The latest newsletter from Tuscarora Lodge and Canoe Outfitters on the edge of the Boundary Waters.
Winter is the most dynamic season on the Gunflint Trail and it's a time of year that we fill with outdoor adventures . . . and a little daydreaming about open water season.
"Summer friends will melt away like summer snows, but winter friends are friends forever." - George R. R. Martin
Happy Everything!
Whether this email finds you elbow deep in grated potatoes for latkes or creaming together butter and sugar again for yet another batch of Christmas cookies, we wish you a very happy winter solstice and holiday season. No matter your yearend traditions, we hope you find enough margin in these often very busy days to fill the close of 2019 with all your favorite things. (And maybe a nap too, eh?)
Once again, we feel a little silly celebrating the "official" start of winter on December 21 because around here, it's felt like winter for the better part of the last two months. We've already had temperatures in the -30s, been ice skating on Seagull Lake, and gone on many an ice fishing expedition for pan fish. The towering snowbanks around Tuscarora make it look like late January outside!
But happily, we're just settling into this most dramatic and dynamic season on the Gunflint Trail. We have lots of ice fishing and other adventures to squeeze into the wintery days ahead.
Stay in our cabins - this winter and beyond
Winter's not going anywhere fast which means there's plenty of time for you to stay in one of our three winterized cabins. Our winter rental cabins are now open through the end of March. This time of year, we rent Cabin 3 (two bedrooms and wood stove in living area), Cabin 5 (three bedrooms and wood stove in living area), and the spacious three-bedroom Lodge which is great for large groups of anglers or winter campers.
If you're already dreaming of a summer cabin stay at Tuscarora, we encourage you to book now too. Each summer, our six housekeeping cabins gain popularity and that means an available cabin in July and August can be hard to come by. If you have your heart set on a certain cabin, it's a good idea to start rallying the troops now and getting your cabin stay 2020 dates set in stone sooner than later.
January 1: Lake trout ice fishing season for lakes completely within the Boundary Waters (i.e. Tuscarora, Duncan), opens
January 18: Lake trout ice fishing season for lakes partially or completely outside the BWCAW opens (i.e. Seagull, Gunflint) opens
January 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 29: BWCAW permits are reservable starting at 9 a.m. CST
February 14 - 17: Valentine's/Presidents' Day weekend
February 23: Northern Pike and Walleye season closes
Seven Days of Ice Fishing
If you follow along on our Instagram feed, you know ice fishing dominates our winters. Last March Andy launched his first ever "Seven Days of Ice Fishing" challenge where he went ice fishing every day for an entire week.
We're not sure quite sure the dates of "Seven Days of Ice Fishing" this year, but it'll be sometime in mid to late March 2020. We love late March ice fishing on the Gunflint Trail because the days are long and frequently sunny, while the ice is thick and easy to traverse.
Be sure to follow the hashtag #sevendaysoficefishing over on Instagram to know when to join us. We'd love to see your photos from #sevendaysoficefishing too!
Winter lake trout season is just around the corner and we're getting excited! Over the last few winters, we've taken to filming our winter adventures. We still post a weekly "winter weather update" video on our Facebook page each Sunday, but subscribe to our Youtube channel to get all our videos. The video above was released exclusively on Youtube, so subscribing to our Youtube channel is the best way to guarantee you don't miss a video.
Boundary Waters Quick Takes
Gift buying procrastinators unite! If you've been racking your mind trying to figure out the perfect gift for the person on your list who seems to have everything, consider giving them the gift of a canoe trip with our handy canoe trip certificate. Might as well share all that canoe country know-how! This isn't a Tuscarora gift certificate, although if you need some of our services for your trip, obviously, we're happy to help. In fact, if you need help selecting a route for your gifted canoe trip, check out our canoe routes.
Have you ever stopped to consider how that latrine made it to your campsite eight lakes in from the landing? Or admired a new boardwalk laid over a previously treacherous bit of bog? If so, you're looking at the winter work of U.S. Forest Service wilderness rangers. Ada interviewed Cathy Quinn, a wilderness ranger on the Gunflint District of the Superior National Forest, last winter about what keeps wilderness rangers busy in the Boundary Waters each winter. Read the article here.
Know someone who needs a summer job? We're now hiring for the 2020 Tuscarora Summer Crew. Apply here.
From the blog
It's that time of year when the Gunflint Trail moose want you to know that they truly do exist. And they want to make that fact known on curves. In the dark. In slick conditions. Here are our best tips for How Not to Hit A Moose on the Gunflint Trail.
We could make the argument that the Gunflint Trail is the most beautiful in any season, but it's especially photogenic in the winter. We've rounded up the 10 Most Instagrammable Places on the Gunflint Trail in winter to help you get some amazing shots for your feed.
We talk a lot about ice fishing in the Boundary Waters here, but if you've never gone angling in the winter before, it can feel daunting. Our primer on "How To Ice Fish in the Boundary Waters" will help get you started.
Where Will You Go in the Boundary Waters in 2020?
We know we've spent this whole newsletter telling you how long winter is on the Gunflint Trail, but it's a fact - one day, the snow will melt, the lakes will open, and you'll be wishing you already had your Boundary Waters canoe trip figured out. Our trip planning tips will help you get started or check out our Boundary Waters trip planning Q&A from last winter for a little BWCAW trip planning inspiration. We'll do another live Q&A at some point this winter - stay tuned for the date/time announcement. In the meantime, feel free to shoot us an email or message on social media with any questions that pop up as you consider where to go in the Boundary Waters in 2020.
As always, give us a call at 218-388-2221 to start planning this summer's adventure. We can't wait to see you all again soon!
If you follow along on our 
