Heart of the Continent

12/29/2024

White pines
This has been a bucket list shot for me, so of course when the moment happened, my camera battery was dead. It thankfully had just enough juice left for a single shot of this scene.

12/26/2024

Quality outdoor products and services are available right here in the HeartoftheContinent


Round off your winter afternoon going ice fishing with a Kicksled. Kicksleds have been used to get around for many generations and are part of the Finnish and Nordic culture. ESLA kicksleds are proudly made in Finland and are available for rent or purchase at Ely Bike and Kicksled.


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12/24/2024

Have a very Merry Christmas to all from the steering committee of the HeartoftheContinent Partnership.
Safe travels to all those who are on the road visiting.
Wishing everyone peace, happiness, and kindness.

12/23/2024

While visiting Duluth during the holidays, check out the Great Lakes Aquarium

We coho ho ho hope you have a happy holiday season. 🎅 🎄🎊 🕎

With the exception of Christmas Day, we will be open daily! It’s the most wonderful time of the year to share your favorite aquarium exhibits with the whole family.

12/22/2024

Taking in a little bit of the longest night 🌙 of the year

Winter Solstice 2024
HeartoftheContinent
North of Quetico Provincial Park

12/22/2024

12/22/2024

Sea fire mist in the winter mornings never gets old. Cold but gold!

12/21/2024

In case you missed it on our website, here's our first weekly Winter Trails Report of the season (from 12/11/24). More to come!

Winter is off to a promising start! We received between 8 and 10 inches of snow in the park recently, and crews have been working to prepare trails for winter use. The latest round of wet, heavy snow has caused many branches and small trees to hang down into our trails, slowing down tracking. Some of the land-based ski trails have been cleared of branches and are packed and/or tracked.

Lake ice is being assessed in order to begin work on opening snowmobile trails and ice roads in the coming weeks. We urge caution for anyone on the frozen lakes, as we have not yet found sufficient ice in most areas. This amount of wet snow falling before ice has had enough time to form has created an unstable base, and more cold temperatures are needed before it can be considered safe. Remember that ice is never 100% safe.

You can always find the most current winter trails report on our website at:

https://www.nps.gov/voya/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

Snowmobile Trails:
PURPLE TRAIL International Falls to Kettle Falls CLOSED
GREEN TRAIL Rainy Lake/Black Bay to Kabetogama Lake to Ash River CLOSED
GREEN TRAIL Ash River to Crane Lake CLOSED
DASHED BLACK TRAIL Chain of Lakes CLOSED
YELLOW TRAIL Ash River to Kettle Falls CLOSED
BLUE TRAIL East Namakan Lake to Sand Point Lake CLOSED

Ice Roads:
Rainy Lake Ice Road CLOSED
Rainy Lake Dryweed Loop CLOSED
Kabetogama Lake Ice Road CLOSED
Kabetogama Lake Ice Road Wes and East Spur Roads CLOSED

Ski Trails:
Echo Bay Ski Trail 1st loop packed and tracked 2nd and 3rd cleared (see photo)
Rainy Lake Rec Trail Packed not Tracked
Black Bay Ski Trail Closed
Tilson Connector Trail Packed not Tracked

Snowshoe Trails:
Rainy Lake Rec Trail Open
Oberholtzer Trail Open
Black Bay Beaver Pond Trail Closed
Kab/Ash Trail Open
Blind Ash Bay Trail Open
Sullivan Bay Trail Open

Kabetogama Lake Recreation Area:
Sledding Hill Closed
Ice Rink Closed

Photo Credit (Echo Bay Ski Trails): NPS/Chad Nevalainen

For further information on land trails in communities surrounding the park check out these links:

Voyageur Trail Society - Trail Updates Voyageur Trail Society - Trail Updates: https://www.snowmobilevacation.org/

Trail Report: http://www.ridetheborders.com/trail-report.html

Snow Depth and Groomed Trail Conditions | Minnesota DNR Snow Depth and Groomed Trail Conditions | Minnesota DNR (state.mn.us): https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snow_depth/index.html

Buyck Portageurs Snowmobile Club https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057218389432

Ash River Kabetogama Snowdrifters - Ash River Kabetogama Snowdrifters Snowmobile Club: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068157102512

Polar Polers Ski Club: https://www.facebook.com/PolarPolers/

12/20/2024

If you aren't already, consider following the Quetico Foundation page for fun and informative posts like the Ask the Biologist Series


Here’s the next in our “Ask The Biologist” Series.

Keep your questions coming!

To have your own answered, reply to this post with your question, or send us a DM!

12/19/2024

Honored to share the gift of reading to our kindergarten classrooms. Staci Drouillard’s children’s book is incredible. Available Drury Lane Books WTIP North Shore Community Radio Visit Cook County MN

12/17/2024

Quality outdoor products and services are available right here in the HeartoftheContinent.
What a great idea for a Christmas present!

Wrap Up a Boat This Christmas! 🎁🎄

Give the ultimate gift of adventure this holiday season—imagine the look on their face when they find a brand-new canoe, kayak, SUP, or fishing kayak under the tree!

From inflatables to fishing-ready models, we’ve got the perfect ride for every water enthusiast, and some are even on sale! 🎉 Make this Christmas one they’ll remember forever.

🎄 Shop now and wrap up the adventure of a lifetime!

🏷️Sale Selections may vary by store

12/16/2024

Yesterday

Today is the last day for big game hunting in much of northwestern Ontario. My fall was full of blessings, but harvesting a bull moose on our annual hunt was at the top of the list. Getting a buck was a sweet bonus. Being able to harvest food off the land is a privilege I don’t take lightly. Thank you to my hunting partners. Until next year.

