A five-minute hike through the forest leads you to the front door of The Burrow, our off-grid GUEST cabin on a hill just above Tucker Lake.
A unique experience on the Gunflint Trail, our hideaway provides an opportunity for solitude at the edge of the wilderness without giving up the comforts of home.
A short walk down a hill to the lake gives you direct BWCA access from our private dock and opportunities for adventure and relaxation with provided snow shoes, paddle boards and a canoe.
The space
The Burrow is hike-in and off-grid. You should be prepared to carry everything you take in and out on your back. *Please note that we have a strict 3 guest limit.
After parking at the trailhead near the main house, guests take the .2-mile path as it gently meanders through woods of spruce, aspen and white pine before arriving at The Burrow. The lake is another 200 feet through the forest.
The Burrow is powered by the sun and heated with propane and wood, but still offers many modern amenities. Visiting in the summer is carefree and requires little to no monitoring of the cabin's off-grid systems. A visit in the winter however will require you to monitor battery power levels and burn wood to keep the cabin at a comfortable temperature in addition to a vented, propane heater.
AT&T customers will have 2 bars of 5G service at the cabin, but the lodging also comes with a 5G capable iPad that can be used to watch movies, send messages, and provide a hotspot to connect your devices. Keep in mind that hotspot data is limited so we ask that you use the iPad to stream video and do data intensive tasks. The WiFi works but do not expect it to preform as it would at your home. You’re in the wilderness after all.
The cabin's kitchen includes a two-burner stove top, a spacious mini fridge, basic kitchen utensils, olive oil, salt, pepper, and everything you need to make a good cup of coffee.
NOTE: Potable water is not provided to guests. The Burrow has a sink that is operated with a foot pump that provides unheated, NON POTABLE water for doing dishes and washing up. Drinking water must be hiked in (or filtered by guests as you would in the BWCA).
The cabin's indoor bathroom uses an incinerating toilet, which might take a little getting used to but provides a superior experience to an outhouse. The bathroom also includes a wash basin that can be filled with water and a mirror.
When the seasons allow, guests can use a battery powered pump placed in a bucket at the outdoor shower. A large kettle can be used to make the shower warm. In winter there is currently NO SHOWER option at the burrow. You can shower at Golden Eagle Lodge, the YMCA or Municipal Campground in Grand Marais.
Tucker Lake is 2.7 miles long and is located partially in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The lake is shallow at 40’ and warms up more quickly than deeper lakes in the area. A fast drop off from the dock makes for great swimming and fishing. Anglers report walleye and sunfish in the lake, and your neighbors will include beaver, otters, moose, loons and wolves.
Guest access
You have private access to the Burrow, dock, canoe, and two paddle boards. We provide firewood for heat and campfires.
Getting Here
The Burrow is located on Tucker Lake about 40 miles up the Gunflint Trail. The trip takes about an hour from Grand Marais, Minnesota.
Our road is a 1.25 mile rough gravel road with many potholes. While AWD is not required in the summer it is recommended. No matter the season, expect to drive slow to avoid big rocks and bumps in the road. It’s all part of your wilderness experience!
Specific directions given after booking.
Other things to note
Internet and Cell Service
If you have AT&T service you will have 1-2 bars of 5G LTE reception at the Burrow. If you don't, the cabin includes an iPad with AT&T service that can be used to watch movies, send messages, or provide your own devices with wifi using a hotspot. Hotspot data is limited so please be considerate with your usage and use the iPad for any type of streaming (the iPad itself has unlimited data) or data intensive tasks. The WiFi works but don’t expect it to preform as well as your connection at home. You’re in the wilderness after all.
The Kitchen
***You are the Fire Department at the Burrow. Know where the fire extinguisher is and how to use it.***
The kitchen in the Burrow has a two-burner range, basic cooking utensils, including knives, cutting boards, a pot and pan, chemex coffee pot with filters, and a kettle. It’s a great place to make a meal for 1-3 people and comes with the dishes to do so. A sink with limited water supply for cleaning dishes and washing up is also included.
