Alerts & Conditions

Alerts

Caution

• Flooding/bridge out on the Grand Portage Trail at Poplar Creek

  Alert, Severity, caution, Flooding/bridge out on the Grand Portage Trail at Poplar CreekIncreased rain and beaver dam activity flooded the Poplar Creek Crossing along the Grand Portage Trail, washing out the bridge. Please use caution as you pass. Park staff is in the process of determining a route less prone to flood damage.

 

Operating Hours & Seasons

The Heritage Center is open year-round. The Historic Depot is open from Memorial Day Weekend through Indigenous People's Day in October.
More information and seasonal hours

 

• Current Weather Conditions

Weather

Weather conditions change frequently at the site’s location on the north shore of Lake Superior.

 

A temporary trailhead is at the Fire Hall on Store Road.

NPS Graphic / B. Clayton

Temporary Trailhead for the Grand Portage Trail

Due to the road realignment project the Depot trailhead for the Grand Portage trail is temporarily moved to the Fire Hall on Store road until mid-October.

Please note: Parking is not permitted at the Fire Hall. Drop off and pick up only. Vehicles must park at the Heritage Center.

 

Additional Map Alternative Text

Map detail of the Grand Portage Trail near Lake Superior, showing the temporary trailhead. North is indicated by an arrow in the lower left corner of the map. Beginning at the Heritage Center at the bottom and moving north on the map, Mile Creek Road and the NW Co. post, Fire Hall, and Store Road are labeled in yellow. A scale of 1000 feet is along the bottom right. A legend lists the following:

• The temporary trailhead is marked by a hiker symbol in a white circle at the Fire Hall along Store Road.
• Grand Portage Trail is a yellow line.
• A section of closed trail indicated by an orange line. 
• The temporary trail spur from the main trail to the temporary trailhead is marked by a dashed line.
• The Stone Bridge and New Bridge on the road realignment are marked by light-colored rectangles.
• Proposed road construction is outlined.
• A parking icon indicates a parking lot at the Heritage Center. No parking is labeled at the Fire Hall.

 

Click on the photo for a larger image.

Flooding on the Grand Portage Trail at Poplar Creek.

Increased rain and beaver dam activity this year flooded the Poplar Creek Crossing along the Grand Portage Trail. Please use caution as you pass through the water. Park staff is in the process of determining a drier route.

 

Additional Alternative Text for the Poplar Creek Crossing Map

Map detail of the Grand Portage Trail, showing the location of the Poplar Creek Crossing. North is indicated by an arrow in the lower right corner of the map, next to a scale of 2000 feet.

• The Crossing is marked by a hiker symbol in a white.
• Grand Portage Trail is a white dashed line from the upper left to lower right.
• Old Highway 61 is a solid white line from left to top center, the parking area marked by a car symbol in a white circle

Creeks are blue lines:

• North Fork Poplar Creek is a wavy line from left to right across the center of the map.
• Poplar Creek is from the bottom left to center right.

 

Mile Creek Road Realignment and Bridge Project

Mile Creek is a Cook County managed road on the tribal lands of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa that runs through Grand Portage National Monument. To support this effort to protect the historic stone bridge and create a safer corridor for pedestrian and auto traffic, the National Park Service is providing environmental review compliance and will be monitoring construction operations to ensure environmental and archaeological resources are not impacted. The National Park Service will also provide seedlings and the labor to replant areas impacted by construction the following spring.

One species of concern in this area is Douglas Hawthorn. While some of these shrubs will be removed, another population will be started nearby.

Construction is scheduled to begin May 29th, the day after Memorial Day. While underway, traffic will continue on the current roadway. When complete, the new intersection will control traffic for safe pedestrian crossing to the Grand Portage Trail and other features of the Monument. To mitigate potential for environmental damage, equipment will be inspected, washed, and sediment from construction will be kept away from Grand Portage Creek.

For more information: Robbie Hass 218-387-3695 [e-mail]

 

Aerial view of proposed changes to Mile Creek Road

Grand Portage National Monument graphic