Cascade River State Park & Areas
Cross-Country Skiing on the North Shore Mountains Trail System
North Shore Mountains - Schroeder, Tofte, Lutsen & State Parks
The North Shore Mountains trail system is 196K of interconnected trails originating at Cross River in Schroeder and extending northeast to Bally Creek, which is west of Grand Marais. In the midst of this trail system are the Cascade River trails.
The
Cascade River State Park trails are on the west side of the river with freeparking on Highway 61 or parking with a permit within the park.
Cascade Lodge trails are on the east side of the river where a parking fee is charged.
CASCADE RIVER STATE PARK
| Phone |
218-387-3053 |
| Connects |
west to Hall Loop and northeast to Deer Yard |
| Amenities |
restrooms in State Park; the main trail shelter in the park may be heated by wood stove as needed; unheated rustic shelters are located at backpack campsites along the trail; and, Cascade Lodge Restaurant is at the trailhead of the east side system |
| Fees |
MN Ski Pass required; and if you park in the State Park, a Park Permit is required; both sold at state park office (open 10am-4pm weekends) |
| Maps |
click here and at trailhead |
| Level of Difficulty |
easy, more difficult & most difficult |
| Trail Description |
tracked trails with one skating loop west of the lodge
lots of easy and intermediate loops near the lodge and in the park near Lake Superior; ski the easy to intermediate 6.4K Cedar Woods loop, which is uphill the first third, downhill the middle third and level the last third, if you ski it clockwise
suggestion make it a two-car ski by leaving one car on Hwy 61 and drive to Deer Yard, where you can ski the more difficult 8K plus Babineau Run, ski in to the first junction and head towards the beaver pond, then ski the eastern leg of the Pioneer and River Trails back down to Hwy 61
for additional Lutsen trails, click on Lutsen below |
| Location & Directions |
3481 West Highway 61, north of Lutsen
located just off Highway 61 at mile marker 101 (10 miles southwest of Grand Marais) |
DEERYARD TRAILS
| Phone |
Cascade Lodge :: 218 387 1112 |
| Connects |
southwest to Cascade River and north to Bally Creek |
| Amenities |
restrooms in State Park; Cascade Lodge Restaurant is at the trailhead of the east side system |
| Fees |
MN Ski Pass required; and if you park in the State Park, a Park Permit is required; both sold at state park office (open 10am-4pm weekends) |
| Maps |
at trailhead |
| Level of Difficulty |
easy, more difficult & most difficult |
| Trail Description |
tracked trails only
ski the easy 3K trail into the first junction and return to the trailhead or plan to ski the more to most difficult Deer Yard loop; this is a great picnic loop and offers a variety of hills, from short, steep and curvy to medium length uphill climbs; see the Cascade River description for details on skiing from Deer Yard down to the Highway 61 at the Cascade River |
| Directions |
From Hwy 61, drive north on County Road 7 to County Road 44, north to Pike Lake Road (County Road 45), then west to intersection with forest road, and west on road in to parking (known locally as Babineau Corner) |
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