Have you traveled many roads in your lifetime. Yes, most of us have. I traveled recently and was amazed at the ease of travel and the beauty to be seen all around. Whether coming from the north, south, east or west, there are just the right roads to travel to get to Lake of the Woods.

This time of year is special as a panoramic color parade causes your eyes to feast on the beauty. Reds and golds mixed with the beautiful evergreens make your travel so enjoyable. The tamaracs of Lake of the Woods are also putting on their golden crowns this time of year.

Lake of the Woods is the largest fresh water lake next to the Great Lakes. I still believe it’s a well-kept secret. Located at the very top of the United States and bordering the great country of Canada this pristine lake and beautiful land area can be reached from many directions.

Highway 11 is the main highway at the very top of the state that reaches from Ranier, MN on Rainy Lake and follows the Rainy River that makes the border between the countries of the US and Canada which flows into Lake of the Woods. Waters there travel from east to west and then north into the lake.

Hwy 11 continues west to the very border of North Dakota. Explore Minnesota puts out a great Minnesota highway map each year with updated roads for folks to travel. Contact them for a free copy. The main road going north to the border and reaching Hwy 11, Baudette and Lake of the Woods is Highway 71/72. At Blackduck, MN the road number changes from 71 to 72 north.

When traveling this road you will be going through the towns of Kelliher and Waskish on Upper Red Lake. After that you will be traveling through the largest bog area of the contiguous United States. The history here is astounding and trees and swamp land and wild life are precious sights instead of billboards. Smile. Stop and visit the Big Bog trail on your way north on Hwy 72.

To give you a travel perspective, Lake of the Woods is 211 miles from Duluth, MN 232 miles from Fargo, ND, 308 miles from Minneapolis/St. Paul, 476 miles from Sioux Falls SD, 550 miles from Des Moines, IA, 608 miles from Milwaukee, WI, 656 miles from Omaha, NE, and 680 miles from Chicago, IL.  As you can see it takes many miles of roads to reach this awesome destination.

If you decide to travel by air, there are three commercial flights that come within traveling distance to the area.  70 miles from Baudette to the east is International Falls International Airport which has daily flights to and from MSP using Delta airlines. Rental car companies are available there such as Avis, Ford and GM. Their phone is 218-283-4461 or their website is:  www.internationalfallsairport.com. Then take the road to the east to Lake of the Woods.

Bemidji Regional Airport is located 102 miles from Baudette. This airport has daily flights to and from MSP using Delta Airlines also. Again, Rental car companies are anxious to get you on the road north using companies from Enterprise, Alamo, National, Hertz and Economy. Their number is 218-444-2438 and their website is: www.bemidjiairport.org.

Grand Forks International Airport is located in Grand Forks, ND which is 178 miles from Baudette and has flights with Delta Airlines and Allegiant Airlines. To get on the road, Avis, Hertz, National and Enterprise companies are available. There’s more information at 701-795-6981 or www.gfairport.com.

A great tool these days to find the best and fastest roads or routes to Baudette/Lake of the Woods is a GPS or Google Maps. What a great way to travel when someone is telling you ahead of time where to turn and what turn to take on what road.

Speaking of roads, very soon, Mother Nature is changing the waters of Lake of the Woods to a frozen wonderland.  Our resort owners are already preparing fish houses and equipment which build an exciting adventure for the winter season.

Ice roads are available to snowmobile, bombardiers, and other methods of travel to make other localities on the lake available during the winter months. Ice sometimes reaches over 3 feet thick so roads are extremely safe to travel north to the Island area or north and west to the Northwest Angle. What an exciting way to travel.

Make your plans now to travel any road you desire to get to the beautiful destination of Lake of the Woods.  See www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com for more information and lodging availability.