The Gunflint Trail runs 57 miles from the Lake Superior harbor town of Grand Marais to Trail’s End Campground near Saganaga Lake, winding through Superior National Forest to the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The road follows a path the Ojibwe and fur-trading voyageurs used centuries earlier to navigate the region’s lakes and the Misquah Hills. A wagon road reached Gunflint Lake by 1893, the Civilian Conservation Corps built the final 20 miles in the late 1930s, and the full route wasn’t paved until 1979. The Federal Highway Administration designated it a National Scenic Byway in 2009.
Despite its name, the Gunflint Trail isn’t a hiking trail at all. It’s a fully paved two-lane highway, officially Cook County Road 12, that climbs nearly 1,200 feet in its first few miles out of Grand Marais before settling into undeveloped forest of pine, aspen, birch, and maple for the rest of its length.
There are no towns anywhere along the route, which is central to its appeal. More than two dozen resorts and canoe outfitters operate off side roads, serving as the gateway for paddlers heading into the Boundary Waters, while the drive itself works just as well for anyone who wants the scenery without the canoe.
Route Details: Gunflint Trail National Scenic Byway
Grand Marais (0 miles)
The byway begins in Grand Marais, a small harbor town on Lake Superior with the trail’s only services. This is the last stop for fuel, groceries, and dinner reservations before the road heads into the forest, and it’s worth fueling up fully here regardless of what’s driving the vehicle.
Pincushion Mountain overlook (3 miles)
Just past the trail’s start, near the iconic Gunflint Trail water tower, the Pincushion Mountain overlook gives sweeping views back over Grand Marais and Lake Superior. It’s an easy, early stop that sets the tone for the climb ahead.
Initial climb into Superior National Forest (10 miles)
The trail climbs nearly 1,200 feet in its first several miles, leaving the Lake Superior uplands behind and entering the dense, undeveloped forest that defines most of the drive. Several trailheads for the Superior Hiking Trail and Border Route Trail branch off this stretch.
Hungry Jack Lake area (24 miles)
Around the 24-mile mark, the historic route once turned sharply northeast near Hungry Jack Lake, part of the original wagon road alignment. Today this stretch holds some of the trail’s older, more established resorts, several operating for close to a century.
Gunflint Lake (37 miles)
Gunflint Lake, the trail’s namesake, was the site of the first resort along the route, established in 1920 on nearby Greenwood Lake. This stretch is dense with canoe outfitters and lodges serving as entry points into the Boundary Waters.
Seagull Lake and the Ham Lake Fire area (50 miles)
Seagull Lake marks one of the trail’s historic endpoints before later extensions pushed the road further north. The surrounding forest still shows some effects of the 2007 Ham Lake Fire, which burned more than 40,000 acres across the Boundary Waters and Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park.
Trail’s End Campground and Chik-Wauk Museum (57 miles)
The byway ends at Trail’s End Campground near Saganaga Lake, about four miles south of the U.S.-Canada border. The Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center, housed in a restored 1938 lodge on the lake, is the trail’s final and most substantial stop, covering the area’s century of history as a wilderness gateway.
Use the trip planner to build a day-by-day itinerary based on your available time and starting point.
