Bearskin Lodge is a family run business nestled in a pine and birch forest along the bay waters of E. Bearskin Lake, 6 miles from the Canadian Border and on the edges of the BWCA. It received the Minnesota Monthly's award for "2011 Best Lodges," and it's located right off the Gunflint Trail, a well-paved single lane road that winds up to the Lodge through a heavily wooded Superior National Forest. To guide the way are wooden mileage destination signs; a distance of 26 miles from Grand Marais. It has a total of 11 cabins, all of which are uniquely different from the other in style, size, and accommodations. For our taste and needs, we picked Cedar Cabin #2.
The smallest of all cabins, Cedar is a quaint rustic 1920's cabin with plenty of character, intimacy, charm that offers much for solitude and nostalgia. The wood stove furnace with an unlimited wood supply plus the floating lake dock made this clean, humble abode a true wilderness delight.
The gift shop, dining area, Hot Tub Hus and dry sauna, canoe and boat rental are all found in or near the Lodge. Each cabin can reserve the hot tub or sauna to themselves for an hour each day. There's no cell phone service but Wi-Fi and landline access is available, and on the premises is this bear-like Newfoundland dog named Ruby!
Top 10 Trip Highlights:
1. Eating fresh homemade plump blueberry pie with sugary flaky crust.
2. Seeing 1 cow moose and her 2 calves on Campground Loop.
3. Reserving the Hot Tub Hus to ourselves an hour every day.
4. Absolute silence at night, not a bird, not a rustle anywhere, no wind and looking up to MANY stars in the sky against big fluffy snowflakes.
5. Canoeing/portaging into the BWCA to Johnson's Falls (20 mile RT) and having lunch there.
6. Hearing the resounding flap of a grouse along the trail.
7. Purchasing my first BWCA map; we're only 6 miles from Canada!
8. Getting awesome tasting water right out of the tap.
9. Hiking to Honeymoon Bluff and seeing the vast wilderness of the BWCA and the linear lakes that look and truly feel like rivers.
10. Loading the wood furnace and hunkering down in the itty bitty log cabin 3 days/4 nights in a row.
OMG! They have skate skiing trails and this little cabin would be perfect for a winter retreat. Noted. Time to get out my calendar and schedule my next adventure! read more