Cascade Vacation Rentals Blog | A Guide to all things North Shore

11 01, 2021

Poplar Lake
Poplar Lake

Poplar Lake

Martha Finley2024-01-24T16:58:16+00:00Gunflint Trail/BWCA|

Poplar Lake is Located about 30 miles north of Grand Marais up the Gunflint Trail just outside of the BWCA. This lake is 764 acres in size, approximately 73 feet deep at its deepest point, and has water clarity as deep as 1o feet. In the winter Poplar Lake is the start and endpoint for the Gunflint Mail Run, a competitive dog sled race with up to 30 teams on the first weekend of January. Poplar Lake also has 3 Entry Points (EP) into the BWCA. EP 47: Lizz and Swamp Lakes, EP 48: Meeds Lake, and EP 49: [...]

5 01, 2021

Clearwater Lake
Clearwater Lake

Clearwater Lake

Martha Finley2024-01-24T16:57:00+00:00Gunflint Trail/BWCA, Waterfalls|

Clearwater Lake is a beautiful lake 33 miles north of Grand Marais, MN up the Gunflint Trail. It is one of the clearest lakes in the area and is also partially in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. You can also access three other BWCA lakes from Clearwater. Caribou Lake, West Pike Lake, Mountain Lake can be portaged off of Clearwater and all three offer different ways of completing the Clearwater Main Route. This lake is 1,344 acres in size and approximately 130 feet deep at its deepest point. When fishing, anglers can expect to catch a variety of [...]

17 12, 2020

Outdoor Winter Events
Outdoor Winter Events

Outdoor Winter Events

Jaye2024-03-21T18:32:59+00:00Activities & Attractions, Events & Holidays|

The North Shore is a haven for outdoor winter events. Up here, we spend our winters racing everything from cross-country skis to sled dogs! Our winters are full of events, everyone can join in the fun in some way or another. If you like being outdoors in the winter, the North Shore is the place to be. In no particular order, since chronologically, they might vary slightly from year to year, here are a few of our favorite outdoor winter events: Bearskin Nordic Race Series For your chance to compete in a race at your own pace in your [...]

10 12, 2020

The Crooked Spoon Food Truck
The Crooked Spoon Food Truck

The Crooked Spoon Food Truck

Jaye2024-02-12T15:46:10+00:00Grand Marais, Local Businesses, News & Updates|

Back in April, a devastating fire destroyed three iconic Grand Marais businesses. Among these was The Crooked Spoon Cafe. Since April, we've anxiously awaited word of what was to become of this much-loved restaurant. Last weekend, the answers finally came! The City of Grand Marais caught its first glimpse of the future of The Crooked Spoon: The Crooked Spoon Food Truck! No, the building was not rebuilt. Sadly, the beautiful sign that once hung above the door to the restaurant greeting diners was not salvaged from the wreckage of the building. However, the food truck is a welcomed sight [...]

26 11, 2020

Oh Ole Night
Oh Ole Night

Oh Ole Night

Jaye2024-11-13T17:32:16+00:00Events & Holidays|

Experience the Magic of Oh Ole Night in Downtown Grand Marais Join the excitement in downtown Grand Marais on the day after Thanksgiving for the beloved holiday celebration, Oh Ole Night! This annual festival embraces the area's rich Scandinavian heritage. Featuring "Sven and Ole" humor and family-friendly festivities that have become a cherished tradition along Minnesota’s North Shore. Oh Ole Night: A Grand Marais Holiday Tradition Kicking off the festive season, downtown Grand Marais transforms into a holiday wonderland. Drawing families and visitors alike to shop, celebrate, and make memories. The day begins with holiday sales at local shops, [...]

16 11, 2020

King of Neptune Statue
King of Neptune Statue

King of Neptune Statue

Martha Finley2021-02-22T17:05:43+00:00Duluth, History|

Once upon a time, a 26-foot gold-colored statue once reigned over Canal Park in Duluth. A popular tourist attraction, The King of Neptune Statue was gifted to Duluth in 1959 to honor the city's designation as a Foreign Trade Zone and the furthest inland freshwater seaport in all of North America. Then, in just a matter of minutes, a freak accident destroyed the statue forever. What happened to the King of Neptune, and how did Canal Park look when he was around? A Prized History In 1959 the Modern Seaway opened which allowed Duluth to be Designated as a Foreign [...]

13 11, 2020

Sea Smoke
Sea Smoke

Sea Smoke

Martha Finley2024-12-12T15:49:49+00:00Nature|

The North Shore offers us the opportunity to witness some unbelievable Lake Superior phenomena. One of those phenomena is Sea Smoke. What is Sea Smoke? Sea Smoke happens when temperatures drop the cold air meets with the warm water. The “warmer” water below generally sits at a frigid 33-35 degrees and the above air below zero. When this happens it creates the appearance of "smoke" billowing off of Lake Superior. The smoke is actually water vapor that rises and condenses into fog. This happens because the cold air above is already saturated with water. When the smoke is paired [...]

5 11, 2020

SS Edmund Fitzgerald
SS Edmund Fitzgerald

SS Edmund Fitzgerald

Martha Finley2025-11-05T17:51:12+00:00History|

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on downOf the big lake they called Gitche GumeeThe lake, it is said, never gives up her deadWhen the skies of November turn gloomyWith a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons moreThan the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed emptyThat good ship and true was a bone to be chewedWhen the gales of November came early These iconic lyrics from the late Gordon Lightfoot song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" describe the last hours of one of the most famous iron ore ships to ever sail the Great Lakes. Made famous not because [...]

8 10, 2020

Taconite Harbor: A North Shore Ghost Town
Taconite Harbor: A North Shore Ghost Town

Taconite Harbor: A North Shore Ghost Town

Martha Finley2025-10-21T15:30:06+00:00Spooky Places on the North Shore|

In the 1950s, a bustling little town sprung up along the shore of Lake Superior. The tiny two-block town was built by the Erie Mining Company. Its purpose was to house the employees of the nearby taconite plant and their families. The town was called Taconite Harbor and from 1957 until 1990 it was a picturesque mid-century American small town. Then, in 1990 the town was abandoned by the Erie Mining Company and dismantling began. Taconite Harbor became one of the North Shore's most well-known ghost towns. An Affordable Town for Young Families Taconite Harbor had two main streets in town: Brandon [...]

5 10, 2020

Hauntings on Isle Royale
Hauntings on Isle Royale

Hauntings on Isle Royale

Martha Finley2021-02-15T20:19:42+00:00Spooky Places on the North Shore|

There are a few stories of hauntings on Isle Royale. The remote island on Lake Superior has been the home of numerous untimely deaths– mostly surrounding the copper mine that once existed on the island. However, one of the earliest deaths that have often been associated with a haunting, happened to a man named Charlie Mott in 1845. The Legend of Charlie and Angelique Mott When you start discussing possible hauntings on Isle Royale, conversations quickly turn to the legend of Charlie and Angelique Mott. Charlie was a voyageur and prospector. He was hired to survey Isle Royale for copper deposits in hopes [...]