Lakefront MN Family Vacations

GUNFLINT TRAIL SNOWMOBILE DRAGS
Hungry Jack Lodge is pleased to announce that they will be hosting the Cook County Ridge Riders, snowmobile club drag races on February 19, 2011. Sign up for those who will be racing begins at 11 AM and the drag racing is scheduled to begin at noon.

Classifications for the snowmobile drags include: stock classes for 600 cc, 700 cc and 800 cc sleds and an open class for modified snowmobiles.

Even though the video shown below is not from the Gunflint Trail area we have put it in our blog just so that people can get an idea of snowmobile drag racing is all about.



Make the drags a full day event at Hungry Jack Lodge. Come early and have a burger, pizza or wrap from the Hungry Jack Lodge winter menu. You can eat in either our upstairs lake view dining room or in our lower level Loggers Lounge. Enjoy your favorite beverage in the Logger Lounge. Watch the drags and then stick around for the evening entertainment in the Loggers Lounge at Hungry Jack Lodge.

The Eddie Mac band will be playing in the Loggers Lounge starting at 9 PM. Come early. The Eddie Mac band is one of the favorite bands in the Grand Maris and Gunflint Trail areas of Minnesota. Even if you don't make it to the drag races be sure to stop at Hungry Jack Lodge in the evening on February 19th to hear this great band.

SNOWMOBILE TRAIL CONDITIONS
GUNFLINT TRAIL AREA OF MINNESOTA

We received about 4” of fresh snow Sunday night (1/23/11).  The snowmobile trails are in excellent shape.  Snow levels are pushing close to 3 ft or better here at the mid-trail area.  Come up and see us if you are traveling this way.

2011 POLARIS 550 SNOWMOBILES
FOR RENT ON THE GUNFLINT TRAIL

We now have new photos on our website of the 2011 snowmobiles that were added to our snow mobile rental livery fleet.  Photos of our livery snowmobiles that are available for rent can be seen at http://www.hungryjacklodge.com/snowmobile_rentals.htm.  There are also text links, to view the rental snowmobiles at our Gunflint Trail winter resort, on the Minnesota Winter Resort page of our website.


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GUNFLINT TRAIL SNOWMOBILE REPORT
Conditions are still in excellent shape.  Our snow levels around the mid-trail area, are around 24”  The trails are being groomed on a regular basis.  The Cook County Ridge Riders snowmobile club has been doing a lot of trail maintenance this season, with almost 8 miles of reconstruction of the Gunflint Snowmobile Trail.  They are also working very hard on brushing back the trails.  If you have snowmobiled in Cook County previously you will see great improvements to our local trail system.  The improvements will continue .

Come on up and see us here at Hungry Jack Lodge. Winter cabins and log cabins are available for rent suring the 2011 snowmobiling and ice fishing season.  Snowmobiling in the Gunflint Trail area?  Stop in for one of our famous burgers, pizza's or wraps.  We're right on the Hungry Jack spur trail.  We of course have all of your favorite beverages available and offer full liqour service in our Loggers Lounge.

LAKE TROUT ICE FISHING
Lake Trout ice fishing season opens on Saturday, January 15th.  Some of Minnesota's best ice fishing can be found on the lakes ajoininh Hungry Jack Lodge, just off the Gunflint Trail in northern MN.  Winter cabin rentals are filling fast for the weekend of the opener, but we still have some winter rental cabins available here at our Gunflint Trail snowmobiling and ice fishing resort.

JANUARY 15 --- To celebrate the opening of Trout Season we will have the D'Merritt band playing in the Loggers Lounge between 8 PM and Midnight.  Also be sure to take advantage of our HAPPY HOUR from 9 to 10 PM and one of our dinner "specials" on the 15th. 

GUNFLINT TRAIL SNOW UPDATE
Well things have been a bit brisk here the past few days. We had -24F this morning, not very nice weather for being outside. This cold weather is great for the lakes and swamps that did not get a good freeze early on.

We did get some new snow on Thursday night maybe 2-3 inches with a little more closer to Lake Superior. We did not get any snow out of the big storm that crossed the central and southern MN. I would say our snow depth is still right around 18” give or take a little bit depending upon where you are at along the Gunflint Trail.


We have been working very hard getting our new menu put together as well as getting all of the cabins ready for winter. We have also upgraded 4 of our Gunflint Trail rental snowmobiles this year. We will still have a fleet of 6 sleds, two Polaris Super Sports and four 2010 Trail Touring’s.

