Cascade River State Park & Areas The Cascade River State Park trails are on the west side of the river with free parking 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 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 and online 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) Cross Country Ski Trails by Area Two Harbors Crosby Manitou State Park Grand Marais Gooseberry Falls State Park Finland / Little Marais Pincushion Mountain Split Rock Lighthouse S.P. Tofte Gunflint Trail Silver Bay Lutsen Grand Portage Tettegouche State Park Cascade River State Park main XC Ski page Up-to-date Snow Reports, Trail Reports & Weather Conditions & Forecasts Winter Activities Guide Here are links to everything you need for your next North Shore visit! Lodging Lodging Specials Snow Reports Calendar of Events Weather Activities Attractions Winter Activities State Parks Real Estate Shopping Dining Fall Colors Shipwrecks Canoe Outfitters Site Map North Shore Photos   Sign Up Now!   Created and updated on a hill outside of Grand Marais, overlooking Lake Superior by NinaWorks! All Text, Images and Content Copyright © 2012 NorthShoreVisitor.com / Nina Simonowicz All Rights Reserved New! Download and print the 2012 North Shore Visitor brochure -> the best free print guide to MN's North Shore of Lake Superior, and now the pdf is interactive!