The Minnesota lakeside village that’s so gorgeous, it can’t stop winning awards

It’s 110 miles north of Duluth

Grand Marais sits on the northwestern shore of Lake Superior, right where the Sawtooth Mountains come down to the water.

About 1,300 people live here year-round.

You reach it by driving Highway 61 along the North Shore, 110 miles northeast of Duluth, and the road alone is worth the trip.

Budget Travel named it America’s Coolest Small Town.

Travel & Leisure called it the Best Small Lake Town in 2023. National Geographic Adventure tagged it the Next Great Adventure Town.

Those titles stack up, but the town earns them quietly.

Voyageurs and fur traders shaped this harbor

The Ojibwe people lived here first and called the place Gichi-biitoobiig, which means “double body of water” after the two bays that form the harbor.

French Canadian voyageurs came later and renamed it Grand Marais, or “Great Marsh.” By the 1700s, fur traders had set up shop. Logging and commercial fishing followed.

Then in the 1850s, French Canadian and Scandinavian settlers moved in and left their mark on the culture you still feel walking through town today.

Walk the volcanic rock out to the lighthouse

Artist’s Point is a slab of volcanic rock that juts straight into Lake Superior and shields the harbor from open water.

It’s a tombolo, formed by lava and connected to the mainland by gravel the lake currents piled up over time. Painters have set up easels here for generations, which is how it got the name.

A breakwater leads out to a small white lighthouse you can walk right up to. Get there at sunrise. It’s one of the best spots on the North Shore to watch one.

Discover art at Minnesota’s oldest historical colony

Birney Quick, an instructor at the Minneapolis School of Art, founded the Grand Marais Art Colony in 1947. It’s the longest-running art colony in Minnesota and still going strong.

Today the colony runs more than 200 classes a year in painting, pottery, printmaking, glass, and other mediums.

Every July, the Grand Marais Arts Festival brings in more than 60 juried artists.

People travel from across the country to take classes here, and you can sign up for a session even on a short visit.

Build a boat at North House Folk School

North House Folk School sits right on the Lake Superior shoreline, and it’s been teaching traditional northern crafts since 1997.

You can learn boat building, blacksmithing, woodworking, timber framing, and fiber arts across more than 400 courses a year.

The whole school draws from the Scandinavian folkehojskole tradition, where learning matters for its own sake.

If you’d rather be on the water than in a workshop, book a two-hour sail on the Hjordis, the school’s twin-masted schooner, and cruise Lake Superior.

57 miles of wilderness on the Gunflint Trail

The Gunflint Trail starts right in downtown Grand Marais and runs 57 miles northwest through the Superior National Forest.

It’s a paved National Scenic Byway that climbs nearly 1,200 feet from the lakeshore into deep woods. Along the way, you pass dozens of lakes, hiking trails, and entry points into the Boundary Waters.

Keep your eyes open for moose, black bear, wolves, and bald eagles. The road ends near the Canadian border at Trail’s End Campground and the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center.

Paddle a million acres with no motors allowed

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness covers more than one million acres of lakes and boreal forest. National Geographic put it on the list of the world’s 50 Places of a Lifetime.

No motors allowed in here. You get in by canoe or on foot, and that’s it. Grand Marais is one of two main gateway towns, along with Ely.

Several outfitters in town rent canoes, sell gear, and run guided trips ranging from day paddles to multi-day routes deep into the backcountry.

The waterfall that swallowed everything and gave nothing back

About 15 miles northeast of town, the Brule River hits a rock ledge inside Judge C.R. Magney State Park and splits in two.

One half drops 50 feet into a pool. The other half plunges into a massive hole in the rock and vanishes. For decades, nobody could figure out where that water went.

People tossed in objects that never resurfaced.

Then in 2016, Minnesota DNR hydrologists measured nearly identical water flow above and below the falls and confirmed the water rejoins the river underground.

The hike to Devil’s Kettle runs about two miles round trip.

Hike 310 miles of ridgeline above the North Shore

The Superior Hiking Trail follows the rocky ridgeline above Lake Superior for 310 miles, from near Duluth all the way to the Canadian border.

Several trailheads sit close to Grand Marais, so you can pick a day hike or tackle an overnight section.

Pincushion Mountain is just two miles from town and gives you a roughly four-mile round trip to a summit with wide-open views of the lake and surrounding forest.

No permits, no fees, no reservations needed for any of the 93 backcountry campsites along the trail.

Count seven waterfalls in less than a mile

Cascade River State Park sits about 10 miles southwest of Grand Marais along Highway 61.

The Cascade River drops through a narrow gorge of volcanic rock on its way to Lake Superior, and you can see more than seven waterfalls along a trail that covers less than a mile.

The whole route works for families and doesn’t demand much elevation.

You hear the water echoing off the rock walls before you round each bend, and every turn brings another fall into view.

Grab a donut and browse Inuit art downtown

Downtown Grand Marais is small enough to walk end to end, and it sits right on the harbor. World’s Best Donuts has been pulling in crowds for decades, and the line moves fast.

The Sivertson Gallery shows Inuit art alongside work by regional artists.

The Cook County History Museum operates out of the 1896 Lightkeeper’s House, one of two downtown buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

The town even has its own community radio station, WTIP, which covers life and culture along the North Shore.

Watch the northern lights from a dark lakeshore

Grand Marais sits far enough north and far enough from city glow to make it one of the best spots in Minnesota for the aurora borealis.

On clear nights, the lake’s open horizon gives you unobstructed views to the north and east, with nothing between you and the sky but water.

Head up the Gunflint Trail for even darker skies and better stargazing. You don’t need a telescope. Just patience, a clear forecast, and a willingness to stay up late.

Explore Grand Marais on Minnesota’s North Shore

You can reach Grand Marais by driving Highway 61 about 110 miles northeast of Duluth, or roughly four to five hours from the Twin Cities.

The closest airport is Duluth International, about a two-hour drive south along the North Shore. Once you arrive, leave the car.

The town is small and walkable, with galleries, shops, restaurants, and the harbor all within easy strolling distance of each other.

Check the official website for seasonal events and visitor info before you go.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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