12/16/2024

Photographer and our friend of the dark skies, Mike Shaw, received some deserved recognition with a photograph taken right here in the HeartoftheContinent in a recent National Geographic Book, 100 Nights of a Lifetime. See write up below:


It is every photographer’s dream to be published in National Geographic and last week, that dream has come true!

An enormous Thank You! to Stephanie Vermilion for inviting me to contribute one of my favorite images of the Aurora Borealis to her epic new National Geographic book, “100 Nights of a Lifetime.”

Stephanie and I have shared many conversations about the allure and excitement of the northern lights along with many other outdoor adventures. I love speaking with her; her passion is infectious!

So GET THIS BOOK, it truly will inspire you to get out there and start exploring what the world has to offer at night. And it’s now available now just in time for the holidays!

Thanks again, Stephanie!

12/14/2024

“Minnesota Mountains”

A common comment that I hear when people visit Grand Portage and see the dramatic hills that we have is “Wow, we didn’t know Minnesota had mountains!” Indeed, we do. Not by western standards, of course, but our mountains are ancient and at one time were a lot more dramatic than they are today. Of course, in some places, they are still quite dramatic such as the view shown here, of Highway 61 on the east side of the Mt. Josephine pass. The hills and bays of Lake Superior in the background are actually in Ontario, Canada where the landscape gets even more dramatic.

In this photo, a Canadian transport truck is heading south on Highway 61 as it climbs to the summit of the Mt. Josephine pass. Mt. Josephine is big enough that it has its own local weather patterns. Its not uncommon for it to be shrouded in fog in the summer or experiencing more dramatic snowfall in winter than the immediate areas surrounding it.

12/14/2024

Woah! Have we got a shockingly amazing opportunity for you!

Grand Portage National Monument is currently recruiting volunteers for our 2025 summer season and offering RV slots for enthusiastic volunteers who enjoy history and engaging with the public.

Do you enjoy history, interacting with the public, and doing (or willing to learn one of the following) hands-on activities such as woodworking, cooking/baking, gardening, sewing, and other skills? If you're looking to escape the summer heat, please consider spending your time with us in an incredibly fun volunteer opportunity along Minnesota's north shore in beautiful Grand Portage, Minnesota.

A typical workday will be approximately 8 hours of service time, from 8:20 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break and unscheduled breaks covered by roving interpreters throughout the day. Volunteers occupying a park-provided RV pad will be expected to work up to 30-hours/week. Park RV pads contain full electric, water/sewer hook-ups, and free laundry facilities.

Thanks for considering us as a potential summer home and we look forward to speaking with you!

For more information and to apply visit: https://www.volunteer.gov/s/volunteer-opportunity/a09SJ0000042gX8YAI/grand-portage-national-monument-visitor-services

[NPS Photo/ A Hernandez]

12/14/2024

View the Frigid Duluth Arrival of CSL Laurentien!
About this Visit:
In my opinion, the "coldest" arrival yet, the most sea smoke I've captured!
The CSL Laurentien arriving Duluth for only the 2nd time this season December 12, 2024 at 11:17 in the late COLD morning. For the record, their last Duluth arrival was May 09, arriving to load Iron Ore at Duluth CN.
They came into port this time for fuel at the Cenovus dock, arriving there at High Noon (12:00 PM) 2.6 hours later at 14:36 they finished fueling and departed the Cenovus dock with the intention of sailing south in the Harbor to the BN dock. All was going well until about the Viterra dock are where Mother Nature decided the ship will go no further in the ice! They backup up in the same "path" they cut in the ice to the Rice's Point turn area, did a 180 to point them to the Duluth entry. Out the Duluth Canal they went at 16:09, sailed through the canal and took a right in the lake heading to the BN dock via the Superior Entry. No ice in the lake making it an easy sail. They pulled into the Superior Entry at 16:59, turned around in the harbor and backed into the BN dock at 17:25 and began loading the Iron Ore. They backed in to enable an easy departure. Sailing bow out, they do not have to try and turn around in the ice if the harbor freezes up over night. They finished loading at BN and departed the dock December 13 at 07:39 in the morning. Sailed out into the lake departing Superior at 08:07, heading to Nanticoke ON to deliver the Ore! Total time in Port this visit, including the Duluth Portion was 20 hours.

12/13/2024

Dark Sky Initiative

In the early fall of 2018, on Voyageur Island on Nym Lake, and entry point of Quetico Provincial Park, a gathering took place that included agency leaders from the Superior National Forest, Voyageurs National Park, Quetico and La Verendrye Provincial Parks.
It was at this gathering that a confirmed commitment to preserving dark skies and applications for dark sky status would be pursued.
This cross-border/agency collaboration started the ball rolling for the dark sky events we see happening throughout the HeartoftheContinent today.

If you see benefits from this sort of collaborative efforts please consider helping us with our mission.
Visit our profile LINKTREE "membership update" to see what we have been doing and how to support.
Together, we can maintain strong relationships that share knowledge and prosperity

12/12/2024

Christmas is a great time to visit the Thunder Bay Country Market!
This weekend there is Breakfast with Santa is THIS SATURDAY!✨

Event runs: 8 am till 10 am

🎄 Activities for kids
🎄 Pictures with Santa (bring your own camera!)
🎄 ELF size and SANTA size pancake specials from the Hoito

See you at the Market!
Open 8 am till 1pm

Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Ontario offer epic outdoor adventures and authentic cultural experiences in a region steeped in natural beauty and rich history. Through the Heart of the Continent Geotourism Program, National Geographic has partnered with local organizations, businesses, and indivi...