8/18/19 – Though we’re best known for the abundance of canoeing opportunities at Sawbill, there are plenty of other outdoor recreation opportunities nearby. We often get asked about hiking trails in the area and there are some great options! Eagle Mountain is probably the most popular choice, about a 40 minute drive from Sawbill down the grade. It is a moderate ~7 mile hike that summits at the highest point in Minnesota. The trail winds through forest, marshes and lakes before the relatively steep climb to the top in the last half mile or so.

A closer option to Sawbill would be the Carlton or Britton peak trails. The trailheads are just a few miles down the Sawbill Trail from Tofte. Britton peak is a short hike (only .5 mile or so), while Carlton peak is 3 miles round trip. Another option about 5 miles north of Tofte are the Oberg and Leveaux Mountain trails. Each trail is about 3 miles, both with amazing views overlooking Lake Superior and the surrounding national forest. These hikes can be extended for longer trips as they coincide with the Superior Hiking Trail, a 310 mile foot trail along the north shore from Duluth to the Canadian border. There are plenty of chances to hop onto the Superior Hiking Trail along Highway 61. If you’ve already done these hikes, don’t fret! The abundance of state parks on the north shore provide even more opportunities. I recently hiked next to waterfalls on the Cascade river and potholes of the Temperance river, both discovered on Highway 61 pulloffs. Wherever you go, it’s sure to be beautiful. Happy hiking!
-Allison

8/15/19 – If you’re having trouble pushing through to the weekend, hopefully this will help a bit. This is an appreciation post for the sweet boy that is Huckleberry. If you don’t know him, he’s the springer spaniel that belongs to Sawbill owners Clare and Dan Shirley. Looking closely, you can see that his name tag gives away his occupation: the official Director of Public Outreach. Unofficially, he is the store greeter, bodyguard, therapy dog, Olympic swimmer, professional snuggler, and Sawbill mascot. On behalf of the entire crew, we’re all happy we get to spend time with him while we’re here. Friendly reminder that he does have severe food allergies so please don’t give him any of your treats or snacks. He also loves to swim with folks on the dock, but practice caution if you have a fishing line in. The poor guy doesn’t understand the concept that bobbers are attached to hooks. Besides that, feel free to give him lots of love if you see him around the campground! Cheers to Huckleberry (aka buns, hucklebuns, bunners, huck) for being the best boy!

-Allison

8/9/19 – Though things are still hectic around here, a few crew members have found time to escape for some berry picking. Perfect timing too! Peak strawberry season has passed, but we’re expecting the raspberries to start ripening very soon. The blueberries are the real star of the show right now. Clare and Kit did some picking earlier this week and report that the blueberries are about 60% blue with 40% green still. Definitely time to start heading to your favorite patches! It appears the weather will provide a near perfect few days, with mostly clear skies and mid 70s expected through Sunday. Whether it be berry picking, hiking, or canoeing, we hope you get the chance to be outside this weekend. Happy Friday!

-Allison

8/3/19 – Thanks to everyone that showed up for this years’ annual Dome Dance! It was a great time. Terrence Smith showed everyone the ropes of square dancing accompanied by some fantastic lively music. What a great way to break in the new square dome! Though the new building is definitely not circular, it’ll always be a dome to us. Being peak busy season, everyone could use a little dancing release. If you’re sad you missed it, there’s always next year!

-Allison

7/27/19 – Drum roll, please… Introducing for the very first time, the entire 2019 Sawbill crew! This is probably the only time where you’ll see all of us in the same spot the entire summer. After locating everyone for a quick photo, the group dissipated within two minutes to head right back to work. We are in the busy season, after all! Thanks to crew member Matthew for the photography skills and capturing Kit’s finest smile with his camera. All we need now is to Photoshop Huckleberry in the middle; we think he was too busy visiting the campground to join us.

-Allison

7/26/19 – This past Saturday, two of our crew members took the day off and decided to conquer one of our 3-4 day routes in just one day! Mike and Nathan took the challenge of paddling the Lady Chain and were successful in completing it in about 9 hours and 20 minutes in our Wenonah Minnesota II canoe. They were able to do it in such a short amount of time by single portaging and bringing just a couple of day packs. Even with plans to complete it in a day, they still carried emergency equipment in case they had to stay overnight on a lake. The weather could not have been better for them, with slight winds and clouds turning into sunshine and tailwinds by the early afternoon. Mike got the chance to say hello to a group he sent out on Thursday as he passed them! Everyone enjoys their trips at different paces and this particular one was seen as more of a challenge than a vacation to Nathan and Mike. Though we wouldn’t recommend this speed to customers, those who decide to do something similar should be an experienced BWCA paddler and take the proper gear just in case.

The Lady Chain is one of Sawbill’s less frequented routes, being a point to point chain starting in Kawishiwi Lake. Most customers decide to start there and paddle through Lake Polly, Phoebe, Grace, Beth and Alton before arriving to Sawbill. This is a great straightforward route that can be fun for families or paddlers of all skill levels. With appropriate time allotted, there’s plenty of opportunity for exploring surrounding lakes and rivers along the route. There’s many campsites along the chain, so it tends to never be full or overcrowded. Fishers in particular enjoy this route. Polly, Phoebe and Grace lake are great for walleye, while Beth and Alton are filled with small mouth bass and sunfish. If you’d like to know more about this route, feel free to give us a call or ask a crew member for more information and suggestions. We’re more than happy to help!

-Allison

7/24/19 – After a cold, late spring and slow start to the fishing season, things are picking up! Sawbill crewmember, Brian Henry, tried his luck yesterday mid-late afternoon on an undisclosed area lake that rhymes with “poke”. He came home triumphant with this lovely stringer of walleye and one sizable small-mouth.

-Clare

7/22/19 – People find the most clever ways to represent their love for the Boundary waters. This week, we had a customer with the same idea as our campground hosts- a dedication to the BWCA on their license plates! It’s a great show of love, and tells us that people come from all over the visit this remote part of Northern Minnesota. We have customers from all over the country, as the licenses from Nebraska and Texas show below. Heck, we have people from all over the world visiting the Boundary Waters! This year alone, people have visited Sawbill from Russia, Mexico, Guatemala, Denmark, Norway, and Germany. It’s amazing that this region can hold something special in so many people’s hearts. Whether you come from 30 miles away or 3,000, we love to hear your stories of how you found BWCA or Sawbill!

-Allison

7/16/19 – Check out this lovely snapper seen by Jim (our campground host) a couple days back! She’s been up and around the landing, presumably looking for a good spot to lay her eggs. If you see her, please be respectful and careful! I mean, they are called snapping turtles for a reason. We’ll be keeping an eye out in a couple months for her eggs to hatch, along with the rest of the painted turtles that have been laying in the area! In the meantime, we’ll admire these beautiful creatures from afar.

-Allison

7/12/19 – Summer season is in full swing here at Sawbill! The past few weeks have been getting busier and busier as we head into the peak of the season. Because of this, if you’re going on a trip and want a specific kind of canoe, we highly recommend making a reservation before you head up. We still gladly accept walk-ins, but it’s best to reserve if you have a particular model you’d like for your group.

In other news, the past few days of rain have cleared up and it’s turned out to be a beautiful day. Tomorrow looks to be the same! Looks like there may be some rain early next week, so plan accordingly for your BWCA trips and stay safe during any thunderstorms. Tomorrow night should be perfect weather for a campfire and a wildlife chat with the USFS thanks to the naturalist program! It starts at 7:30 and we hope to see you there with a s’more in your hand. Cheers!

-Allison