Sorry we haven’t posted in a while…..we needed a little break to focus on the present, but we’re back today with some fun inspiration for the weekend.
Sometimes we all need a little time away from our routines to restart our creativity, nourish our relationships, or find ourselves again. While we love to travel to meet new people and discover new ways of living, we also travel simply to regroup, get new perspective, have some adventure and fun, and come back refreshed and ready to attack the daily grind with new energy.
We’ve found we don’t have to travel far to get this little boost, just a day trip or weekend getaway often does the trick. So we are going to start a little series of inspiration for weekend getaways….including places we’ve been and short itineraries of what to do in each place (I love planning, Ta’u’s more of a wing-it guy, so go with what works for you). Often we travel within driving distance of wherever we are living at the time, but if the means are available, you could fly to these places too. Whether you travel to these particular places or it just inspires you to seek adventure near your own home base, we hope you enjoy following along.
For the first installment of the series we thought we’d write about the Gunflint Trail and Grand Marais, a perfect fall getaway spot. Grand Marais is a cute little town on Lake Superior and the Gunflint Trail starts there and travels inland from this town through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Staying anywhere along Minnesota’s North Shore could follow a similar itinerary.
First, let’s get oriented. 
And now to the planning….
Reserve a cabin on the Gunflint Trail or along the North Shore of Lake Superior
Suggestions: Last fall we stayed at the Nor’wester Lodge on the Gunlint Trail in the Ash Cottage. It was a bit rustic but very cozy with a fireplace, a full kitchen so we could make all our meals, two bedrooms and a nice big bathroom. There are a number of other lodges along the Gunflint Trail. We’ll try the Bearskin Lodge next time. You can also find cabins for rent through Vrbo and maybe even Airbnb. I’ve always wanted to stay at the Northwoods Weehouse Cabin, (I have a serious weakness for modern cabin architecture) although it is located much closer to Duluth than to the Gunflint Trail. If you want higher end, we used to stay at the beautiful Bluefin Bay condos with my family. There are a ton of other options around Grand Marais, as well.
We generally prefer cabins over B&B’s so that we can make our own food, but there are some great B&B options as well.
Many of the places to rent or stay up there have a two night minimum, and they often book up fast during the busiest times, especially when the leaves are at peak in the fall or during high summer. So make reservations as early as you can. But if you are more of the last minute type, you usually can still find something if you are flexible, or there are many many options for camping. 
Potential Itinerary:
Thursday: Prep for the trip – make a meal plan and purchase groceries for the cabin, pack up spices, oil, butter and any other supplements you might need for cooking (if cooking is your thing). Pack your clothes, hiking shoes, and warm jackets, hats, and gloves, especially if you are going in spring or fall, but even in the summer it can get pretty cold at night. When we went on our boundary waters trip this August it had snowed on the Gunflint Trail the week before (in July)!
If you have access to one, bring a canoe or kayak or (paddleboard!) or rent one for the day to go out on a lake. Or, if you are doing this in the winter, bring your skies….not all the lodges and cabins are open over the winter, but those that are cater to cross country skiing and have lots of great trails.
Friday:
Drive up. It takes about 5 hours to get to the Gunflint trail from Minneapolis, so you might want to leave work a bit early that day.
Dinner – Grab a romantic early dinner on the way up from the cities at the New Scenic Cafe along old Hwy 61 (about 3 hours drive from the cities).
Continue to your cabin and check in
Cozy up with a mug of hot chocolate and a fire before bed
Saturday:
Breakfast – Make a yummy breakfast in your cabin and pack up a picnic lunch. Or, if you are passing through Grand Marais on your way to hike, stop at the Worlds Best Donut Shop.
Go for a hike and eat your picnic lunch along the way.
Hiking options: For an easy hike to a spectacular waterfall, try the Grand Portage State Park High Falls trail. For a longer hike add the Middle Falls Trail Loop
Or, explore the hiking trails that take off from Gunflint trail…they have parking lots that mark where the trail heads begin. Often they are snowmobile or ski trails that can be used for hiking in the summer.
If you are a little further south go to Tettegouche State Park and hike out to the High Falls and then connect up with the Superior hiking trail going South….a beautiful stretch of trail looking out over the inland lakes as well as east out to Lake Superior.
The Superior Hiking trail runs all along the Lake Superior, and you can connect up to it via parking lots every now and then off Hwy 61. Anywhere along it makes for great hiking, but we particularly like the stretch starting a few miles south of Tettegouche and continuing up to where Hwy 1 crosses the trail.
If you are even further south Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse State Parks are always excellent options.
Head back to the cabin for the afternoon to relax and read a book or paddle around the lake if you brought a canoe, kayak, or paddleboard, or rent one if the place you are staying has them.
Dinner – Make your own, or try the Angry Trout Cafe in Grand Marais for fresh fish and huge salads.
Then start up a fire at your cabin for roasting marshmallows or just staying warm.
Sunday:
Breakfast – Make your favorite Sunday breakfast (we love German Pancakes) in your cabin.
Grab one last paddle on the lake and/or pack up and head out for a hike as you drive back home.
Tettegouche, Split Rock or Gooseberry are all great on-the-way-home hiking stops and no matter how many times we go to them they never get old….gorgeous waterfalls, a beautiful lighthouse with interesting history about the many shipwrecks on Lake Superior, and impressive vistas over the great lake.
Lunch- either eat another picnic while hiking or stop at New Scenic Cafe if you didn’t make it on the way up, or for absolutely stunning lake views and great Italian Food, eat on the patio of Va Bene Cafe in Duluth.
If you are feeling like some sweet treats to top off your weekend, Portland Malt Shoppe is our favorite place to stop on the way home…we always share a butterscotch malt. Incredibly sweet but oh so good. Also on the way home is Tobies – it’s a Minnesota family tradition to stop there (the halfway point between the cities and the north shore). It’s acceptable diner food if you need dinner but it’s best for picking up some famous cinnamon rolls or cardamom bread for your Monday morning.