Magazine likes Grand Marais for adventure

Grand Marais has ''some of the best of everything'' for every season, the magazine says.

Star Tribune

Last update: August 20, 2008 - 9:54 PM

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The North Shore's Grand Marais has won a nod from National Geographic as one of the "next great adventure towns."

"Set on Lake Superior's rocky northern shoreline, this Minnesota outpost has some of the best of everything -- in every season," the magazine says online and in its September issue.

"The Gunflint Trail, a paved byway that runs straight out of town, accesses 143 miles of cross-country skiing classics in winter and a slew of singletrack in summer," the magazine added. "Hook up with a team of huskies to sled the frozen Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness or paddle through the 1.1-million-acre expanse when the weather warms."

The magazine offers 50 towns on this list in no certain order. However, it designated 12 of them as "top picks," with Grand Marais among that dozen.

Others in the Upper Midwest among the top 50:

• Rapid City, S.D.: Its "300 miles of two-wheeling trails were joined this summer by a dirt-jump park. Kitschy Rushmore attractions add flavor, but locals head to a community theater or a classical music hall instead."

• Milwaukee: "The new 35-mile Urban Water Trail leads paddlers through the city's three rivers, while singletrack, kiteboarding launchpads, dive sites, and surf breaks [seriously] are minutes from Miller Park."

PAUL WALSH