Do not overlook this spot! We stopped in after a long day of hiking and the food blew me away. The Malts are absolutely incredible. I truly don't think I've ever had a better Oreo malt in my life. We all ordered the portabella mushroom sandwich based on a recommendation from a friend and it didn't disappoint. It was flavorful, filling, and fresh. Everything we ate really hit the spot. We were seated immediately and had very kind and quick service. The interior is relaxed and cozy and perfectly embodies the up north, making it the perfect atmosphere for a laid back meal over some amazing food. I cannot wait to be back next time I'm up this far north! read more

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Was a good time. It is a lot my standing tradition of the people I was with to fall all the time. Staff was nice food was good. And the place has so much to look at it can keep you busy. And entertaining read more

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The Trial Lodge is a great resource for information, souvenirs, food, and many other items for visiting the Gunflint Trial near Grand Marias area. They have a wonderful restaurant. The decor is hung on the walls and ceiling. Fun full service bar area as well. The food is excellent with breakfast anytime. The view is amazing. Outdoor seating when weather permits. They have advertised lodging in cabins. Great for visiting the gift shop, camping supplies, and other items. read more

Great little place on top of gunflint. Loved the vibe and atmosphere. The steaks were grilled to perfection, beer was ice cold, and the bartender waitress ran the whole show! read more

Stop here for lunch on our way up to the Chik Wauk Nature Center. The place is like an old log cabin with nice warm lighting. The service and food were great, and we also enjoyed the little store there. read more

20th anniversary and staying at Grand Maiais. 40 minute drive from GM and a beautiful ride. Lush/green. We even saw a large black bear heading back. Effectively a general store and restaurant. Located next to poplar lake, but no place to walk and see the lake from restaurant as private docks. Pretty much a bar and grill with good food. Fun interior with wood paneling you expect at an old lodge. I had walleye sandwich. Nicely breaded on a hoggie and a backed yam. Had a local beer brewed in GM. all very good. Wife had a burger that was excellent. Finished it off with a slice of blueberry pie - excellent. Lots of blueberries and not saucy/ sweet. Service - meh. That's why 3 stars. read more

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Denise. You really hurt our feelings when you told the group behind us that they could have our table as soon as we left. We were just having lunch n drinks on our 51st anniversary. Unnecessary rudeness. Food 4stars read more

Best food on the trail, hands down. Sarah and crew have been so consistent over the years I have been coming here. Always fresh and perfectly made dish's. read more

Going the Boundary Waters and need to fuel up in the morning? This is the place to go for breakfast! Hearty meals that brought us back multiple times on our trip. I had the option of getting walleye for breakfast! Is there anything more northern Minnesotan? Expect a lot of eggs, cheese, & meat. No complaints here. read more

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This was my second visit here. They were a little off tonight. My wife had the prime rib strips which were decent: they forgot to bring the salad. I had the rack of ribs which was charred on the outside and dry. WAY OVERCOOKED. These just should not have been served. I'll give it another try on the next BWCA trip. The last time was very good. Currently you have to order at the counter and they bring out the food, so not exactly table service. Nice store. Home of 'Camp Chow' meals. read more

Decent food, fair prices, decent service. My friend across from me had a worm fall from the ceiling onto our table just before the food came. There is also an unclean gift shop area, especially around the register. Smelled pretty bad over there. I got a hot beef sandwich and it was the WORST menu item from any MN restaurant I ate at. I expected a layer of gravy around the buns, but this thing was LAYERED in gravy. It look like a turd on my plate. For $15. There are some good options as well. Keep it simple and get a burger like "the fungus" or chicken tenders. Those were some of the best meal choices from friends. Milkshakes will come out before the food, 30ish minutes. Which filled us up before the food even came. The milkshakes and malts are amazing, definitely recommending Oreo, peanut butter, and chocolate flavors. Most of the menu items are reasonably priced if looking for a decent valued meal. Don't expect gourmet, but it's worth the money. 6/10 read more

