Banadad Ski Trails on the Gunflint Trail, Grand Marais, Minnesota

Maps - Banadad Ski Trails, Gunflint Trail, Minnesota

Complete and Partial Canoe Outfitting available on the Gunflint Trail

Tent and RV Camping on the Gunflint Trail

Restaurants, cafes, and dining opportunities on the Gunflint Trail

Birding Festival and Birding opportunities on the Gunflint Trail

Recreational maps for hiking and skiing on the Gunflint Trail

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Click here to download Banadad Map #1 Printable Version (PDF 1.35MB)

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BANADAD TRAIL

29 km (17.4 mi)
(Easiest to More Difficult)
Single tracked

The trail connects the Central Gunflint with the Upper Gunflint Trail systems. Most of the trail runs through the BWCAW. Trailheads along the Banadad beginning on the east end are the Lace Lake and Seppala Trails, the Swamp Lake Portage (snowshoe), and Tim Knopp (snowshoe), and Lizz Lake Portage. At the Mid Trail Junction the Banadad meets the western end of the Moose Trail. Continuing west, the Banadad connects with the North Star Trail before terminating at the Gunflint Trail.

MOOSE TRAIL

9.6 km (6 mi)..Western End 1 km single tracked; remainder groomed occasionally. Trail can be skated.

The trail serves as the supply access from the Poplar Lake Public Landing to the Croft Yurts and the connecting trail between these yurts and the Banadad.

BEAVER POND TRAIL

1 km (.5 mi)
(Easier) Single tracked.

Beginning north of the lodge the trail crosses the Gunflint Trail, passes through an aspen stand to a beaver pond, the loops back to Old Northwood's Lodge.

LAKE CROSSING

2.4 km (1.5 mi) Ungroomed/marked

Trail from Old Northwood's Lodge to the Lizz Lake Portage connection to the Banadad.

Banadad Eastern Trailhead Snowshoe Trails

CREEK TRAIL

4 km (2.25 mi)

Winds along the north side of Poplar Creek then returns along an esker ridge. This trail begins at either the cabin or the yurt.

BWCAW SWAMP LAKE TRAIL

3.3 km (2 mi)

Loop trail beginning at the Knopp trailhead by the cabin. Trail travels through the BWCAW via the Swamp Lake Portage.

KNOPP TRAIL

3.3 km (2 mi)

Follow the Knopp Trail to the Banadad, then loop back along Banadad to the Swamp/Poplar Lake Portage. Named in honor of Tim Knopp, former University of Minnsota, Outdoor Recreational Professor, North Star Ski Touring Club leader and avid skier. The is an alternative route from the Lace Lake and Seppala Trails to the Banadad. The trail is groomed for skiing and snowshoeing.

NOTE -- Please stay off groomed ski tracks when snowshoeing on ski trails.

Banadad Eastern Trailhead Ski Trails

LACE LAKE TRAIL

5 km (3.1 mi)
(Easier to More Difficult)
Single tracked

The Lace Lake Trail is a five kilometer loop connecting the Banadad Ski Trail with the Poplar creek Trail. The northern portion of the trail follows Poplar Creek and is very scenic. The southern section of the trail is the shortest route between the Banadad and the Poplar Creek Trail.

SEPPALA TRAIL

1.6 km (1 mi)
(Easiest)
Single tracked

The trail is the eastern exit of the Banadad to Little Ollie and the Poplar Creek yurt area. After passing the yurt, the trail crosses Poplar Creek where it travels along the creek and the loops back to the bridge. Connection with the Gunflint Trail near Trail Center is possible from this trail. This trail was named in memory of Sam Seppala who ran a sawmill in the 193a at what is now Trail Center Lodge. He drowned on Poplar Lake on July 4, 1940.

BANADAD TRAIL

29 km (17.4 mi)
(Easiest to More Difficult)
Single tracked

Central Gunflint Trails to Bearskin

POPLAR CREEK TRAIL

10.2 km (6.3 mi) from Ox Cart Trail
(Easiest to Most Difficult)
Diagonal stride only

This trail leads to a large gravel pit where you can practice downhill technique, and shortly thereafter crosses the Gunflint Trail. Take your skis off when crossing the road (for safety as well as for the sake of the poor skis!). The trail then passes between Bow and Quiver lakes and makes a 6.6 km loop, finally rejoining itself in an old logging area.

BEAR CUB WORLD CUP

8 km (5 mi) from Bearskin Lodge
(Expert to Most Difficult)
Skating and diagonal stride

Expert skiers will put their skills to the test on Bear Cub's loops. Groomed for both skating and diagonal stride, this trail features very challenging uphills and screaming downhills. Towering white pines greet you as you travel to the Bear Cub Lake overlook at an elevation of 2000 feet.

OX CART TRAIL

5.2 km (3.2 mi) RT from Bearskin Lodge
(Easier to More Difficult)
Diagonal stride only

This trail is a popular short loop which follows an old ox cart trail that was used in the early 1900s. It leads you through lowland beaver ponds and alder swamps, and along ridges of highland pine forests.

HISTORY OF THE GUNFLINT'S BANADAD SKI TRAIL

What is know today as the BWCAW'S longest groomed ski trail - the Banadad -- was developed many years ago as a network of old trails and logging roads.

