Rugged and authentic
a statue decorates the grounds near Kenora’s Lake of the Woods Museum.
a charter boat full of fishermen on vacation searching for the perfect spot to catch lunch.
at the historic Fort Saint Charles visitors can explore the area’s history for free. from Minnesota’s Northwest Angle is to take your boat up to Kenora, Ontario.
It’s a fun little city on the north side of Lac du Bois, and it offers visitors a chance to grocery shop by watercraft, grab lunch with dockside parking and walk to a number of venues, such as the Lake of the Woods Museum. This provides visitors with a peek into the lake’s past, including authentic tribal costume exhibits, historic photos, vintage fishing artifacts and more.
If you have a little time to linger, make your way to the Lake of the Woods Brewing Company, which boasts a number of hand- crafted beers. Flavours such as hopwork orange and firehouse brown are on the list, along with a variety of canning jar cocktails such as the brewmaster’s man- mosa and beergarita. Vegetarians will find lots to love on their menu with entrees such as chickpea curry, roasted veggie wraps and garlic beer bread with cheese.
A leisurely ride back to the Angle will let you enjoy the wildlife, scenery and creative home designs of the lake’s residents, including a stunning log home being built by actress Goldie Hawn. One look at the massive expanse of sparkling water, stunning small islands and picture- perfect pelicans, you’ll know one truth to be self evident – Hawn has excellent taste in real estate.
If you’re traveling with a designated driver and want to bar hop by boat, you can stop at any of the various resorts on the lake as you make your way back. One fun stop is Wiley Point Lodge, which features domestic Canadian beers and coolers.
The rugged living conditions, remote wilderness and unique water- based transportation system in Lake of the Woods offer an austere authenticity that’s unlikely to dissipate anytime soon. A certain breed of individual chooses to live here full time, and they tend to raise offspring of the same mindset. This largely why the atmosphere of the original homesteaders still reverberates through the local communities, as generations of the early settlers and First Nation tribes have continued to call this wilderness home.
Those with the time to explore the area to its fullest will quickly find that this authenticity runs deep: historic tribal burial grounds, abandoned gold mines and a variety of ancient pictographs are just a few of the things visitors can explore in addition to wildlife. Remote beaches, sacred petroglyphs and the remnants of World War II prisoner of war camps are also in the mix for those with an explorer’s spirit.
Some advice: When calling in at the remote border station on your way back to the continental US, be sure to write down the Canadian transit code that the officer gives you. ( Those of other nationalities should check on their visa conditions for reentering the United States). This is the proof you’ll need that you checked in with customs if you should get stopped along the way, or your risk a hefty fine.
Tackling this lake will take much more than a long weekend. Plan to take at least a week to see the entire length of the lake and get a sense of where you will want to explore on a return visit. With more than 65,000 miles ( 105,000km) of shoreline and the Aulneau Peninsula to experience, you can easily keep yourself entertained on annual visits for years to come. – Tribune News Service