Map of Grand Portage National Monument

Headquarters office:

P.O. Box 668, 315 South Broadway

Grand Marais, Minnesota 55604

Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (year round Mon.-Fri.)

e-mail: Grand Portage_Interpretation

Grand Portage Great Hall or Ranger Station (mid-May to mid-October): 218-475-2202

Mosquitoes, gnats and black flies are abundant during spring and summer months especially in the backcountry. Those planning to hike the Grand Portage during this time are encouraged to bring layers of impenetrable clothing and a mosquito net. Insect repellents containing DEET placed directly on the outer clothing layers can be effective for several hours. The voyageur's choice of repellent, bear grease and skunk oil, will probably deter the swarms as well as your neighbors for some time! During especially wet periods, rubber or pack boots are recommended as portions of the portage pass through ankle deep mud and water.

Grand Portage National Monument is situated within the Grand Portage Indian Reservation and is seven miles from the Canadian border. Visitors traveling to the northeast from Duluth along Minnesota State Highway 61 can follow brown, white lettered National Park Service, Grand Portage National Monument signs along the highway starting in Grand Marais. The site is located approximately one mile south of Highway 61 in the community of Grand Portage. Directional signs are also located north of Grand Portage for visitors traveling southwest from Thunder Bay, Canada on Highway 61.

• The entrance fee is $3.00 per person, for those 17 through 61 years of age, with a maximum of $6.00 per family. Credit cards are not accepted for the payment of entrance fees, however, personal and travelers checks paid to the National Park Service are welcomed.

• National Parks Pass - $50: Experience your America with a National Parks Pass (NP Pass) available April 18, 2000. Good for 1 year upon purchase, the NP Pass covers admission to all National Park areas with entrance fees. A $15 Golden Eagle upgrade provides admission to all of those places that currently accept the Golden Eagle Passport. More than 80% of proceeds from your purchase of a National Parks Pass supports projects that make the National Parks experience possible. Purchase your National Parks Pass online, by visiting www.nationalparks.org, by calling 1-888-Go-Parks, or at your National Parks.

The following passports are also available at the ranger station through the Federal Recreation Passport Program.

• Golden Age Passport - $10: A lifetime passport to federal facilities for U.S. citizens who are 62 years of age or older. The passport also provides a 50% discount on federal use fees charged for facilities and services such as camping.
• Golden Access Passport: A free lifetime passport to those individuals meeting federal disability requirements.

Voluntary donations are accepted from the public which help support and enhance interpretation and new exhibits at the monument. The latest use of visitor donated funds was the production of four exhibit panels about the history of dog sled use by Indian people through time. These panels were placed on display in the great hall during the January 2000 "Winter Frolic" celebration.

• Northwest Passage-The Story of Grand Portage - Recreates the sights and sounds of life at the post, with narrative from early journals. Vivid photography and lively music make it an engaging video for all ages. (12 minutes)
• The Voyageurs - Follow a brigade of voyageurs on a canoe journey from Montreal through Lake Huron with Grand Portage their ultimate destination. The video colorfully depicts the lifestyle, work and hardships of the men who were the backbone of the 18th-century fur trade. (20 minutes)
• The Birch Canoe Builder - William (Bill) Hafeman of Big Fork, Minnesota describes the gathering of raw materials and construction of a birch bark canoe. The story is told through old photographs of Hafeman and his wife who lived in northern Minnesota for fifty years. (20 minutes)
• Charles Kuralt: On The Road - Charles Kuralt introduces Grand Portage to "On The Road" viewers as America approaches the 1976 bicentennial. During the video Kurault canoes the Pigeon River, hikes the Grand Portage and experiences earlier Rendezvous Days and Pow Wow ceremonies. (5 minutes)

Beautiful vistas of the reconstructed North West Company depot, Grand Portage Bay and Isle Royale National Park can be viewed from the half-mile long Mount Rose Trail. If you want to learn about a few plants common to northern Minnesota's boreal forest, take a free self-guiding Mount Rose Trail brochure with you.

Rendezvous Days and Pow Wow Celebration

Load up your canoe and prepare to embark on an historic adventure! August 11th through 13th marks our annual Rendezvous Days and Pow Wow. Join us for this historical celebration! Watch historic bread baking in our outdoor oven, see black powder musket firings and participate in workshops with artisans of the fur trade era. Learn about the daily lives of French Voyageurs, Lake Superior Ojibwe and the fur traders of the famed British North West Company. Sights, sounds and aromas, take you back to the late 1700's when thousands of company participants met on the shores of Lake Superior. Historic Rendezvous Days events are open to the public and all are encouraged to participate!

The Pow Wow, an American Indian gathering focusing on dance, song and family celebration, is hosted by the Grand Portage Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe and includes traditional food, music and craft stands along with other activities. Experiencing a Pow Wow is a valuable and fascinating cultural experience for non-Indian people unfamiliar with their neighbors, the Indian people. Over 350 dancers in traditional and contemporary regalia participated in last year's Grand Portage Pow Wow.

Primitive camping is permitted in the monument by hiking from four to eight and one-half miles and reaching the western end of the Grand Portage near Fort Charlotte. There is no charge for backcountry camping, but a Backcountry Camping Permit is required which can be obtained and completed at three self registration boxes located along the Grand Portage. Permits may also be issued by park staff at the ranger station during normal operating hours. No other camping is permitted within the monument. East of the historic stockade is a picnic area with tables, fire rings and adjacent pull off parking.