In the late l920's Charlie and Petra Boostrom established their homestead just southwest of Meeds Lake on Moon Lake. With the Boostrom's help a logging camp was built near the lake and a logging road constructed between Moon and Poplar Lake. Most of the timber from the Moon Lake area was transported along this road across Poplar and then down the Gunflint Trail to Grand Marais. Some of the logs were sawed at Sam Sepalla's saw mill located where Trail Center Lodge now stands.

Construction of the Finn Lake logging road began in the late l950s. This road was to become the eastern end of the Banadad. The road began at the General Logging Company's abandoned railroad grade just east of Poplar Lake (now the Lima Mountain Grade) and proceeded due west about ten miles to Finn Lake passing just north of Moon Lake enroute. Portions of the old Moon to Poplar logging road were incorporated into this new road.

The construction of the road and the subsequent logging was controlled by the Kimberly-Clark Company. While several small logging camps sprung up along the road, the company's largest camp was built just north of the old Moon Lake logging camp. According to Hank Larson who was logging in the area during this period: "...in l962 there were some eighteen to twenty-four men logging in the Finn Lake area. About twelve of them were shackers. Shackers is the term used to describe the men living in the camps."

During the early l960s another road was constructed from the Finn Lake Road north between Banadad and Rush Lakes across the Banadad Creek, continuing north for another quarter mile where it intersected with the Dawkin's and Birch Cliff Logging Roads. The Dawkins Road came in from the west and the Birch Cliff Road from the east. The Dawkin's road, also know as the Rib Lake road, began at the Gunflint Trail near the Loon Lake Public Landing. The Birch Cliff road connected with what was then the Winchell Lake fire trail beginning on the Gunflint Trail just east of Poplar Lake (now the access road to the Poplar Lake Public Landing).

In l964 with the passage of the Wilderness Act most of this area was place within the newly created Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCAW). The act prohibited logging in most of the area. Road construction and logging ceased, the men moved out and over the next twenty years the forest began to reclaim the logging roads.

Meanwhile the resorts on the Gunflint Trail began developing cross country ski trails. In l972 the first ski trails of what was to become the Upper Gunflint Trail system were constructed by Borderland Lodge. About the same time the owner of a now defunct resort on Hungry Jack Lake and Bearskin Lodge began developing ski trails. These trails were to develop into Bearskin and Golden Eagle Lodges' Central Gunflint Ski Trail System.

Following a bitter struggle pitting mostly city "preservationist" against "local" people from the area surrounding the BWCAW the l978 "BWCAW Act" was passed by Congress. While local residents were not happy with the legislation, they had manage to incorporate into the bill a provision that allowed for the grooming of ski trail within the BWCAW by snowmobiles.

By the early l980s Borderland (now called Moosehorn), Gunflint and Heston's Lodges in the Upper Gunflint area and Bearskin and Golden Eagle Lodges in the Central Gunflint had develop extensive ski trail systems. They were now interested in connect the two systems. Thus in l982 at the urging of the lodges, the U. S. Forest Service authorized the construction within the BWCAW of a ski trail between the Upper and Central Gunflint ski systems. The old Dawkins road, Birch Cliff and Finn Lake system was selected as the proposed route for this trail. During the summers of 1982 the accumulated forest growth was cut and cleared by crews from the Forest Service from the Dawkins, Birch Cliff and the eastern end of the Finn Lake Roads. Grooming by snowmobile of the this trail was authorized and the trail was opened for skiing that winter. The Subsequent year the Finn Lake Road and Banadad links were cleared and this route replaced the Birch Cliff section as the Banadad's eastern end.

The Upper and Central Ski system were now connected by a twenty-seven kilometer groomed ski trail through the wilderness. First called the Ski Thru Trail, Artery Trail or Tucker Lake Trail, depending upon whom you spoke to, the trail was officially named, by the Gunflint ski resorts, the Banadad in l984.

Many of the trail's early beginnings can still be seen. Skiing the Banadad from the east end about eight kilometers from the Lizz-Poplar Portage, the clearing where the Kimberly-Clark logging camp is still visible. However, all that remains of this once busy log camp is a dilapidated outhouse. Further along the trail at what is now called Moose Kill Hill is the junction where the Banadad link branches north off the Finn Lake Road. Another mile and one half further along the trail is the intersection (called Mid Trail Junction now) with the Dawkins and Birch Cliff roads. The Birch Cliff road (now called the Moose Trail) is primarily used to supply the two yurts located at Bedew Lake.

In an interview a few years ago logger Hank Larson described the beauty of the area. He particularly mentioned the rugged terrain and hills along the road near Banadad Lake. The two largest of these hills were named "Whoopee" One and Two by a party of passing skiers in l985.

Note-Banadad is the Ojibwa equivalent for lost.

The following links are to the home pages of your Banadad Ski Trail hosts:

Boundary Country Trekking
Old Northwoods Lodge

When you get to the Gunflint Trail, you will want to check in with a host to get a pocket-sized version of this trail map, and to be sure that you have the proper ski pass for the trail system you are skiing. Your host will also have the most current information on trail conditions, and will be able to help you select the trails and routes that will make your outing comfortable, enjoyable, and rewarding. See you on the Trail!

800-338-6932 | Information Center: 218-387-3191
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Copyright 2006 Gunflint Trail Association