OK - let's start at the beginning... being out in the woods and not having a cell phone signal is not my cup of tea. But it is my husband's. So I agreed to go spend a few days up on the Gunflint Trail with him and his family. He wanted us (read, me) to be reasonably comfortable and like the experience so I would do it again, so he selected the Trail Center Lodge for our accommodations. So this is a review both for the cabin rentals on site AND the shop/restaurant. So first, from everything I gathered, Trail Center is an iconic part of the Gunflint Trail - and deservedly so. It is cute and has a ton of charm. I was particularly enamored with the aged and weathered sign, which just screamed "I've been here forever and everybody loves me so much that we don't even need a sign people can read." It definitely seems to be not only a popular spot on the trail but also a tradition for many people either coming or going. So first the lodging. Trail Center has a couple of cabins on the same side of the street as the shop and then a few other rooms to rent across the street in what they call the motel. Over the course of our stay, we rented both types. They are generally pretty well appointed and have all your basics covered including linens, towels and stuff in the kitchen. The cabins have a lovely view of the lake (Cabin 1 is larger but further back, Cabin 2 is closer to the lake and would be great for a single couple staying for a few days). We have stayed in lots of north woods cabins over the years, and these were very decent. The shower was good (except for the constant drip drip of a leak), the place was clean, there were ceiling fans, which helped with the heat, etc. I will say however, that it is still a cabin. Ours had a mouse in it (we spotted him on night three) and had spiders, a gap in the top of the screen door that let mosquitoes in, etc. But nothing crazy and nothing we haven't seen before. In addition, they allow dogs for an extra fee, which is awesome. Then the actual Trail Center - the restaurant inside gets super busy in the evenings to a point where there is often a wait. But we found that by going a little earlier or a little later, we were able to avoid waiting too long. Everything we had there was great, and the malts are REALLY good. Full of delicious malt powder and offered in a wide range of flavors (including some alcoholic), we were never bored and really loved those malts. Foodwise, breakfast is very solid. I loved the biscuits and gravy. I had the open faced beef sandwich for dinner one night, which was stellar (I was the envy of the table). And the mushroom appetizer and the fried cheese stick appetizer with its side of homemade gravy was off the charts. Delicious. There are only a couple of waitresses for the whole room and they are super busy. But we soon learned that they were still friendly. Just super efficient and moving fast. The shop itself has your general array of basics and then the biggest selection of Camp Chow I've ever seen. There was lots of fun stuff to look at and buy like funny shirts (my favorite was the one that said you should put your tent up first before drinking), mugs, etc. The front desk staff is friendly and always greeted us when we walked in the door. I will say that it's a place where things don't always move the fastest, but it's also the type of place where things shouldn't. Overall we had a great experience and will be back. My husband chose wisely :-) read more

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Walleye was very good. Cheese curds was as well. The milkshake was homemade and heavenly. Fries was waaayyy to salty. Just out of all the covid restrictions read more

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So happy to be able to dine in at Trail Center Lodge again - Our favorite place for breakfast... and lunch, and dinner ! This time, we had the grilled grits (my favorite), biscuits and gravy (our favorite, and the Rudy ... plus coffee. Everything was fresh and goood! Thank you trail center! read more

Trail Center Lodge - All time favorite breakfast from Trail Center Lodge... grilled grits. Also had eggs over easy with biscuits and gravy. Mmmmm... hmmmm. - Guest Houses Near Me - Grand Marais, Minnesota

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Heard about their great shakes. I got the blueberry shake and my wife got the adult shake with Buttershots. Also ordered the cheese curds. Definitely have to return when we come up this way again. read more

Our group of four was immediately seated and shortly after that the woman behind the bar came over with water and greeted us and took our beverage order. Food order was promptly placed based on several of her recommendations. Everyone at our party was very happy with the food, friendliness, decor, and prices. We will be returning! read more

We have been eating here for years, and have always had amazing meals. The breakfasts are definitely the best in the entire Great Marais area. Everything cooked to perfection. The omelets perfectly cooked with just the right amount of filling, and the pancakes are awesome too. As for the dinners, we usually go with the burgers and malts. I don't order burgers anywhere... except here. They are delicious. And the malts, wow. there is nothing more I can say. Highly recommended for any meal. read more

We stopped at the Trail Center Lodge for lunch and it was our favorite restaurant of a four day trip to the Grand Marais area. The roast beef sandwich with horse radish sauce is fantastic to the last bite, same for the walleye sandwich and the poutine burger with mozzarella sticks. Service is wonderful and the decor is super authentic for an up north cabin style restaurant. It looks like they can get busy and will close off the dining room when all the tables are full. Suggest going on a weekday to avoid long waits. read more

Trail Center Lodge - Guest Houses Near Me - Grand Marais, Minnesota

Decided to stop here on a motorcycle trip up over Lake Superior. Ended up riding the Gunflint Trail in the rain and I hate stopping in the rain, so I was a bit sour walking in. This place turned the sour to sweet. Wow.. Great food. I had the Walleye and eggs. Walleye was a large portion. perfectly cooked. Hash browns cooked nice and crispy just the way I asked for. But the star of the show wasn't even something I ordered. My friend ordered "grits". I expected a bowl of soft grits. Nope.. This was a baked loaf of grits with sausage inside. The sliced and fried on the griddle. These things were to die for. Get the grits for God's sake or you will be kicking yourself. Had I not had so much to eat already, I would have ordered grits, or been in a car, grits to go. Good stuff. The pancake was huge but pretty basic. (another friend had that). I'll certainly stop here again when I go by. And just have two orders of grits.... read more

