Gunflint Lodge

Alongside Gunflint Lake, Gunflint Lodge specializes in providing comfort amid the wilderness where guests can rent cottages with full kitchens, wood-burning fireplaces and hot tubs. Within the main lodge, visitors will find delicious meals of walleye and Minnesota wild rice complemented by glasses of Chardonnay. Massages are available upon request out of the little log home where owner Bruce Kerfoot grew up. Bruce’s mother purchased Gunflint in its infancy, back in the 1920s. Today, it’s the oldest continuously running resort on the Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway.

Activities and offerings change by season and include horseback riding, moose calling, wolf howling, fishing, hiking, snowshoeing and guided treks into the famed Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The newest attraction is a zip-line canopy tour through the 200-year-old white pines.

The lodge opens into the Red Paddle Bistro; be forewarned, the food here can be hit or miss. Justine’s is the fine-dining restaurant, housed in a private dining room connected to the bistro. Both overlook Gunflint Lake for gorgeous views. Guests pay a premium to eat here, but it's better than driving the 90 minutes round-trip into Grand Marais.

Peak summertime cabin rates start at $279 per night; the resort also has lakeside homes and "romantic cabins" for rent.