MEA Weekend

October 17, 2019

Written By: Joseph Friedrichs

Okay, okay we admit it. More than a foot of snow fell on parts of the Gunflint Trail before we could officially say: “It’s mid-October!”

It was a bit of a shocker to some, but we don’t get too surprised by the weather on the Gunflint Trail here at the Lodge. It’s all part of the experience, after all! Oddly enough, near the shores of Gunflint Lake we didn’t see as much snow as they did in other parts of the Trail community. What this variety of weather and snowfall in October guarantees is that there will be some unbelievable scenery over MEA Weekend. We went from peak fall colors to a decorative snowfall in what seemed to be a matter of hours, and in this case we mean that literally.

We are set to fall back into a more traditional weather pattern for MEA Weekend. Regardless, there are so many options for fun that the rain, snow or shine factor is more secondary when it comes to having a good time on the Trail in mid to late October. Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center is open through Sunday (Oct. 20). Hikers are still reaching all the vistas with ease, albeit some of them did put on snowshoes to get there! Furthermore, we still have canoe trips entering the Boundary Waters every day. Fall paddling offers a great chance to see moose and bear as they’re on the move preparing for winter. With regard to fishing, the lake trout season closed Sept. 30, but walleye are still biting now that the lakes are turning over. Some of the old timers on the Trail always said late fall was some of the best walleye fishing of the entire year, and indeed their knowledge rings true.

There’s a reason MEA Weekend is among our favorites every year and it looks like this is going to be one to remember!