OK so we visited this place during Covid. You cannot go inside and eat, but dang they have a great menu where you can take out, order ahead or eat on their socially distance patio tables. They also have a ton of groceries if you run out of anything while you were on the Gunflint Trail as it's hard to come by any necessity items within several miles. I totally recommend the Trail Center. Very friendly service, clean, great menu, great grocery/liquor assortment. We will definitely visit again if we find ourselves up that way. read more

Always great food and a fun Northwoods atmosphere. The walleye dinners were wonderful, and the breakfasts were just as good. A great place to eat on the trail. Be sure to check their hours however before you ride your bike up from Hovland, with the staffing shortages, they are open less days and have shorter hours. read more

We were able to dine inside as restrictions had lifted a little. This is probably one of the most COVID prepared places I have been to!! Good job!! The food was excellent as was the beverages. The employees were wonderful and very friendly!! read more

As a summer resident of this area, this has been my go to restaurant for many, many years. If there was a two-word description of this place it would be "consistently good." The burgers, and there is every kind imaginable, are great and the salads are divine. The ribs are fantastic and the prices are right. Can't be beat for a mid-afternoon malt. Breakfasts are creative and generous, and the coffee is good. The waitstaff is hard-working and efficient. They can be a lot of fun, too. Proprietress Sarah Hamilton runs a tight ship and she makes doggone sure that the food and service are up to snuff. Her sister, Anna, runs Hughie's in town and the two of them know how to make a restaurant work. Trail Center is worth the visit just to see all the antiques. The gas pump inside used to be in operation outside the establishment and I can remember my dad's car being filled with gas from it when I was a little boy. This place has character, characters, and good food. Try it; you'll like it! read more

Trail Center Lodge - Trail Center Lodge exterior - Guest Houses Near Me - Grand Marais, Minnesota

Been coming here for 20+ years, sometimes twice a week while were up here, with zero complaints. Got a bad feeling about the future after the last two trips in. Last week the fish & chips were very over cooked. This evening, we had 3 walleye dinners. Fish was OK, but the baked potatoes could've cooked for another half hour. Very hard & dry. Inedible. We'll try them once more next year, but for the next 3 weeks, we're going to do something different. I hate to give them a bad review, but it's honest. read more

A must on the Gunflint. After a long hike or paddle, stop here for a bite or a drink or one of their huge malts... or all three. Stopped here twice--once for dinner and another time just for an afternoon drink. I liked being at the bar in the late afternoon before the dinner rush, having a cold Moose Drool and chatting with the friendliest bartender on the Trail, Sue. Good tunes play, and plenty of northwoods-y decor adds to the historical vibe of a building that used to be part of a lumber mill on Poplar Lake. The front general store has a mix of necessities, provisions and tourista items emblazoned with "Gunflint Trail" to remember your trip by. I enjoyed sitting and people-watching, guessing who was local, semi-local and total tourist. Best thing I overheard while I was there was a waitress telling a group of seven that she didn't know how long they'd have to wait for their table. They were miffed, but geez... with a back porch overlooking Poplar Lake and the relaxed vibe of the Gunflint around you, who cares how long you have to wait? Put your feet up and stay a while! read more

A new MUST STOP for us! This was a word -of-mouth recommendation from a fellow camper. We stopped for breakfast on the way back down to the trail but the lunch and dinner menus looked great too. We shared a bread pudding french toast served with pumpkin spiced maple syrup...amazing!! Scrambled eggs with wild rice and cheddar cheese...fantastic!! Side order of hash browns as big as a dinner plate...delicious! All served in a rustic and eclectic atmosphere by the nicest of people!! I can't overemphasize enough - STOP to eat here!! Great find...can hardly wait until the next visit! read more

Delicious appetizers, soup, sandwiches & burgers off famous Gunflint Trail. Order the three cheese grilled sandwich with ham & bacon! Chili and fish chowder were excellent. Wait staff is friendly and fast! read more

Trail Center Lodge - Three cheese grilled sandwich on Texas toast with added ham & bacon. Delicious! - Guest Houses Near Me - Grand Marais, Minnesota

