Explorer’s Guide Minnesota

NORTHERN LAKES AND RED RIVER VALLEY

The northern lakes region and the Red River Valley provide visitors with a range of geological vistas. The lakes area is made up of rolling and heavily forested land, while the valley, contradictory to its name, is flat agricultural plains, where you can drive for miles and see nothing but sunflowers, corn, and soybean crops. This is a region shaped by former glacial lakes and settled by Chippewa Indians, followed by French traders and eventually Scandinavians, looking for fertile farmland.

The lakes that punctuate the region are known for excellent fishing and boating, and not just in the summer. The fishing season has been extended to the winter by increased technology; today many northern lakes are dotted by buildings ranging from little more than shacks to “sleepers”—larger, heated buildings with attached portable potties. No matter the level of grandeur, all are considered ice houses. Ice fishing, combined with other winter sports such as cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing, have made the northern region a year-round destination rather than a summer-only spot.

Rivers, as well as lakes, play an important role in this region. The Mississippi River has its starting point here in Itasca State Park, where the Headwaters, first accurately identified by explorer Henry Schoolcraft in 1832, can be crossed easily by foot, giving no sign of its becoming the Mighty Mississippi. The Red River on the northwestern side of the state is not the most scenic of rivers, but the flatlands surrounding it are an agricultural center for the state.

images — THE CHESTER CHARLES II TOUR BOAT AT ITASCA STATE PARK

The plains give way to the lake-heavy region around Detroit Lakes, bodies of water carved by the glaciers that moved through centuries ago. Now the region is a popular tourist destination for lake lovers. Tourism plays a major role in this area’s economy, and the annual WE Fest has become one of the country’s largest country music festivals, attracting 50,000 people each year. (See “WE Fest” on page 193.)

GUIDANCE Leech Lake Chamber of Commerce (218-547-1313 or 1-800-833-1118; leech-lake.com), 205 Minnesota Avenue, Walker.

Park Rapids Chamber of Commerce (218-732-4111; parkrapids.com), 1204 S. Park Avenue, Park Rapids.

Visit Bemidji (218-759-0164 or 1-877-250-5959; visitbemidji.com), 300 Bemidji Avenue.

Lake of the Woods Tourism Bureau (1-800-382-3474; lakeofthewoodsmn.com), MN 11, Baudette. Open daily in the summer, Mon.–Fri. the rest of the year. Provides tourism information for the general Lake of the Woods area that runs along the Canadian border, including Baudette, Warroad, and the Northwest Angle.

Roseau Tourism (218-463-0009; goroseau.com). Provides information on lodging and events in the Roseau area.

Thief River Falls Convention and Visitor Bureau (218-686-9785; visittrf.org), 102 N. Main Avenue, Thief River Falls. A tourist board for all things Thief River Falls.

Fargo Moorhead Tourism (701-282-3653 or 1-800-235-7654), 2001 S. 44th Street, Fargo. Provides information for visitors to the twin cities of Moorhead and Fargo, North Dakota.

Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce (218-847-9202 or 1-800-542-3992; visitdetroitlakes.com), 700 Summit Avenue, Detroit Lakes. Serves as the central tourist information center for the greater Detroit Lakes area.

GETTING THERE By air: Regional commercial airlines, primarily Delta and Mesaba, serve the cities of Bemidji, Thief River Falls, and Fargo (across the river from Moorhead). Taxis and rental cars are available from the airports: Bemidji Regional Airport (218-444-2438; bemidjiairport.org), 3824 NW Moberg Drive, Bemidji; Thief River Falls Regional Airport (218-681-7680; visittrf.com), 13722 Airport Drive, Thief River Falls; and Hector International Airport (701-241-8168; fargoairport.com), 2801 NW 32nd Avenue, Fargo, ND.

By car: Park Rapids is served by MN 34 and US 71. MN 34 ends at MN 200 in Walker; MN 200 and MN 371 are the primary routes through Walker. MN 371 ends at US 2, while MN 200 merges with US 71, both of which are the major highways through Bemidji. Follow US 71 north to MN 72 in order to head north to Baudette; from Baudette, MN 11 is the major road crossing west to Warroad and Roseau. The primary highway to East Grand Forks is US 2; to Moorhead (and Fargo, North Dakota), I-94 is the major freeway, while US 10 also serves Moorhead, as well as Detroit Lakes.

The Northwest Angle, a ridge of land bordering Canada, is the northernmost part of the contiguous United States, and it can be accessed by car through Canada (with US passport), or by seaplane or boat.

By rail: AMTRAK’s (1-800-872-7245; amtrak.com) Empire Builder route offers rail service between Minneapolis–St. Paul and Fargo/Moorhead. Local stations include Union Station, 240 E. Kellogg Boulevard in St. Paul, and Station Building, 420 N. 4th Street, in Fargo, North Dakota.

GETTING AROUND Having a vehicle is a necessity when traveling around the northern lakes region.

WHEN TO COME The summer months see an influx of tourists who come to enjoy the multitude of lakes and beaches, but summer isn’t the only popular time, especially for fishing enthusiasts who cast their poles in open water in summer and through holes in the ice in winter. Hunters and winter sports aficionados appreciate the fall and winter seasons as well.

MEDICAL EMERGENCY Call 911.

CHI St. Joseph’s Hospital (218-732-3311 or 1-800-556-3311; chisjh.org), 600 S. Pleasant Avenue, Park Rapids.

Sanford Bemidji Medical Center (218-751-5430; sanfordhealth.org), 1300 NW Anne Street, Bemidji.

LifeCare Medical Center (218-463-2500; lifecaremedicalcenter.org), 715 Delmore Drive, Roseau.

Northwest Medical Center Hospital (218-681-4240; sanfordhealth.org), 120 LaBree Avenue, Thief River Falls.

Sanford Medical Center (701-417-2000; sanfordhealthcare.org), 801 N. Broadway, Fargo, ND.

Essentia Health St. Mary’s (218-844-2347; essentiahealth.org), 1027 Washington Avenue, Detroit Lakes.