This past week, we checked out the fall colors at Lutsen Mountains and took a ride on the Alpine Slide! Located just a 10-minute drive from Bluefin Bay, Lutsen Mountains is nestled a couple of miles inland from Lake Superior. The maples are currently showcasing stunning peak color along the ridgeline of Moose Mountain.
To start, hop on a chairlift and ride to the top of Eagle Mountain. One of our favorite parts of this cool activity! Sit back and enjoy a unique panoramic view of the fall colors. As you climb, the transition to the bright golden birch along the valley and toward the lake is not quite at its peak yet but getting close. In addition, the contrast with the evergreens is a treat for the eyes. We can expect good color for a couple more weeks with the best autumn hues shifting closer to the lake.
Once at the top, don’t forget to linger awhile to take in the view of Lake Superior and the Superior National Forest. Then, head to the start and zip down a half-mile track on your sled! You control your own speed so your trip can be fast and thrilling or slow and easy. We recommend going more than once to take in all the views and thrills.
The Alpine Slide is open Saturday and Sunday through October 23 with additional days of October 20 and 21 for MEA Weekend. For even more fun while at Lutsen Mountains buy a ticket for the Summit Express Gondola for dramatic views of Lake Superior plus ridgeline access to the Superior Hiking Trail.
North Shore Summer Events
If you’ve stayed at Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts before, you know that our guests can be as busy as they’d like to be. Throughout the summer, we have a full line-up of excursions and activities planned each day. Even better, the North Shore area has exciting, major events planned for throughout the summer. We have compiled a list of area events taking place so you can plan your Lake Superior vacation accordingly.
August 4-7 – Festival of Sail, Tall Ships Festival in Two Harbors
August 4-7 – Fisherman’s Picnic in Grand Marais
Introducing…our New Kids Program!
At Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts, we are always seeking ways to improve our guest’s experience. In fact, we send every guest a post-stay survey that asks the question, “How can we improve?” A suggestion that we heard continually was to expand the activities we offer for younger kids.
Today we are thrilled to introduce our new Summer Kids Program. This program will be offered complimentary for all guests of Bluefin Bay, Surfside and Temperance Landing from Memorial Day Weekend through mid-August. The kids’ program will take place Tuesdays-Saturdays and will be split into two age groups: 6-8 year-olds (mornings) & 9-12 year-olds (afternoons).
Each day will have a different theme and our Activities Department has some fun, creative ideas to keep your kiddos entertained.
Here is the schedule:
Tuesdays will be Crafts & Field Sports Day
Wednesdays will rotate between Plant Day and Rock Day
Thursdays will rotate between Fish Day and Fire Day
Fridays will be Animals Day
Saturdays will rotate between Camping 101 and Voyageur 101
The best news? If you already have your summer trip booked, you can sign-up for the Kids Program starting today! If you haven’t booked your summer vacation yet, be sure to book soon!
If you have any questions about the program, please reach out to our Activities Department by calling 218-663-7860, ext. 2306 or by emailing activities@bluefinbay.com.
MEA Weekend on the North Shore
At Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts, we like to celebrate all things Halloween on MEA weekend! And Halloween is one of our FAVORITE holidays. Creative costumes, scary movies, tasty treats – what’s not to love?
We begin with our annual pumpkin carving contest for guests. There are over $300 in prizes and three different age categories. You can pick up your pumpkin and carving tools at Guest Services beginning on Friday. We will be judging and presenting prizes to the winners on Saturday, October 23rd after 4pm. See official rules here: Pumpkin Carving Contest
Next, we like to set the tone for the weekend with a Halloween themed movie. We’ll be playing Halloweentown (what else!?) in the Tofte Room, across from the playground at Bluefin Bay.
Then on Saturday morning, we begin the medallion hunt! Find the Bluefin Bay medallion and win a $100 gift card! The hunt begins at 8 a.m. and clues will be released every two hours after that. Saturday evening we are hosting a picnic style event outside on the BBQ patio from 5-8 p.m. The picnic will feature live music, bonfire pits, BBQ and a bar (cash or room charge only).
And there’s plenty more to do other than our Halloween festivities. We’ll have guided hikes, kids adventure club, fall color kayak tours, live music, wilderness canoeing and more! All activities are complimentary for guests of Bluefin Bay, Surfside and Temperance Landing.See the full schedule here. Plus, Grand Marais will again be hosting its annual Moose Madness Festival.
