Ice Skaters: Northern Minnesota Now Home To One Of The Longest Ice Trails In The Country

If you enjoy ice skating, this Northern Minnesota resort's free ice skating trail is something you need to check out this winter!

With miles (yes, miles!) of ice skating trail and other outdoor activities, there's definitely not a lack of memorable winter fun waiting in the far northern reaches of the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Let's take a look at this trail, which is arguably the longest in the entire country.

Where is this Northern Minnesota ice skating trail?

On the Minnesota side of Gunflint Lake, where you can literally see Canada across the lake, is Gunflint Lodge and Outfitters. The resort and outfitter gives visitors access to the rugged beauty of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and other outdoor activities all year long.

The resort is located about 40 miles up the famous Gunflint Trail from Grand Marais, offering some great modern amenities and activities in some of the most beautiful remote wilderness you can get to by car.

During the winter months, Gunflint Lodge offers some incredible winter activities with one of them making headlines as a potential record-setter in the country.

The resort's owner told Northern News Now that the idea of an ice skating trail first came up in 2019 as they realized the number of people who traveled to the area to enjoy ideal natural ice skating conditions.

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This year's trail has grown to be their longest yet, and could be the longest in the country.

Making the trail

The resort's social media account details the growth of the trail over the winter season, which has grown to about 6 miles in length on Gunflint Lake. The process of removing snow to clear the trail is an involved process that includes a lot of regular maintenance to fight back drifting snow that blows across the lake.

While their team has invested a sizable amount of time and effort into clearing the 6 miles of trail, their work isn't going unnoticed (or unused).

READ MORE: Calling All Snow Lovers! These Are The Snowiest Cities In Minnesota

As Northern News Now reports, their 6 miles of natural ice cleared by a sweeper beats out a lodge in Vermont that had previously bragged about having the longest ice skating trail in the country with about 4 miles of cleared trail. While this isn't an official record, it appears to be unrivaled in length across the country.

Getting there and what else to know

Using the trail is free, and they also offer skates to rent (hockey skates, Nordic skates, and figure skates) for anyone who needs a pair to use. Here's a brief look at what the experience is like in a video from the Minnesota Nordic and Wild Ice Skaters.

The trail is several feet wide giving you and the whole family plenty of room to skate around to your heart's content on the pristine ice. The lodge is open daily from 7 am to 9 pm for you to check in and rent skates if needed.

Getting there from pretty much anywhere in the state requires a trip up the North Shore to Grand Marais, where you'll head up the hill on the Gunflint Trail 44 miles inland to South Gunflint Lake Road near the public water access. That's where you'll find the resort. The drive is beautiful, and you might even see a moose or some other wildlife!

While you could just make a day trip and enjoy the free trails, making a trip out of the adventure is the best way to enjoy this experience. The resort is running some winter promotions on lodge rooms so you can enjoy even more of the area.

Besides some skating on the trail, cross-country skiing trails, ice fishing, enclosed (heated) ATV tours, sleigh rides, and more all await. Plus, staying overnight will afford you the chance to enjoy just how beautiful the area's dark sky is away from city lights. You might even see the Northern Lights! That area is among the best places in Minnesota to catch a glimpse of them.