Things to Do in Walker, Minnesota

Leech Lake covers about 103,000 acres, with 195 miles of shoreline and depths to 156 feet, and it sits entirely inside the Chippewa National Forest. It’s a well-known walleye and muskie lake; hundreds of muskies were caught in two weeks during the ‘Musky Rampage’ of July 1955. Walker Bay, right off downtown, is one of the lake’s deepest parts.

★ Good to know The Leech Lake Area Chamber posts fishing reports and lists local guides, fish house rentals and boat rentals, so start there before you book.

At 115 miles, this is Minnesota’s longest state trail and the longest continuously paved rail-trail in the country. It runs from Crow Wing State Park to Lake Bemidji State Park and passes right through Walker along the lakeshore.

★ Good to know From Walker you can ride the lakeside stretch without committing to a long day, or connect onto the Heartland Trail.

The Heartland was one of the first rail-to-trail projects in the country. It runs 49 paved miles on an old railroad grade: 27 miles from Park Rapids to Walker, and 22 more from Walker to Cass Lake. The Park Rapids segment has a parallel natural-surface path for horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking.

★ Good to know The grade is flat almost the whole way, except a four-mile rolling section north of Walker built for snowmobilers.

Run by the Cass County Historical Society since 1982, the museum has extensive Ojibwe exhibits on canoe building, maple sugaring and wild rice gathering. It also covers fur traders and logging. Out back, the 1912 Huset School shows what a country schoolhouse was like.

★ Good to know Genealogy fans can use the research center, which holds county newspapers back to the 1890s.

Five miles southwest of town on Highway 34, this Forest Service area in the Shingobee River Valley has 6 miles of trails for hiking, birdwatching and cross-country skiing. There’s a sliding hill and a weekend warming chalet in winter, and the North Country National Scenic Trail passes through.

★ Good to know There’s no water or restroom on site, and the winter chalet opens on Saturdays depending on snow, so call the Walker Ranger District first.

Portage has been brewing in Walker since 2017 and bills itself as a destination taproom inside the Chippewa National Forest, just off Leech Lake. Its story includes a setback and a rebuild, and the focus is small-batch beers made for the seasons.

Owned and operated by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Northern Lights opened its current building in May 2001. It sits four miles south of Walker at the junction of Highways 371 and 200, with slots, table games, a hotel and the North Star Restaurant.

★ Good to know The casino floor is open 24 hours a day, so it’s a fallback for a rainy evening.