Looking for a suggestions on where to go 1 week of feburary. We have been going to the up of michigan but am looking for somthing different. We will be leaving out of crystal, minn. We were looking at going to two harbors but looking for suggestions after that, Looking to do 2 nights in 3 different spots and ending back at two harbors. Please give us suggestions as we have never been up there looking to ride around 100 miles a day on trail, maybe a little off trail but we have 121 so probably not much. Thanks in advance
north east minnsota saddlebag trip
- Thread starter blvette
- Start date
A perfect trip for you would be to ride from Two Harbors up to the Ely/tower area for a night and then the next day ride from there up to Grand Marais/gunflint trail and spend the night there and then one the 3rd day ride back to two harbors. There's a lot of side trails you can ride each day also to easily get 100+ miles/day. Let me know if you have any other questions, we ride the north shore area every weekend.
The snow that week should be excellent. For a list of things to see, defintely do the trails through Tettagouchee State Park (especially Georges gorge trail). Be sure to run down into Gooseberry State Park to see the falls (expect to get evil stares from the X Country skiers as you pull in). As you head up towards Lutsen, run the trail that follows the lake through the Tofte area, good watrefalls on the temperance river and you can follow a forest road up to Carlton Peak, very cool. If you run up the Yukon when you cross the power lines turn right and follow them to Hwy 1 and get on the timber wolf trail. No big hills or anything but it's fun and you have a good chance of seeing wolves or moose. Be sure to go to the Trestle Inn. If you want to play in the snow, follow the power lines from Hwy 1 east to where the NSST crosses them. There you'll have some big hills and probably deep snow.
You can try voyaguers national park area. The land trails are usually VERY nicely groomed and they have some scenic lake trails as well. Lot less crowded than the North Shore area...or you can hit up any of the area as a part of your overnight & then head back to the North shore. Try www.snowmobilevacation.com for maps & lodging.
I've ridden these trails for 20+ years
Here is my suggestion, first you need to account for 4 hours of travel time to get to Two Harbors from the cities (with stops). I would leave at 5-6 am so you can get on the trail around 9-10 am-ish. BUT I would drive to Finland and drop off there. Much better place to drop off at.
(Route 1)
Day 1: Ride from Finland North on the NSST to the Tomohawk. Stop at Trestle Inn for a bite and a Root Beer (must have). Hang out there for awhile, talk to folks, and put your gear near the wood stove if it's fired up. Keep headed to Ely on the Tomohawk. Find a place to stay in Ely (many choices). Prolly around 120 miles that day. Raspberries is a great place to eat in town.
Day 2: Ride from Ely west on the Taconite to the Arrowhead North. Be sure to have alot of fun on the Arrowhead north of Cook and south of Orr, one of the best sections of trail in the state. There are many loops around there to ride, stops at Elephant Lake for Gas, and end at the Voyageur's Inn on Crane Lake (they have a webcam on here). If you look to the northern bays on the lake, its Canada eh.
This trip is about ~150 miles depending on how many loops in the area you do.
Day 3: Head North Again to the Ash-ka-nam River on the Arrowhead trail, there are a number of loops, rivers and even Lake Kabetogama to play on. Eat at any number of establishments along the river, they are all good. Head back to Voyageurs to stay the night again. ~ 125 miles
Day 4, return trip back towards Ely, perhaps go south into Virgina, Babbit, hit Giants Ridge for a bite to eat or even choose to stay there. about 100 miles
Day 5: Head back on the Tomohawk to the Trestle Inn, for lunch, but turn north on the NSST. You have choices here on miles and places to stay. Silver Bay, Lutsen, and Grand Marais being the most popular. Silver Bay would keep the lieage around 150, Lutsen 200, Grand Marais, prolly 225. Lutsen area is a great choice, lots of fun and Papa Charlies at night, great food. Of course its alwasy hard to pass up Sven and Oles on Grand Marais, its a must see as well.
Day 6:
Head south on the NSST and take it easy back to Finland. Enjoy the sites and take time for pics, there are many scenic overlooks and points of interest to enjoy. Should be a nice easy 100 mile ride to finish the trip.
(Route 2)
Day 1: Ride from Finland North on the NSST to the Tomohawk. Stop at Trestle Inn for a bite and a Root Beer (must have). Hang out there for awhile, talk to folks, and put your gear near the wood stove if it's fired up. Keep headed to Ely on the Tomohawk. Find a place to stay in Ely (many choices). Prolly around 120 miles that day. Raspberries is a great place to eat in town.
Day 2: Ride from Ely west on the Taconite to the Arrowhead North. Be sure to have alot of fun on the Arrowhead north of Cook and south of Orr, one of the best sections of trail in the state. There are many loops around there to ride, stops at Elephant Lake for Gas, and end at the Voyageur's Inn on Crane Lake (they have a webcam on here). If you look to the northern bays on the lake, its Canada eh. This trip is about ~150 miles depending on how many loops in the area you do.
