In a place like this, the seasons not only change,
they change you.
January
To be here in winter is to hear nothing but the sound of your cross-country skis, your snowshoes, or maybe your sled-dog team, as you explore an endless, untouched wilderness.
The wilderness is busy this time of year. Oblong holes at the base of trees are the workings of pileated woodpeckers searching out carpenter ants. Bull moose are shedding their antlers. And, if you listen closely, you’ll hear and see wandering flocks of northern finches including pine grosbeaks and evening grosbeaks, pine siskins, common redpolls and white-winged and red crossbills.
More winter activities and lodging.
February
While driving to your destination on the Trail, watch out for moose kneeling. They love to lick the road salt. You may also notice long troughs in the snow, these signal otter “slides”. It’s how they travel. This is also a great time of year to look for the pink, red, white or green Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis.
March
March is the favorite winter activity month for many as temperatures start to rise. We celebrate with our annual Mush for the Cure. Gray jays celebrate too; in their bulky moose-hair lined nests they are already sitting on eggs. The first migrants return to join them including American crows, bald eagles and snow buntings. March is also peak howling month for wolves, so listen carefully, and watch your step.
April
April showers bring May flowers, and rushing waterfalls if you’re on the Gunflint Trail. Loon scouts fly over looking for open water, and spruce grouse are in full display puffing out their feathers and erecting their red “eyebrows”. With the trees still bare, this is a perfect time of year to see abandoned railroads and ruins of cabins and towns from well before our time.
May
In spring, bright new shoots on the forest floor and buds on every tree bring promise of a renewal that will renew you, too. The lake ice is going out, migrating birds return, hibernating critters emerge, moose have their calves and deer have their fawns. In the water, Lake Trout are still in shallow water, fish for them right after ice-out, or during opener, whichever comes last.
Also in May, the Gunflint Green-Up and the Ham Lake Half-Marathon.
July
Ever see a moose swimming? In July moose are often in the water to feed on water lilies and to escape the flies and mosquitoes. In-between sightings, listen for the “plunk” of the green frog in almost any bay.
August
You long to feel the warm summer sun on a cool northern lake—to be the only one around, besides eagles and the ospreys, as the water laps at your canoe. For a break from the lake, pick cranberries, raspberries and blueberries.
September
The beginning of the fall season means the wild rice is ripe, and the ducks love it. Moose bulls and whitetail bucks are scraping velvet off their antlers, and loons raft up in big flocks on the bigger lakes before heading to the Gulf of Mexico for the winter.
October
To come to the Gunflint in the fall is to see mile after mile of Minnesota maple blazing with color as they stretch from the Sawtooth Mountains to Lake Superior. The Tamaracks turn smoky gold in the wet bogs, and decreasing day length and cold snaps remind black bears that it’s time to hibernate.
November
As the snowshoe hares turn white, some of our businesses close down for the winter, but many remain open to accommodate winter enthusiasts.
December
While cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, look for shed deer antlers. Test the waters, the lakes should be about ready for ice fishing.