MINNESOTA WINTER RESORT RE-OPENS
Hungry Jack Lodge, on the Gunflint Trail, is scheduled to re-open on December 26th for the snowmobiling and ice fishing seasons. It looks like we should have great conditions for snowmobiling when we re-open.

We have only 2 winter cabins for rent for the New Year’s weekend. We’re sure that the two remaining winter cabins that are available will be rented very soon. So, if you are planning on snowmobiling the Gunflint Trail over the New Year’s weekend, be sure to make your MN winter cabin rental reservation quickly.

In fact, reservations for our Gunflint Trail winter cabins are beginning to get filled on a regular basis. Be sure to book your reservations early so that you can be assured of getting a winter rental cabin at our MN snowmobile resort on the dates that you have your trip planned.

GUNFLINT TRAIL WINTER ACTIVITIES

DECEMBER 31 --- We will be having a New Year’s Eve party in the Logger Lounge at Hungry Jack Lodge.

JANUARY 15 --- Lake Trout Ice Fishing season Opens. To celebrate the opening of Trout Season we will have the Demeritt band playing in the Loggers Lounge beginning at 8 PM.

FEBRUARY 18 and 19 --- The Eddie Mac Band will be playing in the Loggers Lounge at Hungry Jack Lodge on the Gunflint Trail. The Eddie Mac Band is one, if not THE favorite bands in the Minnesota northwoods. Below is a video of the Eddie Mac Band playing at WTIP radio studios.




FEBRUARY 18 --- GUNFLINT RAILSNOWMOBILE DRAG RACES on Hungry Jack Lake at Hungry Jack Lodge. Sign up at 11 am. Drag racing starts at noon. This is probably the biggest event on the Gunflint Trail during the winter season. Come early stay late. Enjoy food, your favorite beverages, drag racing and the Eddie Mac Band at 9 pm. It just doesn’t get any better than this.

VISIT OUR GUNFLINT TRAIL RESORT WEBSITE
For more information about Hungry Jacvk Lodge, on the Gunflint Trail, in Grand Marais, MN please visit our website http://www.hungryjacklodge.com/ Online winter cabin reservations are available on our website or phone (reservation only phone) us with your reservations at (800) 338-1566

MN SNOWMOBILING & ICE FISHING
Hungry Jack Lodge winter resort on the Gunflint Trail, in Grand Marais MN is currently closed while we get ready for our re-opening on December 26th, for the snowmobiling and ice fishing seasons of 2010-2011. We’re busy getting our last boats and docks out of the water, cutting and stacking firewood for the fireplaces in our winter rental cabins and are preparing for winter in general.

The Minnesota snowmobiling and ice fishing seasons will soon be here. We’ve already had light snow a few times this month. THINK SNOW!!!

GUNFLINT TRAIL SNOWMOBILE RENTALS
A couple of weeks ago we wrote that we were getting a total of 4 new snowmobiles for our Grand Marais and Gunflint Trail snowmobile rental fleet. The new snowmobiles will be Polaris sleds and not Arctic Cat as we previous wrote. We will be getting 2 new two-up and 2 new one-up snowmobiles to add to our snowmobile livery fleet.

We will be retiring 4 of our oldest rental snowmobiles (two 2-up and two 1-up) and replacing them with the brand new Polaris sleds. In total, Hungry Jack Lodge will have six 2009 and 2010 model year Polaris snowmobiles available to rent in the Grand Marais, MN, Gunflint Trail area during the 2010-2011 snowmobiling season.

Snowmobile rental rates for the sleds in our snowmobile rental fleet are already among the most affordable in the Grand Marais and Gunflint Trail area and our snowmobile rental rates will remain the same as they were last year.

The Hungry Jack Lodge, Gunflint Trail, and Grand Marais, MN snowmobile rental rate is $185 for a full day. Hourly, Week-end and Weekly snowmobile rental packages can be arranged. Call 1-800-338-1566 to reserve your snowmobile rental or to arrange a special pricing package.

MN WINTER LOG CABIN AND CABIN RENTALS
The 2010-2011 winter cabin rental rates at our Grand Marais, Gunflint Trail snowmobiling and ice fishing resort will not change and will be the same as they were during the previous MN winter season. Our Minnesota winter resort has cabins and log cabins available for rent that can accommodate from 2 in a smaller sized cabin and up to 20 people in our large “Deer” Log Lodge.