Drinking and Cooking Water
Drinking and cooking water must be hiked in by guests. Water for washing is provided by us, but unless specifically marked as potable, water at the burrow should not be consumed. Sink water, for example, should be considered non potable and should only be used for washing.
The Sink at the burrow uses a special gray water septic system, so please DO NOT WASH FOOD OR GREASE DOWN THE DRAIN. The drain strainer should be emptied into the trash to keep food particles out of pipes. Your consideration is important to keeping the cabin running properly and protecting the environment around the cabin.
How to use the sink:
The sink runs on water pump that works with a foot pedal at the base. The faucet lever must be open and all the way up for the foot pedal to work. The pump shakes when in use — that's normal and perfectly OK. When the tank below the sink runs out of water, use one of the containers labeled "NON POTABLE" located on the porch near to fill it up again.
If you want hot water in the sink, please use the SILVER kettle under the stove to heat it up. Once heated, add the hot water to COLD water already in the sink tank. Be careful not to burn yourself when turning on the faucet.
Use the drain strainer to ensure food and debris are deposited into the trash and do not go down the drain. NO GREASE can go down the drain. Grey water in the sink is filtered using the timber septic box outside the kitchen window. The outdoor shower is on top of the septic box.
Lights and Power
The Burrow is solar powered, which means you may need to conserve power if there hasn't been much sun. Usually this isn't an issue, but during the winter months, when days are shorter, it's especially important to keep an eye on the battery level so you don't run out of juice.
You can track battery use by opening the closet in the bathroom and locating the small round digital readout on the back of the cabinet. Pressing any button will illuminate the LCD screen and give you a battery level in percentage. If you accidentally change the digital readout to anything other than percentage, use the arrow keys to cycle through the options until you see a percent; 0-100.
If the cabin loses power, but you have plenty of battery charge, first check the inverter status in the loft. There is a switch in the sleeping area between the bedroom shelves. If it is red, turn it off and on again and power should return.
If power does not return, you may have depleted the batteries. Anything that creates heat using electricity uses lots of power; please refrain from sustained use of these things and monitor your power consumption when doing so.
Flashlights and lanterns are provided in the bathroom closet. Contact us and we’ll get the system back up and going.
The Bathroom
Feel free to fill the pitcher in the bathroom from the sink to use with the wash basin. The used water from this should be discarded in the kitchen sink.
The Toilet at the Burrow MUST BE USED WITH A BOWL LINER (Basically an oversized coffee filter).
The Burrow does not have a traditional septic system. Instead, we have an incinerating toilet called "the Cinderella." This toilet runs on propane instead of water, can be used up to 3 times per hour, and handles both urine and feces.
To use the toilet, lift the lid to turn the toilet on and insert a bowl liner as depicted in the diagram on the bottom of the toilet lid. DO NOT USE the toilet WITHOUT A LINER. It creates a mess.
When you are finished, close the lid and open the air vent on the wall behind the toilet at least one click. Press the button with the triangle on it. The liner will drop into the chamber below and begin to incinerate. The air vent needs to remain open for the duration of incinerating (approximately one hour depending on weight). The toilet can be used in the same fashion even during an incineration up to 3 times per hour, but each time the incineration process starts over.
If you only need to urinate and are ok going outside we prefer that you do (a minimum of 50’ away from the lake and 50’ from the house). If it's winter, please do not pee close to the Burrow. Find a spot away from the house in the woods and cover up your pee with fresh snow when you're done.
If you are only peeing inside, you can use the bowl liners twice or more for pee only — If it’s yellow, let it mellow.
Outdoor Shower (Only operational Spring - Fall)
The outdoor shower head is located in the bathroom closet. Make sure it is charged and bring it to the outdoor shower stall on top of the septic box. Fill the bucket in the shower stall with water from the rain barrel, the lake, or a provided non potable water container.
