On my first visit to Grand Marais, I sat down for breakfast at the Blue Water Café under a 15-foot mural of Lake Superior. I thought, one day I want to paddle that entire shore.
Years later, I moved here and got a job guiding kayaking. I was green and the big lake, as locals call it, taught me plenty of lessons. Namely, it’s cold!
Superior rarely rises above 55°F. Paradoxically, because it is so big, it holds its temperature and seldom freezes near Grand Marais. I have a six-year record of paddling at least once, every month, on the lake.
Despite its brutal temperature, the endless horizon where clouds meet unsalted sea draws me in. I lose track of time listening to the sound of surf pounding the 1.1-billion-year-old basalt shoreline.
A peaceful feeling comes with paddling under the 200-foot cliffs of Palisade Head, gazing through the limpid water at boulders that fell eons ago. the big lake feels timeless and you can easily forget your workaday life when paddling here.
TRIP SUGGESTIONS FOR GRAND MARAIS
If you have a half-day paddle west to the Fall river and swim under a 25-foot waterfall.
If you have a day begin an intermediate trip in tettegouche State Park and paddle northeast around Shovel Point, a rhyolite lava flow that juts out into the lake. Continue through the Cave of Waves natural arch then return to Palisade head.
If you have a weekend head across the border to Ontario’s “Sauna Islands.” Park in Little Trout Bay and paddle to Victoria Island for your first night. On the second, enjoy a sauna on Thompson Island.
If you have a week paddle from Gooseberry to Grand Marais on Minnesota’s Lake Superior Water trail, which features campsites about every 15 miles. along the way, visit Split Rock Lighthouse, Tettegouche and the Manitou River waterfall.
GRAND MARAIS STATISTICS
Population: 1,351
County Lands: 92% public
Wildlife: Bear, wolf, moose, deer, coyote, bald eagle, pine martin, fisher, lake trout, steelhead, salmon
Campsites: cobblestone, sand
Exposure: 150 miles of fetch. Longshore NE and SW winds product the biggest conditions.
Diversion: Build a skin-on-frame kayak at the North House Folk School.
Best Eats: Dockside – fresh caught fish and chips. Sven and Ole’s Pizza – the Uffda Zah is a favorite. Sydney’s – land on the beach for a Stealth: frozen custard, blueberries, and Oreos.
Outfitters: North Shore Expeditions— day trips, kayak camping, instruction; www.northshoreexpeditions.com. Sawtooth Outfitters— day trips, rentals, sales in Tofte; www.sawtoothoutfitters.com.
Must-Have: Drysuit or wetsuit.
Bryan Hansel’s life and livelihood are inextricably entwined with Lake Superior. A professional photographer and founder of North Shore Expeditions, Hansel has paddled all of the American shoreline of the lake, but chooses to call Grand Marais home.
This article first appeared in the Early Summer 2014 issue of Adventure Kayak Magazine. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine and get 25 years of digital magazine archives including our legacy titles: Rapid, Adventure Kayak and Canoeroots.
