at Grand Portage State Park MN. (Topo)
GPX / view map—Our drive from Grand Portage State Park MN, along the Gunflint Trail, to Voyageur Canoe Outfitters on Gull River.
GPX / view map—An example of the path we hiked (repeatedly during our stay) between our cabin ("Riverside") and the main lodge at Voyageur Canoe Outfitters. The semicircle track to the east is the way we went from the lodge to our cabin as a thunderstorm was ending after dinner at the lodge (August 10th).

Monday, August 11

(Topo)—Overview of the canoe ride on a topographic map. Note that the starting/ending point was just east of the "G" in "SEA GULL" (river), and we went north first, then south past the starting point to Trail's End, then back north to the starting point.
GPX / view map—The not-overly-exciting hike from the cabin to the lodge and the canoe rental area.
GPX / view map—The first segment of our first canoe ride in northern Minnesota. It's from the canoe rental area to our cabin to where we briefly went ashore along the Gull River.
GPX / view map—The second segment of our first canoe ride in northern Minnesota. It's from the place we briefly went ashore along the Gull River to the farthest north part of our ride (in the Sea Gull River, then back south, across Gull Lake, to "Trail's End", where we had dinner at Trail's End Cafe.
GPX / view map—The walk from Trail's End Cafe back to the boat launch area nearby.
GPX / view map—The last segment of our first canoe ride in northern Minnesota. It's from near Trail's End Cafe, across Gull Lake, and back to the canoe launch area at Voyageur's Canoe Outfitters.

Tuesday, August 12

(Topo)—Overview of the canoe ride on a topographic map, including the portages to the southwest of Trail's End campground.
GPX / view map—The first segment of our second canoe ride in northern Minnesota. It's from the canoe rental area to the portage from Gull Lake to Sea Gull Lake. We had some difficulty finding the portage take-out point, which is why we made the loop.
GPX / view map—The portage trail we hiked (to scout it), then carried (portaged) the canoe along the route we liked better. Both take-out/put-in points were adjacent to steep terrain, which led us to make mountain goat jokes about the relatively difficult, but mercifully short, portage.
GPX / view map—The next segment of our second canoe ride in northern Minnesota. It's from the portage to what locals apparently call the "Palisades" area, in Sea Gull Lake, and back to the portage.
GPX / view map—The portage again.
GPX / view map—The next segment of our second canoe ride in northern Minnesota. It's from the portage to the boat launch area near Trail's End Cafe. Light rain began as we left the portage area, and heavier rain appeared imminent (coming from the northwest). Fortunately, we made it far enough east quickly enough to avoid getting significantly wet.
GPX / view map—The walk to/from Trail's End Cafe from/to the boat launch area nearby.
GPX / view map—The last segment of our final canoe ride in the Gull Lake/River area (back to the outfitters' launch area). The water was calm for this segment (light winds, too). Fairly heavy rain occurred shortly after we arrived back at our cabin.

Wednesday, August 13

GPX / view map—Our drive from Voyageur Canoe Outfitters (on Gull River) to lunch at Grand Marais MN, and on to Pine Aire West "resort" on the southwest shore of Lake Kabetogama.
GPX / view map—Search for dinner. We ended up at Kec's Kove.

Thursday, August 14

(Topo)—Overview of the day's meanderings on a topographic map.
GPX / view map—Walking from our cabin at Lake Kabetogama to/from the Visitor Center.
GPX / view map—Motorboat ride from our cabin at Lake Kabetogama to the Ellsworth Rock Garden.
GPX / view map—Touring the Ellsworth Rock Garden (on foot). (Topo)
GPX / view map—Motorboat ride from the Ellsworth Rock Garden to the trailhead for the Locator Lake Trail.
GPX / view map—Our first (attempted) hike on the Locator Lake Trail. Mosquitoes and deer flies were so bad on this trail that we turned back after taking a fraction of the trail. We came back two days later, armed with more mosquito repellent, and ideas on keeping the deer flies at bay. (Topo)
GPX / view map—Motorboat ride from the trailhead for the Locator Lake Trail back to our cabin. Stu wanted to check out a couple of campgrounds on nearby islands, which is why we diverted a bit to the west. (Topo—detailed view of the "nearby islands")
GPX / view map—In the evening, we drove from the cabin to International Falls MN for supplies (K-mart) and dinner (Chocolate Moose Restaurant Company).

Friday, August 15

(Topo)—Overview of day's travel on a topographic map.
GPX / view map—Motorboat ride from our cabin to the end of Lost Bay (in Lake Kabetogama) and the trailhead for the Ek Lake/Cruiser Lake Trail. We originally intended to go to the dock in Ek Bay, but found it fully occupied.
GPX / view map—Our hike on a portion of the Cruiser Lake Trail. We stopped for a while at Agnes Lake, then went on to a small lake with a dirt + sticks dam (where we turned around). Downstream (east/southeast) was marshy, not water, as depicted on some maps, although a small lake was visible in the distance. (Topo)
GPX / view map—Motorboat ride from the end of Lost Bay (in Lake Kabetogama) back to the cabin.
GPX / view map—We drove back to International Falls MN for dinner, this time settling on Spot on 53.

Saturday, August 16

(Topo)—Overview of the day's travel on a topographic map.
GPX / view map—Motorboat ride from our cabin to the trailhead for the Locator Lake Trail.
GPX / view map—Hiking the Locator Lake Trail from Lake K to Locator Lake. We found it just as full of mosquitoes and deer flies as the previous time (Thursday), but we were somewhat better prepared, and fared reasonably well. (Topo—includes both hikes to/from lake, plus canoeing on Locator Lake)
GPX / view map—Canoeing on Locator Lake: we borrowed a canoe from the National Park Service (we visited the NPS Visitor Center in the morning to sign for one), and paddled around the western parts of Locator Lake, first to the northwest, then to near the center of the lake, and back to the dock. This lake is worth the effort.
GPX / view map—Hiking the Locator Lake Trail back to Lake K from Locator Lake.
GPX / view map—Motorboat ride from the trailhead for the Locator Lake Trail back to our cabin.
GPX / view map—Dinner in International Falls again, back to the Chocolate Moose Restaurant Company, after checking out much of the rest of International Falls for alternatives.

Sunday, August 17

GPX / view map—Our drive from Lake Kabetogama (MN) to Des Moines IA. We took a side-trip to the Soudan Iron Mine (Soudan MN), encountered slow traffic in a construction zone in Cloquet MN, detoured off I-35 (because of very slow traffic) in North Branch MN, and went through fairly heavy rain south of Duluth MN and St. Paul MN. We stopped for dinner in Owatonna MN at Plaza Morena Campestre Grill. We exited I-35 one exit early for the dinner site, because of a misunderstanding, and serendipitously avoided yet another traffic tie-up (an accident near the exit we were supposed to take had traffic slow/stopped for about 1.5 km). To make up for that good fortune, our entrance ramp back to I-35 was closed, resulting in another detour! We arrived at the Hampton Inn in Des Moines around 11:15 pm CDT.

Monday, August 18

GPX / view map—Our drive from Des Moines IA back to Oklahoma City. Although this drive was not as detour/delay-filled as yesterday's, we did encounter rough weather in Oklahoma, and self-detoured to Perry OK for dinner (Pizza Hut) to wait for storms to diminish.