If you would like to have a hot shower you can heat the silver kettle under the stove top and pour it into a bucket of already cold water. Please check the temperature of the water before using. To use the shower head, put the sprayer into the holder on the shower stall and place the other end with the pump in the bucket. Press the on button and wash. Turn the shower head off and on while lathering to make sure you have enough water left to rinse off.
Heat - Inside fires only allowed October - April unless otherwise discussed
Toasty fires in a wood burning stove are one of the best parts of Winter in the North Woods — but safely when making a fire in the Burrow is very important. Please familiarize yourself with the location of the fire extinguisher and how to use it.
To start a fire, open the stove damper fully by pushing the damper lever on the front of the stove all the way to the left. Open the door and place one log inside to the right or left side of the fire box. Put a healthy amount of birch bark strips next to the log. Then lay kindling over the birch bark by resting one end on top of the first log. Place one log on top of the kindling and light the birch bark. Leave the door to the stove open just a crack for the first 2-5 minutes to make sure there's enough air for the fire to start. DO NOT DO THIS FOR MORE THAN 10 MINUTES. Now close the stove door and make sure it is latched. Keep the damper fully open for 10-20 more minutes to make sure the fire is burning well (If the cabin or chimney pipe is cold you may have to leave the damper open for longer). Lastly push the damper lever to the right to close it down to 25-50%. Once you have a hot fire you should just be able to keep adding wood every 40-90 minutes without touching the damper. DO NOT LEAVE THE DAMPER FULLY OPEN FOR MORE THAN 30 MINUTES. This could lead to fire.
The wall heater may be on and set to low when you arrive. Please use the wood burning stove for “comfort heat” in colder temperatures. The small wall heater is meant to keep the cabin at a reasonable temperature for your arrival but will not warm the cabin up to 60-70 degrees.
Bonfires
Bonfires are only allowed when the Superior National Forest is in low or moderate fire danger. You may see signs at ranger stations on your drive north or you can check the fire danger with us. In all instances be safe with your bonfires, keep them in the provided fire ring, and douse them with water before going to bed. Do not leave fires unattended and don't make them larger than they need to be.
The Lake.
Tucker Lake is a 2.7 mile long lake that is about 40 feet deep and is great for swimming. The lake's dark orange color comes from the iron and tannins in the water. The BWCA boundary line passes along the tips of the islands to the west and the rarely used portage out of Tucker into Little Iron is about a mile to the east. You are welcome to use the supplied paddle boards or canoe, but please do not portage the Burrow's provided canoe out of Tucker Lake. State law requires you to bring a life vest in the canoe for each person on the water, even if you decide not to wear them. A MNDNR fishing license is required to fish in any public lake in Minnesota.
Restaurants
Poplar Haus restaurant and bar has great food and cocktails and is located about 15 minutes east (towards town) on the Gunflint Trail. Reservations are required in peak season and recommended in winter.
White Pine Lodge and Pizza
Great pizza, wine and beer about 15 minutes east (towards town) on the Gunflint Trail.
Reservations are required.
Trail Center
Beer, Malts, and tavern style food about 15 minutes east (towards town) on the Gunflint Trail. Reservations are not required, but there is often a line in peak season.
Hungry Jack Lodge
Bar with food. About 15 minutes east (towards town) on the Gunflint Trail. Make a left (north) on Hungry Jack Road and follow signs about two miles to Hungry Jack Lodge. No reservations.
Gunflint Lodge
Restaurant with full bar. About seven minutes west (away from town) on the Gunflint Trail make a right (north) on Gunflint Lake Road and follow signs about one mile to Gunflint Lodge.
The Community
The Gunflint Trail is a community all of its own in Cook County. Many residents live tucked back into the forests year round and survive in this sometimes harsh place by depending on the help of their neighbors. Please be respectful to both our human and animal neighbors by keeping loud music/sounds to a minimum and practicing leave no trace principles. There are often events going on either up the trail or in town. Please do your own research about events, trails, and things to do in the area or feel free to ask us what’s going on in the wilderness.
