Northern Minnesota Circle - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 542

life in a skirmish between the Sioux and Chippewas.) The Cut Foot Sioux Scenic Drive,
a leisurely 20-mile loop, begins at the visitor center and travels to backcountry lakes, se-
cluded campgrounds, and numerous points for observing wildlife. Hiking trails also lace
the area. Segments ofthe 22-mile Cut Foot Sioux Recreation Trail retrace a route that once
was traveled by Indians and fur traders.
5. Laurentian Divide
Asthedrivedelvesdeeperanddeeperintotheforest,Rte.46crossestheLaurentianDivide,
a rise in the land that determines which way running water flows. Rivers and streams
north of the divide run into chilly Hudson Bay; those to the south eventually drain into the
faraway Gulf of Mexico.
In past centuries Indians and fur traders paddled across these myriad waterways in
handcrafted birchbark canoes. The Ojibwe Indians, a local tribe, still use the streamlined
craft when harvesting wild rice, an aquatic grass that grows abundantly in the Squaw Lake
area. Slowly paddling and poling among the tall stalks, they gently tap the ripe grains into
theircanoes—anancientpracticedemonstratingthatpatienceandharmonywithnaturecan
bring their own rewards.
6. Island Lake
The forest grows thinner and the views open up as you continue to the north, where stands
of aspens, birches, and balsam firs ring meadows and wetlands. Rte. 46 then passes along
the shore of Island Lake, so named for the large island found rising from its waters. At
Northome the drive switches onto Rte. 1, heading eastward through a mostly uninhabited
realm of still more woodlands interspersed with lowlying wetlands.
7. Edge of the Wilderness State Scenic Byway
AtEffiethedriveveerssouthontoRte.38,theEdgeoftheWildernessStateScenicByway,
a 47-mile stretch that wends through a hilly, lake-splashed landscape. Reminders of the ice
age—in the form of the low gravelly ridges that are known as eskers—are prevalent in this
area, especially near Turtle Lake. You'll also revisit the Laurentian Divide, where a road-
side kiosk supplies information.