CANOEING

NOR'WESTER LODGE & OUTFITTERS Grand Marais, Minnesota United States www.norwesterlodge.com
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Overview

This northeastern Minnesota resort offers lakeside cabin and villa accommodations, and a campground. The location is perfect for family vacations and quiet resort getaways. The area is known for excellent fishing for walleye, lake trout, northern pike and smallmouth bass. In winter, reliable snow depth from December through March creates a premier destination for snowmobiles, with miles of groomed snowmobile trails.

Nor'wester was a name given the experienced French Voyageur of the past who journeyed these adventurous waterways in search of furs. This historic country is wilderness still -- yet is an incomparable year-round vacation land with outdoor adventures and enjoyments for all. Stately pines and scenic white paper birch provide a haven for an abundance of wildlife and will ignite the Voyageur within you.

Year Round Recreation
The tradition of hospitailty that started here at Nor'Wester more than 70 years ago started in a place that looks almost the same as it does today. All the things your grandparents came to see are still right here. Moose. Loons. Deer. Eagles. Wolves. The woods are still unspoiled, the lakes are still clean and cool, the big fish are still biting, and the clear skies dance with northern lights and zillions of stars.

Spring, Summer, and Fall Fun
Head off to any of the numerous nearby trails for hiking, mountain biking, wildlife spotting, birding, and berry picking. The waterfront is well equipped for your every favorite at-the-lake activity. Take out a boat with a motor and explore Poplar Lake. Fish for walleye, northern, smallmouth bass, and crappie. If you like, check the action at a nearby trout lake. Cool off with some exciting waterskiing. Or, get in a canoe and paddle around Poplar Lake or into the Boundary Waters for a day of paddling and fishing. Kids love the paddleboat, and the pontoon is perfect for a group, and a memorable sunset ride.

Fishing at Nor'Wester Lodge & Outfitters
With the Gunflint Trail at your front door and Poplar Lake as your backyard, Nor'Wester Lodge offers comfortable lodging on the lakeshore - start your fishing right here on Poplar, or launch your boat into other scenic, clear, remote - and productive - surrounding lakes. Fishing is so popular here that most of the cabins have a private dock. Bring your boat, or use one of Nor'Wester's. They have fishing boats with motors, paddleboats, a pontoon boat, and a variety of canoes.

It starts with the fishing - walleye, lake trout, smallmouth bass, northern - and gets better by the minute. You're in the middle of a clear, deep northwoods lake, surrounded by vast forests, and besides the fish, there's wildlife everywhere. Eagles and osprey overhead, beavers, loons, moose in the shallows - it's amazing what you can see here while you're waiting for a fish to take the bait.

Whether it's the lull of the boat as you're working a weed patch for smallmouth, or the hum of the motor as you troll, or the dipping of canoe paddles as you head out to fish for a walleye shore lunch, it's pure relaxation, with an occasional shot of adrenaline thrown in when the line goes taut and you have one on. Some days you catch fish, and some days you don't, but it's always a good day spent fishing.

A History of Northwoods Hospitality
Carl and Alis Brandt came to the Gunflint Trail in 1931 to start a sawmill. They soon realized that visitors to the area needed a place to stay. So Carl began building cabins while Alis cleaned cabins, washed laundry, and cooked meals for the many fisherman. They named their resort "Balsam Grove," a name which would stay with the resort through the next 35 years or so.

Built with native spruce and pine logs the lodge still stands today (an addition was later added). Several original diamond willow furniture pieces Carl made are found in the lodge along with furs from many of his trapping and hunting trips.

Today, more than 70 years later, this one-of-a-kind vacation destination on Poplar Lake on the Gunflint Trail remains family owned and operated. In 1968, when Carl and Alis´ son, Carl, and his wife, Luana took over the resort, they changed the name to Nor´Wester Lodge & Outfitters. The name may change and the owners may change, but the beatufiul setting and the spirit of Northwoods hospitality endures. Carl and Luana carry forward the family tradition of helping guests enjoy this incomparable wilderness area and its many year-round activities.

Come visit! There are memories here just waiting to be made and treasured. Be a part of a history and make Nor'Wester part of yours.

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