Other Campgrounds:

• Grand Portage Marina & Campground - Marina Road (adjacent to Grand Portage Lodge & Casino), Grand Portage, MN 55605. Phone: 218-475-2476
• Grand Marais Recreation Area - Highway 61, Grand Marais, MN 55604. Phone: 218-387-1712
• Go-Fer Campground - 1201 East 5th Street, Grand Marais, MN, 55604. Phone: 218-387-1252
• Judge Magney State Park - HC Box 500, Grand Marais, MN 55604. Closed to camping during 2000 due to a budget shortfall. Phone: 218-387-303

• Grand Portage Trading Post and Post Office - Located a short distance from the Monument. Turn left out of the main stockade parking lot onto Mile Creek Road. The Trading Post, Post Office and SPUR gas station is approximately 3/4 mile on the right between Mile Creek Road and Highway 61. Gas, food, film, stamps and other supplies are available at the Trading Post. Phone: 218-475-2282
• Grand Portage Lodge and Casino/Gift Shop - Located about one mile west of the monument. Turn left out of the main palisade parking lot onto Mile Creek Road. The Grand Portage Lodge is approximately three quarters of a mile on the left. A restaurant, snack bar and gift shop are available. Phone: 218-475-2401
• Ryden's Border Cafe/Phillips 66 & Convenience Store - Located three miles north of the monument on Highway 61. Go straight out of the stockade parking lot on Store Road. Take the right fork past the Trading Post to Highway 61. At Highway 61 turn right. Follow Highway 61 about five miles, look for Ryden's on your left. Phone: 218-475-2330
• Voyageur's Marina - Located about one and one-half miles from the monument. Turn right out of the main palisade parking lot and go over the stone bridge. Follow County Road 17 to your left, up over the hill and past the church and school. Continue to follow County Road 17 one and one-half miles, to the east side of the bay. The marina will be on your right. Phone: 218-475-2476

Passenger ferry service from Grand Portage to Isle Royale National Park is available through two ferry boats which operate mid-June through Labor Day. The Wenonah leaves the monument's dock daily and travels to Windigo Harbor on Isle Royale returning later the same day. The Voyageur II leaves from the Voyageur's Marina, about one and one-half miles east of the monument, beginning in early May and runs until late October. This passenger ferry circumvents the island and returns the following day.

Other transportation to Isle Royale is available from Michigan.

Voyageurs National Park is about 300 miles west of Grand Portage in northern Minnesota. The "Voyageur's Highway" passed through Rainy Lake, today bordering Voyageurs National Park. A canoe laden with trade goods bound west voyaged about 12 days from Grand Portage to Rainy Lake.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is located on Wisconsin's Bayfield Peninsula about 80 miles northeast of Duluth, Minnesota. An archipelago of 22 islands lies off the tip of the peninsula in the sparkling blue waters of Lake Superior.

The canoe warehouse has an accessible ramp, but it is not connected to an identified accessible pathway. Interpretive exhibits, displays and programs presented inside are accessible.

Restrooms are partially accessible but are not connected to an accessible pathway.

The ranger station, adjacent to the parking lot, has an accessible ramp.

The parking lot has two identified, van-accessible parking spaces with "safety zones."

Two wheelchairs are available free of charge to use during your visit. The wheelchairs are located in the ranger station and in the great hall. Please ask park staff for assistance.

Larger print, audiotape and Braille formatted materials of the park's interpretive handouts and brochures are provided within three working days notice. Language interpreters may also be provided with a notice of three working days. Please contact the park's Accessibility Coordinator or the Chief of Interpretation.

Grand Portage State Park is about five miles northeast of Grand Portage National Monument on the Pigeon River Canadian border along Minnesota Highway 61. No camping is available in Grand Portage State Park. Phone: 218-475-2360

Judge C.R. Magney State Park is about 26 miles southwest of the monument along Minnesota Highway 61. Camping is available in Judge C.R. Magney State Park when the park budget permits. Closed to camping in 2000 due to a budget shortfall. Phone: 218-387-3039

Cascade River State Park 45 miles west of Grand Portage offers spectacular waterfalls along the Cascade River. There are also scenic overlooks of Lake Superior. Eighteen miles of trails wander through birch and spruce forest. The park has a 40-site campground, picnic facilities and plenty of lake and river fishing. Phone: 218-387-3053

Grand Portage Indian Reservation is about 57,000 acres (23,085 hectares) in size located in the tip of Minnesota's arrowhead region. The reservation is home for the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Grand Portage Lodge and Casino is one mile west of the monument on County Road 17.

Other Fur Trade Sites & Resources:

Old Fort William, Grand Portage's reconstructed "sister" site, is located approximately 45 miles north in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Fort William became the North West Company's inland headquarters once Grand Portage was abandoned in 1803.

The reconstructed Northwest Company Fur Post State Historic Site near Pine City, Minnesota, is an excellent example of a small interior post operated by the North West Company for winter fur trading.

The White Oak Society is a non-profit organization which operates the White Oak Learning Centre near Deer River, Minnesota. Their website will provide additional fur trade information with links to other historic sites and resources.

The Minnesota Historical Society, headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, has been active in preserving and investigating Grand Portage from the 1920's. This site contains many photographs pertinent to Grand Portage National Monument and Grand Portage Indian Reservation.

The Hudson's Bay Company Archives provides general information about the collection, its contents and some of the history surrounding the Hudson's Bay and Northwest Companies.

Grand Marais, MN, Superior National Forest, MN Department of Natural Resources:

 

The Grand Marais Chamber of Commerce website contains information about Grand Marais activities with links to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.