Park Hours (Today)
Sunrise to Sunset
Heritage Center: Closed
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Plan your Grand Portage trip
About the Park
Travel into the past to discover the present. Explore the partnership between the Grand Portage Anishinaabe and the North West Company during the North American fur trade. Experience the sights and smells of a bustling depot reconstructed in its historic location. See how it shaped co-management with the NPS today. Follow pathways to the past to imagine a drum echo over Gichigami - Lake Superior.
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What to See & Do
Hike Gichi Onigaming (Grand Portage)
Several options exist for exploring the Grand Portage. From a canoe adventure starting in the Boundary Waters to a short walk from the Depot, this trail offers year-round options for hiking, portaging, skiing, and snowshoeing.
Visit Grand Portage State Park
Grand Portage State Park is the location of the highest waterfall in Minnesota. The waterfalls and rapids along this section of the Pigeon River caused the significance of the Grand Portage Trail bypass for canoe traffic. The wheelchair appropriate mile-long (round trip) trail is available year round.
Hike Grand Portage Trails
Hike the Mount Rose Trail for stunning views of Grand Portage Bay and the Depot. To experience the trek the Voyageurs made as well as Indigenous people before them, hike a portion or all of Gitchi Onagamiing, the Grand Portage Trail.
Browse the Bookstore
A selection of books and souvenirs are available for sale in the bookstore.
Visit the Reconstructed North West Company Depot
Boozhoo! Bonjour! Welcome to the Depot! In the days of the fur trade, a great variety of people passed through its gates to do business with the North West Company. As you wander the Depot you'll find three reconstructed post and sill log buildings, and four outside areas -- Ojibwe village, Voyageurs Encampment, dock and historic gardens. Living history interpreters and wayside signs provide information about the activities of the period.
Birding on Mount Rose
From the Heritage Center parking lot to the top of Mount Rose and down to the Historic Depot, you'll pass through different habitats. Listen for Merlins and White-throated Sparrows, watch Turkey Vultures soar, and warblers flit among the branches.
Self-Guided Tours
Hike the Grand Portage Trail
The Grand Portage Trail (Gichi Onigaming) is an eight-and-a-half mile long trail between Lake Superior and the Pigeon River used to transport goods during the Fur Trade Era and for thousands of years as part of a larger trading network. It is natural pathway formed by glacial runoff and a popular destination for through-canoers coming from lakes along the border country. Hikers begin at the Fire Hall on Store Road or midway at old Highway 61 (County Rd 89). Reservations required to camp at Fort Charlotte.
Mount Rose Hiking Trail from the Heritage Center Parking Lot
This trail can begin at either trailhead. This tour is the steeper, more direct route to the summit. Hike to the top of Mount Rose for a spectacular view of Grand Portage Bay and beyond – on a clear day, Isle Royale is visible! Get a bird's eye view of the Depot or look west to the gap in the land where the voyageurs transported goods along the Grand Portage Trail. Learn about the ancient geology that brings beauty to the North Shore landscape.
Mount Rose Hiking Trail from the Historic Depot
The Mount Rose Trail has two trailheads. This tour begins across from the Historic Depot at the corner of Mile Creek and Store roads and can follow the Grand Portage Site Tour. This hike is available year-round – see which animals left their tracks in the snow! In spring, watch the leaves unfurl and the many wildflowers emerge. In early summer, bring your binoculars or listen for returning birds. The surrounding forest in fall is loaded with fiery color.
Visitor Centers
Heritage Center
Open year-round, the Grand Portage National Monument Heritage Center opened on August 10, 2007, with a commitment to honor the area's history, people, and culture. The Center houses exhibit galleries about Anishinaabe culture and the fur trade, a bookstore, and multi-media programs. Ask questions, plan your visit, stamp your passport, borrow snowshoes (in winter), and more at the front desk. The historic site is open late May through mid-October.
Where to Stay
Fort Charlotte Backcountry Campgrounds
Two backcountry campsites, accessible to hikers and canoeists, are located at the Pigeon River (Canada/U.S. border) end of Grand Portage National Monument. Each campsite is limited to nine people. Camping permits are required and issued by the park. A permit system allows campers to reserve a campsite in advance. Allow a minimum of two weeks in advance for permit processing.
Getting Here & Transit
How to Get Here
Traveling northeast or southwest on MN Hwy 61 visitors will see signs alerting the approach to Grand Portage National Monument. A right turn exit lane or left turn from Hwy 61 at the Grand Portage Trading Post will take visitors onto Casino Road. Turn left at the first stop sign from Casino Road to Mile Creek Road. About 3/4 mile on Mile Creek Road, look for the large wooden entrance sign. Turn left up the short hill into the Heritage Center parking lot.
Park Amenities
Operating Hours
Trails & Grounds
The Anishinaabe Oodena (Ojibwe Village), the grounds outside of the palisade, and the Mount Rose and Grand Portage trails are open daily year-round.
- MondaySunrise to Sunset
- TuesdaySunrise to Sunset
- WednesdaySunrise to Sunset
- ThursdaySunrise to Sunset
- FridaySunrise to Sunset
- SaturdaySunrise to Sunset
- SundaySunrise to Sunset
Photos
Historic buildings with a lawn in the foreground and hill in fall colors behind.
Log buildings, stockade fence and dock near a large lake.
People in historic clothing paddle a canoe in a bay in front of a stockade.
Moonrise over a lake with canvas tents in the foreground.
When to Go
Crowd CalendarPlan your trip around peak seasons to avoid crowds or embrace the energy of the busy months. Our crowd predictions are based on historical NPS Visitor Use Statistics.
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Best Time
Year-round
Trip Length
1 day
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