Last updated July 21, 2026
Three towns sit along this stretch of Highway 61 — Tofte, Lutsen and Grand Marais — and people agonise over which one to book. The honest answer is that they are close enough that you cannot really get it wrong: about 35 minutes covers all three, end to end. What changes is what you walk out the door into.
Here is what each one is actually for, including where each one loses. We run a lodge in Lutsen, so treat the last section with the scepticism it deserves — but the rest of this is the same advice we give guests on the phone.
The short answer
If you only read one paragraph
Base in Lutsen if the trip is built around skiing or trails. Base in Tofte if you want it quieter and want a shorter run at the Sawtooth peaks. Base in Grand Marais if you want a town — restaurants you can walk between, galleries, the county's only real groceries, and the road up to the Gunflint Trail and the Boundary Waters.
The three, side by side
Drive times from Nordhus Lodge
| Town | From the lodge | Best for | Where it loses | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Tofte | ~10 min south | Quiet, the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum, the Tofte General Store and its bottle shop, and the shortest run to Carlton and Britton Peak. | Fewest services of the three. It is a stop on the highway, not a town you wander. | | Lutsen | At the door | Lutsen Mountains and the gondola about 3 miles on, the Norpine Nordic system, Poplar River Falls, Moose Mountain and White Sky Rock all within about 10 minutes. | Also not a downtown. Clearview General Store covers basics; dinner usually means driving. | | Grand Marais | ~20–25 min north | The harbor, Artist’s Point, the Art Colony and North House Folk School, restaurants, groceries, and the start of the Gunflint Trail. | Furthest from the skiing. Busiest in summer and on festival weekends. |
Lutsen
Ski country, and trailheads at the door
Lutsen is not a town in the way visitors expect — there is no main street to stroll. What it has is proximity. Lutsen Mountains is roughly 3 miles from the lodge, about 10 minutes, with four linked peaks and the Midwest’s only gondola. The Norpine Nordic trail system runs past the property itself, so cross-country skiing starts at the edge of the yard rather than at a trailhead parking lot. Poplar River Falls, Moose Mountain and White Sky Rock are all inside a ten-minute drive.
The trade-off is services. Clearview General Store handles milk, ice and the thing you forgot. Anything more and you are driving — which, given the distances involved, is a smaller penalty than it sounds.
Tofte
Quieter, and closer to the peaks
Ten minutes down the shore, Tofte was founded by Norwegian fishing families, and the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum there is the best place on this coast to understand what the lake meant before it meant tourism. The Tofte General Store has an attached bottle shop. Coho Cafe is open daily. The Bluefin Bay resort complex anchors the waterfront.
For hikers, Tofte is the closest base to Carlton and Britton Peak, about 15 minutes from us and less from there — Britton in particular is a short climb for a disproportionate view. If your ideal evening is a quiet one and your days are spent on the Superior Hiking Trail, Tofte earns its case.
Grand Marais
The only real town in the county
About 20 to 25 minutes north — roughly 18 miles up Highway 61 — Grand Marais is the county seat and Cook County’s only municipality, with a population of about 1,300. It is built around a working harbor, and the walk out to Artist’s Point is the one everyone should do at least once.
It is also where the county keeps its groceries. Gene’s Foods is the one full-size supermarket, and it is closed on Sundays — plan around that. The Cook County Co-op, community-owned since 1976, is open daily. Beyond provisions: the Grand Marais Art Colony, one of Minnesota’s oldest, and North House Folk School on the harbor teaching traditional northern crafts. Grand Marais is also where the Gunflint Trail begins, which makes it the natural base for a Boundary Waters trip.
Be honest with yourself about the trip. If your days are mostly on the Gunflint Trail or in the Boundary Waters, or if you want to walk to dinner every night, Grand Marais is the better base and we will tell you so. Staying in Lutsen and driving up 20 minutes is the right call when the mountain, the Nordic trails or the quiet are the point.
How to choose in one line
By the kind of trip
| If your trip is… | Base in | | --- | --- | | A ski trip, downhill or Nordic | Lutsen | | Superior Hiking Trail peaks, and quiet evenings | Tofte or Lutsen | | Boundary Waters or the Gunflint Trail | Grand Marais | | Galleries, harbor, walkable restaurants | Grand Marais | | A large group who will cook and gather in one house | Wherever the house fits everyone — the driving is marginal | | A first visit, trying to see all of it | Anywhere in the middle; you will drive the shore regardless |
Where we sit
The part we are not neutral about
Nordhus Lodge is in Lutsen, which puts it about 3 miles from the ski base, with the Norpine trails running past the property, roughly 10 minutes from Tofte and 20 to 25 from Grand Marais. For a group of up to twelve, that middle position is the argument: you are close enough to the mountain for a ski week and close enough to Grand Marais that a town day costs you twenty minutes.
If that is not your trip, the table above still stands. See getting here for real drive times from the Twin Cities and Duluth, Grand Marais for a full day up the shore, and groceries & gear before you plan the food.
Common questions
Should we base in Lutsen, Tofte or Grand Marais?
Base in Lutsen if the trip is built around skiing or trail access — it is closest to Lutsen Mountains and the Norpine Nordic system. Choose Tofte if you want it quieter and want a shorter run to the Sawtooth peaks and the Temperance River. Choose Grand Marais if you want a walkable town with restaurants, galleries and the county's groceries, or if you are heading up the Gunflint Trail.
How far apart are Lutsen, Tofte and Grand Marais?
All three sit along Highway 61 within roughly 35 minutes end to end. From Nordhus Lodge in Lutsen, Tofte is about 10 minutes south and Grand Marais is about 20 to 25 minutes north — roughly 18 miles up the shore.
Which North Shore town has real groceries?
Grand Marais. Cook County has one full-size supermarket, Gene's Foods, which is closed on Sundays, plus the Cook County Co-op, which is open daily. Clearview General Store in Lutsen and the Tofte General Store cover basics closer in, but they are top-up stores, not a week's provisions for a group.
Which town is best for a Lutsen ski trip?
Lutsen, by distance. The ski base is about 3 miles from Nordhus Lodge, roughly 10 minutes, and the Norpine Nordic trail system runs right past the property. Tofte adds about 10 minutes to the drive and Grand Marais about 20 to 25.
Which town is best for a first visit to the North Shore?
If you only get one trip, Grand Marais gives you the most town in one place — the harbor, Artist's Point, the Art Colony and North House Folk School, and the restaurants. Basing in Lutsen or Tofte and driving up for a day gets you the same town with quieter nights.