Local Craft Classes
There’s something about the Autumn season that awakens the artist in all of us. The colorful leaves all around and the chill in the air bring out our creative side. At Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts, we embrace that inspiration with local craft classes.
The classes below are completely free for guests staying at Bluefin Bay, Surfside and Temperance Landing. Space is limited so be sure to reserve your spot by clicking on the links below. No artistic experience is necessary for any of these classes and all supplies are provided.
Classes at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm. Alcohol inks are a highly pigmented and fast drying medium that lends itself to unique, complex looking patterns, abstracts and landscapes in very little time.
Classes at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm. Julie is an artist at North House Folk School and will be teaching how to create an 8 point star in the Scandinavian style.
Classes at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm. The Carolina Snowflake is simple to make and useful as a Christmas tree top ornament or a decorative wall hanging. Jane specializes in basketry utilizing a variety of materials such as birch bark, red osier dogwood and rattan reed.
Class is at 12:30 pm. Learn the basics of weaving and leave with a finished basket that can be used for serving bread, holding mail, or keeping special treasures.
This workshop is from 12:30 – 4 pm and you can drop in any time! No sign-up necessary. Learn how to dye your own silk scarf and take it home with you! The workshop includes a brief introduction to the dyeing method. You’ll then pick your colors and design, and go to work.
Wolf Ridge: Under Water Wonders
Stop by the Bluefin Bay beach to explore what’s living underwater in our North Shore rivers and streams.
A naturalist from Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center will have small “aquariums” where you can observe and learn about some of the area’s fascinating hidden wildlife. This is a great outdoor activity for the whole family.
For more than 40 years, Wolf Ridge Learning Center has been providing innovative experiential environmental education in the Midwest and around the country. Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts is happy to host Wolf Ridge programming onsite.
Summer Activities for Kids
We often hear from our guests wondering about what activities there are for kiddos to do while staying at Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts. And we have good news! Here at Bluefin Bay, we have entertainment for all ages.
Complimentary, kid-friendly activities:
Guided Hikes – A handful of our guided hikes are designed to be easier so younger kids can join. Sugarloaf Cove and Caribou Falls are a couple favorites!
Outdoor movie nights – Note that this activity is for older kiddos as it doesn’t start until 8:30 pm and Bluefin Bay staff will not be supervising the kids.
Kids adventure club – Activities can range from a nature walk to field games! Kids of all ages are welcome.
US Forest Service Naturalist Programs – We welcome a naturalist from the USFS every Thursday to teach us about voyageurs of the 1700’s! This is a fun, interactive activity for the whole family.
Wilderness Canoeing – A perfect way to immerse your children in nature. This activity is for kids ages 5 and up.
Inland Kayaking – Inland kayaking is perfect for families and beginners who are not quite ready to venture onto the big lake. Kids ages 7 and up can participate, accompanied by an adult.
Campfires – Need we say s’more?
>>> Be sure to check our calendar of events for these activities to see if they are occurring during your stay and to sign-up.
Available equipment for kids:
Kid’s Bikes & Burley Trailers
Kelty Child Carrier Backpacks
Tennis Equipment
Bocce Ball Sets, Soccer Ball (Soccer Fields at Surfside and Bluefin Bay), Pickleball sets, Ladder Toss, KanJam, Cornhole
Jump ropes, Frisbees, sidewalk chalk
Board Games and Playing Cards
We also have pack n plays and booster seats! Just ask your reservationist or leave a note when making your reservation online.
New Summer Activities
We often hear from our returning guests that they cherish the memories they’ve made at Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts. This is one of our favorite comments because it means that we are providing our guests with experiences that they might not otherwise have an opportunity to partake in. In that spirit, we have expanded our activities program this year to include new adventures and more of the excursions that you all have raved about. All activities listed below are included in your stay at Bluefin Bay, Surfside or Temperance Landing.
Introduction to Mountain Biking will consist of riding a new single-track mountain biking trail called “The High Climber”. Although this particular trail is marked as easy, it is a rigorous activity. We will provide instruction, but you can expect there to be some hard peddling, rolling over some rock gardens, and sweeping berms. A fall or two is common and part of the fun! This activity will be available on Sundays and Thursdays throughout the summer.
