Heads Up, Your Cabin Road Might Be Washed Out This Spring In Northern Minnesota

We were planning on going up to the cabin soon to start getting it ready for spring, but it appears we may have to wait a while. The dirt road that goes to our lake property in St. Louis County washed out, and it's the worst I've seen in over 20 years of being there.

Many county roads have also washed out, flooded, or are in need of serious repair. That could affect any weekend plans you have for going north to your cabin or property. Fortunately, we had neighbors that live year-round on the lake that alerted others of the road issue so we didn't drive all the way up to turn around and go home.

Earlier this week, St. Louis County had to shut down dozens of roads. They've been posting updates on social media to advise people to take caution while driving and look out for washed-out areas or sinkholes. You can see the map of road closures through their gis website.

Another issue this year for much of the Northland will be how wet and soft the ground will be. Many dirt roads will stay soft and muddy for weeks to come. Depending on how much rain we get this spring, your cabin could be a muddy mess for the first part of the season.

This all of course comes after the snowiest season we've had in The Northland. Meteorologists in Duluth expect that the record will be broken with this winter storm hitting the region Wednesday through Friday. Places like International Falls could see a foot of snow with this system, with 3-6" expected for the Iron Range, and 1-3" in Duluth.

We were actually more worried about the cabin roof caving in from the snow load over the winter, I didn't expect the thawing to wash out the road and culvert.

One thing is for sure, once summer is here I'm not going to take it for granted.

You can find out updates on the county road situation in St. Louis County by using their interactive map.