Nestled in the woods along beautiful Trout Lake, the Northern JEM is truly a place to relax and unwind. It offers something for everyone -- abundant fishing (as close as off the dock - great for kids!), a great lake for water skiing and tubing, lots of wildlife, including bald eagles who fish & feed their young in the pine tree next to the dock, incredible sunrises and sunsets over pristine waters.... what more could you ask for?!
Trout Lake is a moderate sized lake (approx. 1900 acres with 13.5 miles of shoreline) and if you enjoy fishing, it is a good place to wet your line. The lake has been stocked for the past 10 years with walleye and also offers ample northern pike, rock bass, sunfish, perch, etc. The lake's topography provides for excellent fishing with a maximum depth of approx. 135 feet - lots of shelves and rolling terrain make the challenge of landing a trophy fish all the more fun! Water clarity and quality is very good, making swimming pleasurable.
Trout Lake is also a water skier's dream! The lake is 4.5 miles long, so you can ski and tube for hours without being interrupted by hundreds of boats and jet skis. The lake is not heavily populated so you will not encounter much boat traffic, other than those trolling along a shelf line hoping to land a big one!
The lake has two public boat launches and beaches -- one on the north end off of Hwy 169 and the other is located immediately across the lake from our dock. Your rental includes the use of a canoe, life jackets, paddles, etc... You are welcome to to tie your own motor boat to the dock. There also is power available by the dock.
If fishing and swimming aren't your thing, you can spend hours reading in solitude or observing lots of wildlife on the property, including eagles, hawks, osprey, a family of deer, hummingbirds, pileated woodpeckers, loons, an occasional raccoon or beaver, as well as the always curious chipmunks.
The Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway begins in Grand Rapids and ends 47 miles north in Effie. Travel this spectacular, winding byway by many pristine lakes, forests, swamps, rolling hills, and other unique features.
Outdoor recreation, (including miles of marked hiking trails) interpretive sites, and other exciting opportunities await you. During fall, the north woods is adorned with the brilliant colors of red sugar maples, bronze oak trees and glowing gold aspen and birch. Little outposts and antique shops exist along the way. The Chippewa National Forest and the Suomi Trails offer miles of paved hiking, biking and rollerblading.
Celebrate the life and times of Judy Garland, born Frances Ethel Gumm, at her birthplace in Grand Rapids, including a very interesting exhibit at the Itasca County Museum. Step into pages from the past and discover the history of the logging era at the Forest History Center. Here you can climb a 100' fire tower and see for miles! The Children's Discovery Museum offers great entertainment for younger children. You can also take tours of the Blandin Paper Mill (located on the Mississippi River) and the Hill Annex Mine & State Park. Hibbing, Minnesota, hometown of music legend Bob Dylan, is less than a 1/2 hour drive away and there you can visit the Bob Dylan Collection, found in the Hibbing Library.
If golf is your game, several well-maintained 18-hole golf courses provide championship play -- Eagle Ridge, Pokegama & Sugarbrooke. Four 9-hole courses are also in the area. Grand Rapids is home to the annual Grand Slam Amateur Golf Tournament, held each year on the 3rd weekend of August.
The Canisteo Pit is a large lake formed in a complex of 19 inactive mine pits located immediately north of Coleraine, Bovey and Taconite, MN. Canisteo Pit is about 4.8 miles long and averages one-half mile wide. The pit lake averages 100 feet deep with its deepest point at nearly 300 feet. It is stocked by the DNR and offers excellent fishing and water sport opportunities.
Several day trips can also be planned. The Mississippi River Headwaters are about a 75 minute drive to the west and Duluth and the North Shore are approximately the same distance to the south and east. The edge of the Mesabi Iron Range and the north woods has a lot to offer. Come and stay for a while -- you won't want to go home!
