Destinations

Leech Lake: Minnesota’s original up north

It’s the third largest lake in Minnesota; and in the “Land of a Thousand Lakes,” that’s no small distinction. The 112,000-acre Leech Lake is also a year around magnet for visitors.

Cass County, and nearby Walker, have become a top tourist destination with outdoor recreational opportunities on and off the water. From exceptional lodging and dining to unique entertainment, there is something for everyone set amidst a backdrop of the natural beauty the area is known for.

“Our resorts offer families a chance to get together, lie back and enjoy God’s creation,” said Larry Jacobson, president of the Leech Lake Tourism Bureau and owner of one of more than two dozen lodging establishments in the area.

Jacobson’s family has welcomed visitors to Hiawatha Beach Resort for almost half a century. “It’s about all I remember,” he fondly recalled of his years growing up at Leech Lake.

Jacobson, along with his wife Susie, is a third-generation owner. He says Hiawatha Beach is the oldest resort on Leech Lake, but the property is continuously updated.

“We built a new lodge about three years ago and have replaced all but a few of the cottages,” he explained.

The lodge includes a game room, movie room and a conversation lounge with a view of the lake. The furnished cottages, also with water views, offer every convenience including cooking utensils, cable television, linens and blankets. Another lodging option – 50-foot houseboats that can sleep 10 to 12 – are perfect for a family retreat or a friends’ getaway. There is the convenience of on-site dining and an indoor heated pool and spa.

There’s no shortage of resort activities: swimming, boating, fishing, biking, hiking, dining and camp gatherings, bingo, lawn games, scavenger hunts, volleyball and even rocket building!

Leech Lake’s fishing is renowned for its quality and diversity.

“Most places offer one style of fishing for a species,” Jacobson said. “Leech is such a complex lake you can do many different things. Walleye fishing is our bread and butter, and Muskie is king of the inland waters. Leech has a reputation for being the ‘Muskie Capital of the World.’ But next to it, you have fantastic sunfish. The pros go out after the muskie to really make a name for themselves, but you also have something the kids can just have a lot of fun with.”

Then there’s what Mayor Brad Walhof, mayor of Walker, host of “The Leech Lake Fishing Report” radio show (airing Monday through Saturday at 7:40 a.m. on KQKK-FM and KAKK-AM,) refers to as “almost a secret” on Leech Lake: bass fishing.

When visitors want to leave their sea legs behind for a while and turn inland, they can hit Minnesota’s oldest paved trail. The 27-mile Heartland Trail winds through forests and along lakes, attracting hikers and bicyclists in the spring, summer and fall, and snowmobilers, snowshoers and cross-country skiers in the winter.

It intersects what eventually will become one for the record books: the North Country National Scenic Trail. The Cass County portion of the North Country Trail is complete. When the entire trail is finished, it will span 3,200 miles from North Dakota to New York, creating the longest, continuous foot path in the United States. Cass County also boasts Minnesota’s longest, paved, recreation trail – the 120-mile Paul Bunyan Trail.

All those trails afford the area quite a distinction. “We are the only place in Minnesota where two paved bike and snowmobile trails intersect," Walhof said.

The surrounding Chippewa National Forest offers seemingly endless land for hikers, campers, hunters and anglers.

“There’s a high concentration of bald eagles and wildlife,” Jacobson said. “They are abundant and just gorgeous. There are hundreds of miles of fire trails and gravel roads.”

There are also plenty of campgrounds, wetlands and fishing piers. Deer hunting commences in November, and grouse season in October.

Outdoor recreational opportunities also abound at Minnesota’s oldest state park at the northern tip of the mighty Mississippi River. The 32,000 acre Itasca State Park showcases more than 100 glistening lakes.

There is no shortage of celebrations in the Leech Lake/Walker area. From the Festival of Lights to the Moondance Jam, from Ethnic Fest to the Fourth of July celebration, unique gatherings are staged each season.

One of the biggest draws for the past two decades has been the Eel Pout Festival.

“It’s a highlight around town,” Jacobson said. “For about three days in February, this crazy, ugly fish becomes king of the hill around here!”

The Eel Pout Festival hosts a Polar Plunge during which brave, barely-covered souls take a chilly dive into four feet of ice on the lake; others compete in a 10K foot race in frigid temperatures.

“The whole lake is filled with different encampments. There is bowling out on the ice, even golf.”

The annual Moondance Jam is touted as northern Minnesota’s largest outdoor festival. Some of the biggest names in classic rock, from Lynard Skynard to Credence Clearwater, have taken center stage at the mid-summer event.

The Wood Tick Theatre touts a variety of music shows. Visitors can toast their northern Minnesota getaway with a trip to the Forestedge Winery in the scenic north woods.

Walker makes a good base of operation for your journey into the North Country. Everything is on hand to make your trip a pleasure. Reeds Tackle and Gifts is a must-visit for the sportsmen of all types. Boulders provides fine dining on the outskirts of Walker.

Golfers will enjoy beautiful courses and mild summer weather at a bargain cost. “You don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to golf in northern Minnesota,” Jacobson said.

Geology buffs will be interested to discover that the bedrock beneath Walker and the surrounding area is among the oldest on earth – at least three billion years.

“Northern Minnesota’s resorts offer quite an opportunity. It’s time to be a family, to forgot about the hustle and bustle and just relax. People may work pretty hard for 51 weeks out of the year but they come here to be rejuvenated.”