Our favorite adventures in the area:

Explore Ojibway Lake

Our absolute favorite thing to do is take the kayaks, canoe or paddleboat out onto Lake Ojibway and explore the lake and wildlife. Our lake is home to a family of Trumpeter swans, bald eagles, loons, beavers, muskrats, and countless fish and turtles.

Ride the Heartland Trail

In Dorset (4 miles south of the cabin) you’ll find the Heartland Trail – a paved trail that runs across much of northern MN. Go east towards Nevis and Walker, or west towards Park Rapids on bikes, rollerblades or even on foot. Reward yourself with ice cream at Dorset House after your adventure. You can rent bikes at Pedego in Park Rapids.

Visit the Trolls in Detroit Lakes

In June 2024, Danish artist Thomas Danbo erected 6 giant trolls in and around Detroit Lakes (about 50 min W of the cabin) with the help of volunteer labor and constructed largely from recycled materials.

To start your adventure, visit Alexa’s Elixir in Detroit Lakes City Park (you can’t miss her!). Her ‘cookbook’ includes instructions for finding the other trolls as well as a final hidden troll, the Golden Rabbit, which requires you to solve a puzzle.

https://project412mn.org/trolls-dl/

Have an Animal Adventure

At Smoky Hills hobby farm, you can enjoy a horseback riding experience, spend time with friendly animals (including miniature horses, goats, donkeys and peacocks), or have a rollicking ride through the Smoky Hills state forest in a “chariot” pulled by a 4-wheeler.

All adventures are led by Ed Streeper, former dogsled champion who will keep you entertained with stories from his life and adventures. For more info, call or text Ed directly at (218) 573-3993 and tell them Danika sent you. 1-hour horseback rides start at $60 each (cash) and Ed’s farm is about 30 min west of the cabin.

Visit the Headwaters of the Mississippi

We are about 35 minutes from Itasca State Park, where you can visit the headwaters, enjoy the visitor’s center, or take in one of the beautiful hikes in the park

Test your mettle

Just 15 minutes west of the cabin is the Character Challenge Course, where you can test your strength (both physical and mental) on the ropes course, zipline and various other adventures built into the treetops. See more at characterchallengecourse.com

Hike the Waboose Lake Loop trail

Our favorite hike in the area, about 4 miles around a lovely lake and in the Paul Bunyan State Forest. Well-marked trail that is part of the North Country National Scenic trail (which runs from North Dakota to the Appalachian Trail in Vermont).  Waboose Lake Trailhead is 8 miles from the cabin, bring an AWD drive car if you have one as the dirt roads leading to it are not always in tip-top shape.

Visit Paul Bunyan and Babe

See 2 larger-than-life sculptures of our local folk hero Paul Bunyan – one statue is in Akeley (just 20m east) and another in Bemidji (45m drive).

Level up your fishing skills with a pro
Jason at Go Fish Guides has been a fishing guide for 34 years. He works with 7 local guides and will help curate a guided fishing experience for you. He can be reached at (218) 252-2278 or his website www.go-fish-guides.com