Gunflint Trail Association

All winter long, you’re bound to run across a crisscross of animal tracks in the snow on the Gunflint Trail. Maybe it’s little squirrel and bird tracks near a feeder area. Or moose tracks meandering alongside the Gunflint Trail.  Or fox or wolf tracks headed down a frozen lake. Tracks offer us glimpses into the happenings of the winter world and every winter, you’re invited to leave your own set of tracks – boot, snowshoe, ski, sled, etc – in the Gunflint Trail wilderness.

The annual Winter Tracks festival started out as a Gunflint Trail event years ago. Last year, the festival went county-wide and this year, the festival will again features activities and events all throughout Cook County. This year’s festival begins Friday, February 3rd and runs through Sunday, February 12th.

One thing you’ll want to grab before participating in Winter Tracks (other than boots, long underwear, skates, skis, etc.) is your Winter Tracks passport. Whenever you participate in a Winter Tracks activity, you qualify for a passport stamp.  At the end of your Winter Tracks experience, turn in your passport with your host resort or the area visitor centers in Grand Marais and Tofte to be entered into a drawing for a free Cook County vacation.  Each stamp = an entry into the drawing, so the more stamps you have, the more chance you have to win!

Every day during Winter Tracks, you can take part in all sorts of winter activities, all of which will earn you a stamp in your Winter Tracks passport:

• Viewing ice sculptures at various locations along the Gunflint Trail (Get passport stamp at Bearskin Lodge and Gunflint Lodge front desks.)
• Ice skating at Bearskin Lodge and Golden Eagle Lodge. (Get passport stamp at Bearskin or Golden Eagle front desk.)
• Cross country skiing (Passport stamp available at Grand Marais Visitor Center)
• Snowmobiling (Passport stamp available at Grand Marais Visitor Center)
• Ice Fishing (Passport stamp available at Grand Marais Visitor Center)

Along with the daily activities, several special events are planned as part of the festival as well.

Special events during Winter Tracks 2012:

Friday, February 3 – Sunday, February 12, Winter Plein Air Art Exhibit Starting January 30, artists will be out creating plein air paintings of Gunflint Trail and other Cook County landscapes. You can view an exhibit of the artists’ work at the Grand Marais Art Colony all through Winter Tracks.

Saturday, February 4, Ridge Riders Snowmobile Fun Run Snowmobilers will leave Devil Track Resort for a fun ride up the Gunflint Trail with stops at Trail Center, Windigo, and Gunflint Lodge.

Saturday, February 11, Volks Ski 400 Cross country skiers team up in an attempt to ski all of Cook County’s 400+ km of groomed cross country ski trails  in one single day.

Come celebrate winter and leave your own snowy tracks in style!

Tags: cross country skiing, dog sledding, family getaways, family outdoor fun, Gunflint Trail, minnesota, Minnesota vacations, winter, winter outings, Winter Tracks