Nature & Science

Sunrise over the lake with pink clouds and tree silhouettes in the foreground.
Sunrise at Grand Portage Bay

NPS Photo / G.M. Spoto

In addition to being an important location in the fur trade, Gichi Onigaming, the Great Carrying Place, is within the southern boreal forest. This largely intact ecosystem provides important habitat for northern species such as moose, as well as migratory birds, and a variety of mammals, amphibians, and fish.

The exposed rock you see as you make your way along the bay to the Heritage Center or up the Mount Rose trail gives clues to the geologic story embedded in this landscape.

 
  • Broken gray slabs of rock in front of a cliff and green trees.
    Geology

    Rugged hills and boggy lowlands, shear rock cliffs, shallow incised bays and Lake Superior, all come together in Grand Portage's highlands.

  • close up view of a beaver holding a branch, swimming in a pond.
    Wildlife

    Northern Minnesota's extreme change in climate and landscape driven habitats create important niches for wildlife.

  • Large, broadleaf trees lining a dirt path in a forest.
    Plants

    The historic Grand Portage footpath preserves an important component of the largest terrestrial ecosystem in the world, the boreal forest.

  • A full moon with a pair of flying birds in a dawn sky.
    Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) Moons

    Traditionally, Anishinaabe followed a 13 month lunar calendar. Each giizis (moon) corresponds an event in the cycle of life and nature.

 
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    Last updated: June 1, 2023

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    Mailing Address:

    P.O. Box 426
    Grand Portage, MN 55605

    Phone:

    (218) 475-0123

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