The Camp Menogyn Story

Camp Menogyn was founded in 1922 on West Bearskin Lake outside of Grand Marais, Minnesota. Nestled in the "mid-trail" area of the Gunflint Trail, the camp is only accessible by water and is located adjacent to two entry points the the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The first campers took the train to Duluth, steamship America to Grand Marais and then a truck to Leo Lake. From there, they paddled and portaged all of their gear and provisions. These campers helped build the original cabins and would take breaks to fish and camp as the building progressed.

Our current facility was built in the mid 1940's by Charlie Boostrom, a well-known log builder of the time. From this base camp, we are able to launch over 150 camping trips a year. Some campers paddle out, others travel as far as the Brooks Range of Alaska, the Rocky Mountains of the West or the rivers of the Far North of Canada.

We want to take the time to recognize that well before Camp Menogyn was ever established, people have been living in and stewarding this land for tens of thousands of years. We recognize that we are on the ancestral and contemporary homelands of the Dakota people who call this land Mni Sota Makoce. We recognize that we are on the homelands of the Anishinaabe people whose name means First People. We recognize that both of these groups were forcibly and intentionally displaced from their homelands by both the United States and Minnesota governments. Both of these groups continue to live in and steward the lands in which we live and travel through. We are committed to being allies of Indigenous Nations and lifting up Tribal Sovereignty. We are committed to continuing to be stewards of this land and respecting the people who have always been here and continue to live here. We encourage you to write and share land acknowledgments on all of the trips you go on.