Highlights of Minnesota's North Country

In the woods and on the water of Minnesota's Arrowhead region, solitude reigns supreme. Voyageurs National Park (left) hugs the Canadian border -- a 218,000-acre, 30-lake wonderland without roads. In the million-plus acres of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, visitors travel by paddle and portage their canoes. Bikers traverse the Mesabi Trail, which stretches from Grand Rapids toward Ely. Even when snow blankets the region, travelers explore on skis, snowmobiles and dogsleds.

In the Mesabi Iron Range, Minnesota's mining lives on. Many of the miners were immigrants, and communities here show their strong ethnic roots in crafts, architecture, stories, festivals and foods. You can see a working mine at Hull Rust Mahoning Mine and travel deep into the earth at Soudan Underground Mine State Park.

Click ahead for details on these experiences and other destinations in Minnesota's North Woods. Want to share your favorites? Leave a comment below or on Midwest Living®'s page on Facebook!

Crane Lake Visitor and Tourism Bureau

Ely Chamber of Commerce

Hibbing Area Chamber of Commerce

Iron Range Tourism Bureau

Kabetogama Lake Association and Tourism

International Falls, Rainy Lake and Ranier Convention and Visitors Bureau

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