For more information about any of our Gunflint Trail winter log cabin rentals, be sure to check out the Winter Cabin Rentals page of the Hungry Jack Lodge website. Cabin rental reservations can be made online, directly from our website, or feel free to call us at (800) 338-1566 with any questions that you may have.

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We’ve been real busy at Hungry Jack Lodge getting ready for the Minnesota snowmobile and ice fishing season. We have most of the cabins that will not be open for the winter winterized, the fishing docks and all but a couple of boats out of the lake. Firewood is being cut and stacked at the winter log cabins and cabins that will be open and available for rent during the winter.

Hungry Jack Lodge will be closed beginning October 24th and will re-open for the Gunflint Trail snowmobiling and MN ice fishing seasons on December 26th, the day after Christmas. THINK SNOW!


GRAND MARAIS & GUNFLINT TRAIL SNOWMOBILE RENTALS

We will be getting 4 new snowmobiles to add to our Grand Maris, MN and Gunflint Trail snowmobile rental fleet, for the 2010 – 2011 MN snowmobile season. We will be adding two 1-up and two 2-up sleds. Though we are not absolutely sure at this point in time, the new rental snowmobiles will probably be Arctic Cat’s.

Our Gunflint Trail rental snowmobiles usually are booked fast during the winter season on the Gunflint Trail. So, we suggest that if someone in your winter vacation party needs to rent a sled, contact us at the earliest possible date to reserve one of our rental snowmobiles. It’s probably best to reserve a snowmobile rental at the same time that you book your winter cabin rental, at our Grand Marais, Gunflint Trail, Minnesota winter resort.

Snowmobile rental reservations must be made by phone and cannot be made online. Call (800) 338-1566 to reserve a rental snowmobile for the Grand Marais, MN and Gunflint Trail area.

NORTHERN MINNESOTA WINTER CABINS

The rates for our MN winter log cabins and cabin rentals will not changed for the 2010 – 2010 winter season and will be the same as they were for last winter. See the Gunflint Trail Winter Cabin Rentals page of the Hungry Jack Lodge website for more details on our winter log cabin rentals and winter cabin rentals at our Gunflint Trail snowmobiling and ice fishing resort.

GUNFLINT TRAIL 2010 RUFFED GROUSE SEASON

In our last Blog entry we disputed the MN DNR prediction that the ruffed grouse hunting season in the Arrowhead region of MN would be down from the 2009 grouse hunting season. Local observations of ruffed grouse indicated, and we predicted, that the 2010 grouse hunting season should be good and not down as the Minnesota DNR had predicted, based on the DNR’s spring drumming counts.

Well, we were correct. The 2010 ruffed grouse hunting season has proven to be absolutely phenomenal. Grouse hunters at our Gunflint Trail resort in NE Minnesota are doing exceptional well and the ruffed grouse harvest is one of the best that we’ve ever seen. There are more grouse this year than anyone can remember in the recent past.



The MN ruffed grouse hunting season runs through 1/2/2011. However, you have only a couple of weeks left to come on up and hunt grouse at Hungry Jack Lodge, due to the fact that we will be closing on October 24th for a short break before we re-open for the 2010 – 2011 MN snowmobiling and Gunflint Trail ice fishing season on December 26th.

We suggest that you call now to reserve one of our northern MN log cabins before you end up missing the great ruffed grouse hunting that is in full swing right now in Gunflint Trail area of NE Minnesota. Online cabin reservations are available from our website. http://www.hungryjacklodge.com/  Or, Call us at (800) 338-1566 to make your cabin reservation and enjoy what remains of a great ruffed grouse hunting season.

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Ruffed Grouse populations tend to rise and fall on a 10-year cycle and populations are surveyed by counting the number of male ruffed grouse heard drumming on established routes throughout Minnesota’s forested regions.

LOCAL OBSERVATIONS - RUFFED GROUSE
2009 was an excellent ruffed grouse hunting year. Based on our observations and in our opinion, the ruffed grouse hunting season for 2010 should be at least as good, if not better than the 2009 ruffed grouse season.

Our opinion is based on personal observations plus conversations with various UPS drivers, food service & beverage delivery drivers and others who drive almost all of the local roads on a continuous basis. Pretty much everyone that is frequently on the back roads, in the Gunflint Trail area of northern Minnesota, says that they are seeing more ruffed grouse than they did last year, which as an excellent grouse hunting year.