Day 3, return trip back towards Ely, perhaps go south into Virgina, Babbit, hit Giants Ridge for a bite to eat or even choose to stay there. about 100 miles
Day 4: Head back on the Tomohawk to the Trestle Inn, for lunch, but turn north on the NSST. You have choices here on miles and places to stay. Silver Bay, Lutsen, and Grand Marais being the most popular. Silver Bay would keep the lieage around 150, Lutsen 200, Grand Marais, prolly 225. Lutsen area is a great choice, lots of fun and Papa Charlies at night, great food. Of course its alwasy hard to pass up Sven and Oles on Grand Marais, its a must see as well.
Day 5: Head north on NSST to Gunflint, be sure to take the Eastern trail and the Swamper Trail - DO NOT Take the expressway unless you really need to make time, not a good trail. Stop by at Hungry Jacks, they just rebuilt the lodge (we saw it under construction last season). Looks to be an awesome stop, not to mention the trails this day are all awesome. Do not head west on Gunflint, sry but its also not a great trail cause of the lack of any vegetation from the massive fires a few years back sad to say Rather, if you are feeling adventuresome and have a GPS, I would try to make your way over to what I consider the most scenic and crown jewel of all trails in the state Grand Portage. I usually trailer to Grand Portage, but there is a segway from the Swamper to the Grand portage trails. Ask the folks at Hungry Jacks. This day will be longer though as adding Grand Portage (there and back) adds alot of miles. Head back to Grand Marais or Lutsen that eve via the segway to the Gunflint South. Be sure to eat at Sven and Oles in Grand Marais.
Day 6: just head south on the NSST back to Finland.
Key things to know:
1) Along the NSST there is gas available; however, you need to have a full tank to make the trip from the NSST in Finland to Ely via the Tomohawk. Also a full tank to make it to Grand Portage will be necessary.
2) Call ahead and get reservations now. With the recent snow storm in the Arrowhead, they will begin to fill up.
3) Take the time to really enjoy the areas. The Lake Vermilion area is very different that the North Shore. Expect the Arrowhead, Taconite, and NSST to be 40-50mph no problem. They are wide, well maintained, and well marked. The trail between Cook and Orr is like a 10 mile rollercoaster (my favorite section of trail anywhere), but be careful of traffic is all you need to do.
4) Ask ahead. I'm not the expert so when making reservations ask about key things to see/do. Let entertainment after hours be a guide on where you stay. Also, amenties will be important so a hot tub/sauna may be important as well so soak out those miles.
5) I did 550 miles or pretty much the Finland to Ash-ka-nam and back in one day on the F7 so if you want to go for more miles and truncate the trip plan, you can do it.
6) You probabaly already know this, but be sure to pack the essentials on the trip. There are a few gaps on the NSST and the Tomohawk on cell coverage, but there is more that enough traffic if things go bad to help.
Just talking about these routes has me eager to go back. I think having ridden both the trails in the UP and MN, the MN are better overall, but offer alot less off-trail powder than the UP. So make sure you change your sled setup for faster flatland trails.
If you want more help, we can talk in person as well. gamendola@yahoo.com
Here is my suggestion, first you need to account for 4 hours of travel time to get to Two Harbors from the cities (with stops). I would leave at 5-6 am so you can get on the trail around 9-10 am-ish. BUT I would drive to Finland and drop off there. Much better place to drop off at.
(Route 1)
Day 1: Ride from Finland North on the NSST to the Tomohawk. Stop at Trestle Inn for a bite and a Root Beer (must have). Hang out there for awhile, talk to folks, and put your gear near the wood stove if it's fired up. Keep headed to Ely on the Tomohawk. Find a place to stay in Ely (many choices). Prolly around 120 miles that day. Raspberries is a great place to eat in town.
Day 2: Ride from Ely west on the Taconite to the Arrowhead North. Be sure to have alot of fun on the Arrowhead north of Cook and south of Orr, one of the best sections of trail in the state. There are many loops around there to ride, stops at Elephant Lake for Gas, and end at the Voyageur's Inn on Crane Lake (they have a webcam on here). If you look to the northern bays on the lake, its Canada eh.
