Gunflint Lodge is one of the oldest and the best known lodges on the

Gunflint Trail County State-Aid Highway 12 (CSAH 12), also known as the Gunflint Trail, or County Road 12 (CR 12), is a paved roadway and National Scenic Byway in Cook County, Minnesota, that begins in Grand Marais and ends at Saganaga La ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States. It is located on Gunflint Lake, on the border of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and is open year-round. Built in 1925 by Dora Blankenburg and her son Russell Blankenburg, the lodge was sold in 1927 to May and Justine Spunner, and was owned by them till it was sold by Bruce Kerfoot in 2016.The family name changed in 1934 when Justine married Bill Kerfoot and her name became

Justine Kerfoot Justine Kerfoot (1906 – May 30, 2001) was an American writer and outdoors-woman who moved to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Boundary Waters in Minnesota in 1927 and helped establish the Gunflint Lodge and the overall Gunflint Trail a ...

. After Justine retired in the mid-80s, the lodge was run by her son Bruce and his second wife Sue Kerfoot. They handed operations over to a son, Lee in 2001 through 2008. The Kerfoots announced their intentions to sell the lodge in 2013 and sold it in 2016. Some of the most popular activities at the lodge are

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

and

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

, and in the winter, dogsledding,

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

and

snowshoeing Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

. The lodge was threatened by the Ham Lake Fire in spring of 2007, but avoided any damage.

Climate

References

External Links

Hotels in Minnesota Hunting in the United States Hunting lodges in the United States

, the ''Woman of the Boundary Waters,'' is interviewed by poet and Northwoods neighbor Joanne Hart, Northern Lights TV Series #47 (1988):

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