Fall Colors Are Poppin’ Up The North Shore

LUTSEN, Minn. — Every fall, thousands of people flock up north to take in the beauty of Northern Minnesota.

“We had 5,000, this past weekend. We’ve had a lot of people coming up here, our hotels have been totally full,” said Zak Trimble, Chief Operations Officer for Lutsen Mountains.

And they all show up for the same reason. To check out those leaves at peak.

“It fills my soul. I mean coming to the north shore totally fills my soul. There’s so much stuff going on. And this just makes me feel better,” said Lutsen Mountains visitor Elizabeth Schwerm.

Schwerm, like lots of guests, traveled to Lutsen all the way from the Twin Cities. And from the sounds of it, the trip is well worth it.

“This is not a drive for us. This is only 3, 4 hours. This is nothing, we’re retired so we can do whatever we want. We come up here at least twice a year. We always come during the fall season. This is actually our second trip in two weeks,” said Schwerm.

Lutsen Mountains has been around since the 1880s. But for the fall season, the leaves are the main event

“And it’s really one of the best places in the state that you can see the maples, the aspens, the pine really coming together for these colors,” said Trimble.

Everyone checking out the views has their eyes set on specific leaf colors.

“My husbands are red; he’s always looking for a red. And we seem to have a difference between what yellow and orange is. So, I like orange. But apparently orange is yellow,” laughed Schwerm.

Lutsen is the largest ski area in the Midwest. It has over 95 runs, and spans 1,000 acres, overlooking Lake Superior. Getting people outside, for whatever reason, is a mission for Lutsen Mountains.

“It’s extremely important to me. I really want people to get out here, see these places, and understand why we need to protect and preserve the wilderness areas. I love that we’re a year-round operation here at Lutsen. It gets people involved 365 days a year. Whether you’re riding the gondola. do some hiking, the slide come in winter. We love having everybody up here,” said Trimble.

Trimble recommends stopping up this weekend to be able to view the fall colors.

That being said, he also recommends getting there early, as they are known to sell out of gondola tickets during busy days.