This trip is about ~150 miles depending on how many loops in the area you do.Day 3: Head North Again to the Ash-ka-nam River on the Arrowhead trail, there are a number of loops, rivers and even Lake Kabetogama to play on. Eat at any number of establishments along the river, they are all good. Head back to Voyageurs to stay the night again. ~ 125 miles
Day 4, return trip back towards Ely, perhaps go south into Virgina, Babbit, hit Giants Ridge for a bite to eat or even choose to stay there. about 100 miles
Day 5: Head back on the Tomohawk to the Trestle Inn, for lunch, but turn north on the NSST. You have choices here on miles and places to stay. Silver Bay, Lutsen, and Grand Marais being the most popular. Silver Bay would keep the lieage around 150, Lutsen 200, Grand Marais, prolly 225. Lutsen area is a great choice, lots of fun and Papa Charlies at night, great food. Of course its alwasy hard to pass up Sven and Oles on Grand Marais, its a must see as well.
Day 6:
Head south on the NSST and take it easy back to Finland. Enjoy the sites and take time for pics, there are many scenic overlooks and points of interest to enjoy. Should be a nice easy 100 mile ride to finish the trip.
(Route 2)
Day 1: Ride from Finland North on the NSST to the Tomohawk. Stop at Trestle Inn for a bite and a Root Beer (must have). Hang out there for awhile, talk to folks, and put your gear near the wood stove if it's fired up. Keep headed to Ely on the Tomohawk. Find a place to stay in Ely (many choices). Prolly around 120 miles that day. Raspberries is a great place to eat in town.
Day 2: Ride from Ely west on the Taconite to the Arrowhead North. Be sure to have alot of fun on the Arrowhead north of Cook and south of Orr, one of the best sections of trail in the state. There are many loops around there to ride, stops at Elephant Lake for Gas, and end at the Voyageur's Inn on Crane Lake (they have a webcam on here). If you look to the northern bays on the lake, its Canada eh.
This trip is about ~150 miles depending on how many loops in the area you do. Day 3, return trip back towards Ely, perhaps go south into Virgina, Babbit, hit Giants Ridge for a bite to eat or even choose to stay there. about 100 miles
Day 4: Head back on the Tomohawk to the Trestle Inn, for lunch, but turn north on the NSST. You have choices here on miles and places to stay. Silver Bay, Lutsen, and Grand Marais being the most popular. Silver Bay would keep the lieage around 150, Lutsen 200, Grand Marais, prolly 225. Lutsen area is a great choice, lots of fun and Papa Charlies at night, great food. Of course its alwasy hard to pass up Sven and Oles on Grand Marais, its a must see as well.
Day 5: Head north on NSST to Gunflint, be sure to take the Eastern trail and the Swamper Trail - DO NOT Take the expressway unless you really need to make time, not a good trail. Stop by at Hungry Jacks, they just rebuilt the lodge (we saw it under construction last season). Looks to be an awesome stop, not to mention the trails this day are all awesome. Do not head west on Gunflint, sry but its also not a great trail cause of the lack of any vegetation from the massive fires a few years back sad to say
Rather, if you are feeling adventuresome and have a GPS, I would try to make your way over to what I consider the most scenic and crown jewel of all trails in the state Grand Portage. I usually trailer to Grand Portage, but there is a segway from the Swamper to the Grand portage trails. Ask the folks at Hungry Jacks. This day will be longer though as adding Grand Portage (there and back) adds alot of miles. Head back to Grand Marais or Lutsen that eve via the segway to the Gunflint South. Be sure to eat at Sven and Oles in Grand Marais.Day 6: just head south on the NSST back to Finland.
Key things to know:
1) Along the NSST there is gas available; however, you need to have a full tank to make the trip from the NSST in Finland to Ely via the Tomohawk. Also a full tank to make it to Grand Portage will be necessary.
2) Call ahead and get reservations now. With the recent snow storm in the Arrowhead, they will begin to fill up.
3) Take the time to really enjoy the areas. The Lake Vermilion area is very different that the North Shore. Expect the Arrowhead, Taconite, and NSST to be 40-50mph no problem. They are wide, well maintained, and well marked. The trail between Cook and Orr is like a 10 mile rollercoaster (my favorite section of trail anywhere), but be careful of traffic is all you need to do.
4) Ask ahead. I'm not the expert so when making reservations ask about key things to see/do. Let entertainment after hours be a guide on where you stay. Also, amenties will be important so a hot tub/sauna may be important as well so soak out those miles.
5) I did 550 miles or pretty much the Finland to Ash-ka-nam and back in one day on the F7 so if you want to go for more miles and truncate the trip plan, you can do it.
6) You probabaly already know this, but be sure to pack the essentials on the trip. There are a few gaps on the NSST and the Tomohawk on cell coverage, but there is more that enough traffic if things go bad to help.
Just talking about these routes has me eager to go back. I think having ridden both the trails in the UP and MN, the MN are better overall, but offer alot less off-trail powder than the UP. So make sure you change your sled setup for faster flatland trails.
If you want more help, we can talk in person as well. gamendola@yahoo.com
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