Greetings all!
Do you have a favorite lodge or cabin on the Gunflint Trail to recommend? I'm planning a small family vacation for May and I'd like to stay on the Gunflint and do a day trip into BWCA along with visiting Grand Marais and Grand Portage.

Rockwood is our favorite on the Gunflint with access to three entry points from Poplar.

We have also stayed at Bearskin and Trail Center (they have 2 cabins) and liked them as well, but Rockwood is where we go yearly now. We would like to try Tuscarora sometime because it’s a small resort and Round Lake doesn’t have any private cabins, but we’ve been very happy with Rockwood so we keep going back. Maybe some year we’ll be able to do a 2nd cabin stay and try Tuscarora.

If possible, it's always nice to support the outfitters who support the BWCA.com website .

We stayed in a cabin at Clearwater Lodge this past June. Really enjoyed the remote and historic feel. Each cabin had a private dock. The sunrise across Clearwater lake from Cabin 6 was stunning.

Jackfish: "If possible, it's always nice to support the outfitters who support the BWCA.com website . "

Good point.

I paddled on Poplar Lake finishing up our BWCA trip a couple of weeks ago and ate lunch at Trail Center. I'll have to check our Rockwood's website.

Clearwater Lake and the lodge was already on my radar so it was nice seeing a good review for them.

We love multiple places on the Trail... part of it depends on where you want to be.

MidTrail our two faves are Rockwood and Poplar Haus. Both on Poplar lake so offer easy access to multiple entry points for day trips. Poplar has a bar and restaurant on site, which is convenient if you want that option. But they have fewer lakeside cabins than Rockwood does and on directly on the Trail. Rockwood has a slightly more remote feel, you can't see the Gunflint Trail directly from the cabins. And you won't hear noise from a bar/restaurant. We stay at both places a lot and love them both. We often launch from Rockwood for BW trips.

A little father up the Trail is Tuscarora. More remote feeling. As noted, they are the only property on Round lake. Multiple entry points available from their dock or just down their mile long driveway. Cabins are great and the location can't be beat. It's one of our favorite winter places to stay because you can go so many places right from the property. And we regularly bunkhouse and launch from here for BW trips too.

If you want to go way up to the end of the Trail, Voyageur Canoe Outfitters is on the Seagull river and gives you access to Big Sag along the border. That is more remote than mid-Trail area. They have lodge rooms, and cabin on the road side of the river as well as a cabin across the river that is paddle only to get to. They also outfit trips, have bunkhouses and we have launched trips from there/used their tow service to get partway across Big Sag.

Can't beat the great owners and staff at any of the above places. We love them all and feel fortunate to have spent time at each.

My wife, our dog, and I stayed for a week over the 4th of July in 2023 at Clearwater. Nice, rustic place. Very quiet. We were in cabin No. 5. Rented a canoe from them to paddle down to the Palisades one day. Good swimming from our dock. Didn't try fishing. I liked the fact that it was only a 5 mile or so drive to Poplar Lake, where we could eat at Trail Center or the Poplar Haus.

It was nice being half way up the Gunflint, as it wasn't too long a drive to the end of the trail or Grand Marais to check things out. We hiked a few trails nearby Clearwater too. We did a day trip to Grand Portage to see the Pigeon River waterfalls too.

Oh - They call it "Clearwater" for a reason. The lake water is really clear.

Tom