Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Outstanding among them is the Forest History Center, where costumed interpreters re-cre-
ate the life of a turn-of-the-century lumber camp.
2.
Avenue of Pines Scenic Byway
Heading out of Grand Rapids on Rte. 2, the drive soon links up with Rte. 46, the aptly
namedAvenueofPinesScenicByway.Nearly40milesinlength,thebywayslicesthrough
the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and Chippewa National Forest, a vast tract of fields
and stands of red pines, aspens, birches, firs, and spruces. Wetlands abound in this outdoor
Eden, and hundreds of lakes are scattered among the wooded hills.
3.
Lake Winnibigoshish
Local storytellers claim that the northern lakes were formed by the heavy hooves of Paul
Bunyan's companion, the hulking blue ox named Babe. Even Babe, though, was not large
enough to create Lake Winnibigoshish, or Big Winnie. That called for another kind of gi-
ant—one that was white, not blue—a glacier. The ice sheet buried the area 10,000 years
ago, gouging out lakebeds and depositing natural dams as it advanced and retreated. Today
a man-made dam makes Big Winnie even larger, about 14 miles in length.
Fishing is the pastime of choice here, with a catch that includes walleye, northern pike,
bass, and sunfish. Not even the short, frigid days of winter can deter fishermen, who drill
holes through the ice to get at their prey and build closetlike shacks to protect themselves
from the elements.
Requiring neither rod nor reel, another talented fisher, the bald eagle, can be seen from
viewpoints along the shores of Big Winnie. Once nearing extinction, the majestic birds can
befoundinsubstantialnumbersinthispartofMinnesota.Scanthetallesttreestospottheir
nests—huge structures that can weigh up to two tons.
4.
Cut Foot Sioux Visitor Center
AsRte.46continuesnorth,itslipsthroughacorridorofredpines,manyofthemplantedin
the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Here and there, towering above the younger
trees, are scattered old-growth monarchs, venerable survivors that are well over 100 years
in age and 12 stories in height.
Another longtime survivor, a 1908 log cabin that was used as a ranger station, stands
near the Cut Foot Sioux Visitor Center. (The center was named for a brave who lost his
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