There’s nothing prettier than fall in the north woods, and we’re so excited to leaf peep along the banks of Lake Superior!
Join us up north in the wilds of Minnesota as we leaf peep our way through the woods. This trip is full of beautiful hikes and some exceptional views, and is a great way to see classic fall color before Minnesota hibernation sets in.
We’ll be camping at beautiful Cascade River State Park, full of waterfalls and fantastic hiking trails. You’ll take a gondola ride at the legendary Lusten Mountains to see the fall color from the air and then hike a portion of the Superior Hiking Trail back down through the forest.
Finally, visit the adorable scandinavian town of Grand Marais, famous for its culture of arts and good food. Participants will peruse the public offerings of the North House Folk School’s annual Unplugged Festival, and have the optional opportunity to go sailing on Lake Superior on the school’s 50’ traditionally-rigged steel schooner. We’ll finish the weekend with a group dinner at one of Grand Marais’s many great restaurants. A perfect fall weekend up north!
Adventure Rating: Beginner
Hiking and activities for this trip will be beginner friendly. Hikes will have some elevation gain, but will be moderately paced and distanced.
ACTIVITIES
Hike the best trails the area has to offer at Cascade River State Park and beyond. Hiking will be moderate, as our goal is to get above the valleys to fully take in fall color.
Experience a gondola ride at Lutsen Mountains, a quintessential Minnesota experience, as we soar above the trees for amazing views of the mountains and Lake Superior. Then, hike the Superior Hiking Trail back down immersing yourself in the forest.
Visit the North House Folk School’s annual Unplugged Festival featuring local folk artisans and music. North House Folk School is one of the country’s best and most well known folk schools, specializing in traditional crafts like woodworking, baking, blacksmithing, basket making, textiles and more.
OPTIONAL: Enjoy a sailing experience on Lake Superior with the North House’s traditional Schooner. The sail will be 1.5 hours out from and back into Grand Marais. See the fall color from the water!
Group dinner in Grand Marais
ACCOMMODATIONS & LOCATION
We’ll be camping at Cascade River State Park. The camping area has access to pit toilets, with showers and flush toilets accessible within the park.
About Cascade River State Park
The Cascade River plunges 120 feet through a deep, twisting gorge on its 17-mile journey to meet Lake Superior. The result is a spectacular series of cascades for which the river was named. Stand at one of the viewing spots above the river to feel the vibration of the rushing water as it cuts through ancient basalt lava flows. Smaller water features like Spruce, Indian Camp, and Cutface creeks also move through the park. Trails wind from Lake Superior up to the Sawtooth Mountains with their panoramic view of the North Shore. Pass through the boreal hardwood-conifer forest of aspen, birch, fir, spruce and cedar. You may glimpse moose, wolves, pine martens, bears or numerous birds. Many of the trails and facilities that you see in the park were built by men stationed here at a Civilian Conservation Corps camp in the 1930s. Cascade River State Park was established in 1957 so that future generations could experience these unique natural and historic features. Source: Minnesota DNR
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Your registration provides you:
Two professional Wander Women guides to help make the trip as seamless and fun as possible
Camping accommodations & parking
A Wanderer swag bag full of goodies
All meals (minus one dinner) cooked for you by Wander Women guides
Guided hikes all along the North Shore
Gondola ride at Lutsen Mountains
Free Unplugged Festival activities
Camping accessories: Camp kitchen, camping chairs, fire kits, first aid kits, dining ware, fire wood, games, coolers
A detailed pre-trip online guide with everything you need to know for your trip
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
Participants will be responsible for providing/paying for:
Transportation to/from the trip (we always encourage carpooling and can connect you with other participants to ride with!) and to trip activity locations
Gear: Participants are able to rent camping gear from Wander Women
State park entrance fees
Saturday dinner in Grand Marais
North House Folk School sailing tickets (available as an add-on purchase)
INVESTMENT
$455
Optional sailing activity: $69/person
PAYMENT PLAN
We offer payment plans for all our trips, so you can pay a deposit now and the rest over time! WeTravel (our booking platform) easily lets you make a downpayment (this is also your non-refundable trip deposit!) and set up automatic payments for the remainder. For the payment plan schedule, just check the WeTravel page for details. There is NO fee for choosing the payment plan option!
Deposit for this trip: $230