Our other new activity, Outdoor Movies, is a bit more laid back. We will be showing a family friendly movie Friday evenings on a large inflatable screen outside on the lawn at Surfside Resort. No sign up necessary. We’ll bring the popcorn!
The North Shore is well known for having fun, diverse events. In a typical year, there are major events every weekend with smaller events sprinkled throughout the calendar. We all know that this is not a typical year. Some events are still being decided upon while others have decided to move forward with safety precautions front of mind. Here a few updates for you.
The Superior Trail Races occur on the Superior Hiking Trail every year in the Spring and the Fall. These muddy, rigorous trail races are an incredible event to partake in and just to witness. This year, the spring event will occur on May 20-23rd and includes 12.5K, 25K and 50K events each day. There are extensive safety protocols in place and all race information emphasizes that it will be an “extremely low-key” experience. These races were cancelled in 2020 and we are very glad to see that they are back and will be held with the safety of the community as the top priority.
Biking Events
We have a lively biking community here in Cook County and are well-known for our fun, varied events. The two being held this summer are Le Grand Du Nord (Saturday, May 29th) and theLutsen 99er (Saturday, June 26th). Le Grand Du Nord is a gravel cycling event which features distances of 110 miles, 54 miles and 26 miles. Lutsen 99er is a mountain biking race which features distances of 99 miles, 69 miles, 49 miles and 25 miles as well as a kids’ race on Sunday. Le Grand is not allowing for any spectating this year, and the Lutsen 99er is only allowing for spectating at the finish line at Lutsen Mountains. Both of these events will be modified with safety in mind.
Grand Marais Arts Festival
The Grand Marais Arts Festival is a favorite event for many of our return guests! This year, it will be held the weekend of July 10-11th and the artist line-up looks amazing. Unfortunately, for the first time this year, it will not be held near the Grand Marais harbor. It will instead be located up at the Community Center due to road construction. Certain details are still being figured out, so the Grand Marais Art Colony encourages you to sign-up for their e-newsletter to receive updates on the event.
Other Events
There are a few other area events that have confirmed they will be happening this year including the Spring Sound Garden, Hovland Arts Festival, and the North Shore Water Festival to name a few. We are still waiting to hear details on the 4th of July celebration in Tofte, but the event hosts have said that they do plan to hold the event in some capacity. In order to keep updated on area happenings this summer, we recommend checking out the Visit Cook County Area Events Calendar.
Fall Color Report: September 22 – Oberg Mountain
We are kicking off Fall Color reporting with our favorite destination for this time of year, Oberg Mountain. We tagged along with the Activities Crew as they ventured out on their tour on Saturday and boy are we glad we did! As of today, the DNR is currently reporting our region to be in the 25-50% range.
It’s always a challenge to predict the peak colors on the North Shore. As many of you probably know, it happens in two distinct phases. First, the maples come ablaze with bright red and brilliant orange leaves. Secondly, the aspen and birch present their golden glory. Some argue there is a third phase when the tamarack trees begin to change, which usually occurs in late October or even early November.
We are very much in that first peak now and Oberg was a fantastic spot to view the colors. The maple trees are beautiful both from the ground and from the overlooks. The birch and aspen have just begun changing and have a little ways to go. The good news is that we don’t have any storms predicted in the forecast, which should help the leaves to hang on a bit longer this year.
If you are coming to stay with us this Fall, be sure to check the activities schedule in advance. We have guided hikes, bike & hikes, fall color kayaking and wilderness canoeing. All of these activities are designed to get our guests outside exploring the most colorful season on the North Shore.
Located just a 10-minute drive from Bluefin Bay, Lutsen Mountains is nestled a couple of miles inland from Lake Superior. The maples are currently showcasing stunning peak color along the ridgeline of Moose Mountain. 
Once at the top, don’t forget to linger awhile to take in the view of Lake Superior and the Superior National Forest. Then, head to the start and zip down a half-mile track on your sled! You control your own speed so your trip can be fast and thrilling or slow and easy. We recommend going more than once to take in all the views and thrills. 
planned each day. Even better, the North Shore area has exciting, major events planned for throughout the summer. We have compiled a list of area events taking place so you can plan your Lake Superior vacation accordingly.
suggestion that we heard continually was to expand the activities we offer for younger kids.
Wednesdays will rotate between Plant Day and Rock Day
introduction to the dyeing method. You’ll then pick your colors and design, and go to work. 
