Hungry Jack Canoe Outfitters, Gunflint Trail, Grand Marais, Minnesota

:: Hungry Jack Outfitters ::
Attractions in Canoe Country

Moss Lake (photo: Jay Steinke)

There are many reasons people come to the Boundary Waters and Quetico Park. The unifying theme is always an appreciation for nature in its simplest, unfiltered form.

Wilderness and Solitude
Scenery
Wildlife Large and Small
Wildflowers in the Forest
Fishing
Hiking
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The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is the largest wilderness area in the eastern half of the U.S.; it has over 1200 miles of canoe routes and 1000 lakes. It has been protected as a wilderness area since 1978.

The Quetico Park in Canada, just across the border, is equal in size and has been protected as wilderness even longer.

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Wilderness and Solitude

Experiencing Wilderness

Experiencing wilderness is the best reason to come to canoe country.

It's a place where life moves at a slower, more deliberate pace. Meet nature on her terms, living the way native peoples have in centuries past, leaving technology and its influences behind. Live by the sun and moon, eat when hunger says to eat, sleep when the eyes are heavy, stop to look closely at a flower behind your campsite just because you want to.

Pictographs
(photo: David Seaton)

The canoe country of Superior-Quetico is more than a place to recreate, paddle, explore, and observe. It is a place of renewal -- a place where one can simply be, where there is food for the spirit and soul, where all living things abide by the same rules. The natural world still exists here, and people can become part of it again.

Our modern lives and the things that are important in them -- commitments, media, finances -- do not, at least for a time, matter. All that is important are the necessities of life: food, shelter, warmth, and how to use the day creatively.

The Call of the Wild

A campfire
(photo: David Seaton)

Watch the smoke from your fire rise into the night air. A cedar log crackles and hisses as flames dance over the embers. A loon calls out a long mournful wail on another lake, perhaps a mile away. Another loon, nearer this time, answers loud and clear.

A large white pine whispers in the gentle breeze. The spicy scent of its needles mingles with woodsmoke, warm earth, and fresh air. Stars in great profusion appear in the night sky; the Milky Way becomes a broad brushstroke of glittering points from horizon to horizon.

Later, as you bed down for the night, your adventures of the day replay in your head: the fish you caught, the bull moose you surprised, the realization that you hadn't seen a soul all day. You can still feel the gentle rhythm of the canoe passing over waves and the dip and rise of your paddle, lulling you to sleep.

Long Island Lake
(photo: Jay Steinke)

The Boundary Waters and Quetico Park are part of a special land. Hungry Jack Outfitters will help you to find what you are looking for within this vast wilderness. Come experience canoe country with us.

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Scenery

Bridal Falls - Gunflint Lake

Scenery in canoe country is dominated by the forests and the hills shaped by glaciers thousands of years ago. Near us the lakes follow an east-west orientation, with tall cliffs and ridges in between them. Hiking trails lead to some beautiful overlooks and waterfalls.

Other areas are lower and flatter, traced by creeks that join small lakes where moose feed.

On a smaller scale, the placid beauty of a small bay lined with trees and granite boulders can be a peaceful backdrop as you wind down for the day. Smaller yet is the amazing complexity of life in one square yard of forest floor.

All through canoe country, you will be traveling the same routes and seeing the same sights that natives, explorers, and voyageurs witnessed in centuries past.

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Wildlife Large and Small

Wildlife in canoe country is plentiful. Some folks come to see animals in their home, living, eating, and raising their young without interference from man.

Moose, loons, beavers, otters, voles, ruffed grouse, and eagles are just a few of the woodland creatures you can expect to see while paddling through canoe country.

Many people see moose on their trips, and almost everyone sees and hears loons. Other critters like mink, pine marten, osprey, owls, and fox are less common and rarely seen. Wolves do live within the wilderness areas but have learned to steer clear of areas that man travels frequently. Consider yourself very lucky if you see one.

Browsing moose
contemplates canoeists
(photo: David Seaton)

Birders will find many species that pass through the boreal forest in spring and others that nest here. The Gunflint Trail Association sponsors a birding festival each year in the spring.

While there are many animals in canoe country, very few of them pose any threat to humans. Bears can be a nuisance but they can almost always be avoided if you wish.

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Wildflowers and Berries in the Forest

Wildflowers and old-growth forests go together. Along with a whole variety of other plants, there are delicate varieties of flowering plants from anemones to yarrow, from baneberry to waterlilies.

Purple Aster
(photo: Betty Hemstad)

Fresh-picked-Raspberry Chocolate Mousse

Spring and early summer are the best times for flowers, but there are a number of beautiful plants that grace the woods with color throughout the summer months.

Some of those flowers also turn into delicious berries later in the summer. Berry-picking usually begins around July 4 and continues through the first of August, depending on weather. Some areas have different soil types and microclimates that support fascinating plant communities.

There are white pines that are older than our country and cedars that are 800 and more years old.

Tell us your area of interest and we'll help you find it.

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Fishing

Fishing in the Boundary Waters and Quetico is exceptional. These lakes are home to smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, lake trout, rainbow trout, and brook trout.

Trophy-size fish are common, but more importantly there are catchable fish throughout the season. Even beginning anglers can do well if fishing is a focus of their trip.

Fishing for walleyes and northern pike is generally best in spring and early summer. Smallmouth bass fishing peaks around the first of July but is good through early August, depending on weather.

A Fine Walleye

Most people use light spinning tackle, a few choice lures, and some live bait. Fly-fishing has regained popularity and is a great way to entice a hungry pike or a hard-fighting smallmouth bass. We have a list of tackle to bring along in our recommendation pamphlet (and on the Getting Ready page).

If you are serious about fishing in canoe country, call us so that we can discuss where and when you will find what you are looking for.

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Hiking

Waterfall, Stairway Portage
(photo: David Seaton)

Hiking trails in the Boundary Waters are a fine way to get to the hills and cliffs surrounding the lakes you paddle through. The Border Route Trail is right near our base and offers great overlooks and waterfalls.

Day hikes are a good option when wind or waves make paddling difficult. There are also some small lakes accessible only from the trails.

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