Great decor! Arrived around 11:30 and took a seat right away. Lovely decor and nice little gift shop. Attentive server. Had the BLT - it came with generous thick sliced bacon that I wished was a tad more crispy - bread was amazing. Wife had the friend walleye and loved it. Fries were crispy and hot. There are but a few restaurants along the Gunflint Trail - liked this one! read more

Ate breakfast at the Trail Center lodge. The restaurant has a cozy cabin feel and I loved the amber lighting. The waitresses were very busy, but attentive and friendly. Food was very good-- gravy on hashbrowns upon request, good sausage and bacon, and HUGE thick pancakes! We didn't have the pancake, but neighboring table did and gentleman could only eat about a third of it! read more

Trail Center Lodge - Guest Houses Near Me - Grand Marais, Minnesota

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Oh I love Trail Center so much. The food is delicious and it's just a perfect outing when hanging out on the Gunflint Trail (and if you're in Grand Marais, head up the trail to try it out!). My most recent trips were within the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, breakfast was great; I had the "Up North," which was a scramble with eggs, wild rice, & cheese. Yum! We were a large group that arrived right at opening time, and the waitstaff handled the big rush admirably. Last week, I had a wonderful dinner of their Black Bean Burger. It was delicious and service was great (this time just dinner for two). In addition to the restaurant, Trail Center's store offers a good selection of basic grocery items and a large selection of backpacking meals called Camp Chow. I just can't say enough good things. read more

Whether you've been on a hike and hunger strikes or you are just looking for a place to grab lunch or dinner when you are visiting the Gunflint, this is an excellent, reasonably priced choice. On our recent visit I had a chili burger and side salad. The burger was cooked just right, juicy, medium perfect balance of spice and I truly appreciated that it was sized just right for my post hike appetite. I paired it with a side salad that included crisp lettuce, shaved radish, and carrots. Besides having great food this is a convenient place to pick up those items you might have forgotten, for example did you seriously not bring supplies to make s'mores Mom? The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and can also provide you with information about day hikes along the trail. read more

We first came here on our honeymoon 15 years ago, and we've come back years later with our kids. The service is friendly, and the food is delicious. It's worth the drive! read more

LOVE this restaurant/gift shop/store!! Great log cabin setting overlooking Poplar Lake, AMAZING great food (breakfast, lunch and dinner), excellent fast friendly staff that is very knowledgable of the menu as well as local attractions and things to do and always upbeat!! I have eaten here countless times - It's always excellent! Literally the only business I know of in the entire Arrowhead Region that ALWAYS has great food, great service and VERY friendly/genuine staff!! The atmosphere is awesome too! Look forward to my next stop at The Trail Center!! read more

Great place for dinner. Fantastic Maple Syrup malts, very good burgers and great Walleye sandwich. Service was okay as it was a smaller establishment and they got busy, but it was a worthwhile dinner trip! read more

Hands down, best pancake of my life! I ate at the bar. The stools are logs, it's really fun.

We went on a trip with Gunflint and ended up here. This place was pretty cool and we were so relieved to see some real cooked food that we didn't have to cook and clean ourselves after 4 days in the wild. They had a great selection and the owner was also pretty cool. I had actually forgotten my lifejacket at one of the stops we made on the canoe, but it had the same shoreline so she drove me around for 15 minutes, checking all the houses that we could have stopped at. The people here were really nice and down to earth, it was great meeting them. read more

We were staying near Gunflint Lake and decided we wanted to try the restaurant we'd driven by several times. The food was tasty, the server (can't remember her name-she was a younger gal with blonde/pink hair) was friendly and on top of things, and the pumpkin malt was a perfect end to our meal. We also purchased some of their camp chow - the mashed potatoes were fine, but it was really the cinnamon raisin and blueberry oatmeal that was really good. read more

We love stopping in for lunch when we are up traveling the Gunflint Trail, we've made it a tradition. The food is delicious - Especially the Fish N Chips!! Everyone is so friendly and it's nice to peruse the gift shop as well. If you're in the area, you have to stop in! read more

I just drove border to border Mexico to Canada and was gone a month. Trail Center Rocks breakfast ! This is the best breakfast I have had in that time period! Excellent re fried Grits and amazing thick smoky and crispy bacon! read more

The Trail Center Lodge is half way up the Gunflint Trail. It has cabins for rent, a motel, bar, gift shop, gas and groceries. It also has the best breakfast and lunch menu available on the trail, all in a log cabin style setting. They are famous for their pancakes which are HUGE. Eat three and they are free! Don't miss this gem in the north country woods. read more