Keep in mind that our prediction is based on the actual observations of ruffed grouse and is not based on spring drumming counts, which are used by the Minnesota DNR to estimate the ruffed grouse population in northeastern Minnesota.

MN DNR RUFFED GROUSE ESTIMATES
According to the Minnesota DNR, ruffed grouse drumming counts were significantly lower in 2010 than they were in 2009, across most of their range.

The Minnesota DNR claims that ruffed grouse drumming counts decreased 31% compared to those in 2009 in the northeast survey region, which makes up the core and bulk of the grouse range in Minnesota. However, even though the DNR estimates a decrease in ruffed grouse, the numbers are still closer to those at the high end of rather than the low end of the 10-year cycle.

WHO TO BELIEVE
Due to the fact that the Minnesota DNR ruffed grouse spring drumming counts and our own late summer observations of ruffed grouse conflict, it will be interesting to see if 2010 goes down as an excellent ruffed grouse hunting season.

Keep in mind that the MN DNR prediction is an estimate based on spring drumming counts and our prediction is based on actual late summer observations of ruffed grouse by local people.

Only time will tell how good 2010 turns out for Minnesota ruffed grouse hunters.

GROUSE HUNTING AT HUNGRY JACK LODGE
The Gunflint Trail area of northeastern MN is one of the best (if not THE BEST) ruffed grouse hunting areas in the Untied States. As a result, Hungry Jack Lodge, located on the Gunflint Trail, is the temporary home to a fairly large number of grouse hunters during the MN grouse hunting season. Hungry Jack Lodge and Campground offers everything that grouse hunters want or need.

Small game hunting licenses are available at Hungry Jack Lodge and Campground. Lakefront log cabins and cottages are available for rent at our Gunflint Trail resort and we also have campsites that will accommodate tents up to large motor homes.

Do your own cooking or enjoy breakfast and dinner in our new lake view main lodge. The Loggers lounge in the lower level of our lodge offers beer, wine and full liquor service along with multiple TV’s, pool table, darts and video games.

For more information about grouse hunting at Hungry Jack Lodge visit the Minnesota hunting page of our website at www.hungryjacklodge.com/hunting_bwca.htm Information about our lakefront rental cabins can be found at www.hungryjacklodge.com/deluxe-lakeside-family-resort-cabins.htm and for information about our northern MN lakeside campground visit www.hungryjacklodge.com/camp.htm

This year there is a new attraction and activity on the Gunflint Trail which is ideal for those not so perfect weather days, when the weather happens to be a little too windy and the lake is rough or if it is raining. The 50 acre Chic-Wauk Museum and Nature Center, located near the end of the Gunflint Trail was opened on July 4th.

Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center is being run by the Gunflint Trail Historical Society and offers a number of interpretive and interactive displays, videos and photos, all of which describes the natural and cultural history of the Gunflint Trail. In addition to the inside displays and activities at Chik-Wauk there are also picnic areas, overlooks and a number of interpretive hiking trails.

Though we have not had the opportunity to personally visit Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center we have heard from others that it is very interesting and informative, especially for those who not aware of or want to learn more about the rich history of the Gunflint Trail.

Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center is located on the southeast edge of Saganaga Lake near the end of the Gunflint Trail. To reach Chik-Wauk, follow the Gunflint Trail (Cook County Road 12) 55 miles from Grand Marais, MN to Moose Pond Drive (Cook County Road 81). Turn right and travel 1/4 mile to the entry gate for Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center.

2010 GUNFLINT TRAIL WEATHER
The weather here at our Gunflint Trail family and fishing resort has been great so far this year. We’ve had a few days of rain here and there, which is need to keep the surrounding forest and woods out of high fire danger. Our temperatures have been as near perfect as we could ask for, ranging mostly in the mid 70’s for the most part. With the weather co-operating, our lakefront cabin rental guests and full service northern MN campground guests have had good to great fishing, ideal days on which to canoe and to hike on one of the many hiking trails.

MINNESOTA FAMILY FISHING RESORT INFORMATION
Need more information about our northern MN lakeside resort? Visit our website at http://www.hungryjacklodge.com/ to find out more about our northern Minnesota lakefront family and fishing resort on the Gunflint Trail, near Grand Marais, MN. Or, call us at (218) 388-2265. Reservations for our lakeside rental log cabins can be made with your credit card from our website 24/7 or by calling us at (800) 338-1566.

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