Things to Do in Grand Marais, Minnesota

Artist’s Point is an old lava island tied to shore by a gravel bar, and it shelters the harbor. A rare Arctic-alpine plant community survives on its rocks. From there a breakwater leads to the Grand Marais Light, first lit in 1922 and still working.

★ Good to know It’s free and a short walk from downtown; wear shoes with grip, since the rock and breakwater can be wet.

Founded in 1997 on the harbor, North House teaches traditional northern crafts, from blacksmithing to basketry to boatbuilding. You don’t need to take a class to visit. The school store is open daily, and the schooner Hjørdis takes two-hour sails on Lake Superior.

★ Good to know Sails run from late May through late September and courses often fill, so book early or join the waitlist.

The museum fills the 1896 Lightkeeper’s House, built for the lighthouse keeper and his family. The Cook County Historical Society has run it since 1966, and exhibits cover Lake Superior, commercial fishing and the area’s CCC camps. The lighthouse’s old Fresnel lens is on display.

The Art Colony runs classes, residencies and events, and hosts the Grand Marais Arts Festival each July. Sivertson Gallery shows regional art, and Betsy Bowen’s printmaking studio fills a former church with her hand-printed woodcuts and work by local artists.

★ Good to know Betsy Bowen Studio is open daily in season, with shorter hours in winter.

This small red-and-white shop on Wisconsin Street has been family-owned since 1969. Cake donuts are the specialty, and the line is part of a Grand Marais morning.

Down the shore southwest of town, the Cascade River drops through a rocky gorge to Lake Superior. The Superior Hiking Trail passes through. The Civilian Conservation Corps started building the original wayside in 1934, including a 535-foot overlook wall of local gabbro.

★ Good to know Minnesota state parks require a vehicle permit, and conditions change with the season, so check the park page before you hike.

Up the shore northeast of town, this park is known for the Devil’s Kettle. Half of the Brule River drops into a pothole there and reappears downstream. The park is named for a Duluth mayor and state justice who helped set up 11 North Shore parks.

The Gunflint Trail is a 57-mile paved National Scenic Byway from Grand Marais to Saganaga Lake, near the Ontario border. It climbs from the harbor into boreal forest and gives access to many Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness entry points.

★ Good to know Services thin out quickly past town, so fill the tank and check Superior National Forest alerts before you head north.