Exploring Grand Portage By Eric Weicht
A view of the Susie Islands up close from the seat of a sea kayak. | ERIC WEICHT
Grand Portage is a place laden with story. Grand Portage’s story spans eons—beginning nearly two billion years ago when the Rove Formation created much of the rock that we see today and continuing through the Midcontinent Rift, numerous ice ages, generations of Indigenous settlement, the fur trade, the booms and busts of mining and logging, all the way to the present day. There are “ghost towns” hidden in the forests of Grand Portage; networks of trails to explore by foot, bike, or snowmobile; museums and monuments to visit that tell the stories of the people that came before; and some of the best fishing on the North Shore.
Located right on the U.S.-Canadian border (i.e. the Pigeon River), Grand Portage State Park is the only state park in Minnesota located on tribal land. The park is easily accessible off of Highway 61, and is home to the largest waterfall in Minnesota. The park’s welcome center provides a great introduction to the people and culture of the Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe, depicting the “seasonal rhythms” of life in Grand Portage through four life-sized murals.
Views from the Wauswaugoning Bay Overlook off Highway 61 in Grand Portage. | ERIC WEICHT
The following are a few highlights for anyone looking to spend time in Grand Portage and engage with its story. Be respectful when you visit, to both the people and the place. Destinations like High Falls and Mineral Center are special in the way that they are able to ground us in a moment; tell a story without speaking. Don’t let your granola bar wrapper, Bluetooth speaker, or graffiti interrupt someone else’s experience.
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Grand Portage State Park
Past the welcome center is a paved, 1-mile roundtrip hiking trail that follows the Pigeon River to High Falls. At 120 feet tall, High Falls is the tallest waterfall in Minnesota, and served as the impetus for the creation of the Grand Portage. For anyone looking for a more strenuous backcountry experience, the 4.5-mile roundtrip hike out and back to Middle Falls is well worth the extra effort.
Manidoo-giizhikens
Manidoo-giizhikens, also known by some people as the Witch Tree or Little Spirit Cedar Tree, is a beautifully gnarled northern white cedar that appears to grow straight out of a rockface along Lake Superior just north of Hat Point. Manidoo-giizhikens has stood watch over Lake
