Internet and Cell Service

If you have AT&T service you will have 1-2 bars of 5G LTE reception at the Burrow. But even 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 by a hotspot. Hotspot data is limited so please be considerate with your usage and watch movies using the iPad (this does not use hotspot data.) To turn on the hotspot go to settings>personal hotspot and turn on “allow others to join” and “maximize compatibility.” You should now see a signal pop up in your devices wifi list.

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

We ask that guests hike in by their own potable water. 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 septic system. 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 a small 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 or two of the containers labeled “NON POTABLE” located in the cabinet near the door to fill it up again.

If you want hot water in the sink, the SILVER kettle under the stove top can be used to add hot water to COLD water already in the sink tank. Be careful not to burn yourself when turning on the faucet.

Water that goes down the drain is filtered using the timber gray-water 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. This is rarely an issue April-October, 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 again; 0-100.

If the cabin loses power and you still have a charge over 10%, first check the inverter status in the loft. There is a switch in the sleeping area between the bedroom shelves. Turn it off and on again and power should return. If power does not return, you may have depleted the batteries. If that happens, you don’t need to sit in the dark. Flashlights and lanterns are provided in the bathroom closet. The stove will continue to provide heat.

To turn off the exterior lights use the remote on the coat rack shelf.

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 Burrow does not have a traditional toilet. 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.) 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 go out there (a minimum of 50’ away from the lake and 50’ from the house) to save propane. You are off grid after all. 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 it’s night or scary and 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 next to the building 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 in the cabinet 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.

Campfires

Campfires are only allowed when the Superior National Forest is in low or moderate fire danger. If it is in High fire danger check with us to see if there are any restrictions in effect and use extreme caution. In all instances be safe with campfires, keep them in the provided fire ring, and douse them with lake water before going to bed or watch it burn out. Do not leave fires unattended and don’t make them larger than they need to be. The Northwoods is a fire driven ecosystem so while some wildfires are natural you don;t want. to be the one to start it. Let lightning make those decsions.

Feel free to burn any downed wood or sticks within the vicinity of the burrow including the precut brush that is stacked near the cabin. Picking up sticks and limbs helps us to “firewise” the grounds. Your first bundle of split wood (anything wraped in twine) is free with your stay. Any BUNDLES used beyond that are $7 and can be paid for by leaving cash on the counter when you leave or the QR code here. You are welcome to bring in your own wood but it must be purchased locally in order to prevent pests and disease.

Heat

Toasty fires in a wood burning stove are one of the best parts of winter in the North Woods — but safety 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.

STARTING A FIRE In the wood stove

To start a fire from cold, 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 50-75% open. 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. At night the cabin will cool off but is well insulated. With the wall heater running at half or less you should be able to wake up in the morning  and make a fire again to warm things back up. When you leave the cabin you can add a couple of logs so that it will still be warm when you come back. Just ensure that the door is fully latched and the damper is closed down to 25% or less.

The wall heater may be on and set to low when you arrive in the winter. 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.

Tucker Lake, Canoe and paddle boards

***Please do not bathe or use soap of any kind in 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. Anglers report walleye, sunfish, and northern.

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 on watercraft for each person on the water. Children under 10 are required to wear them.  A state license is required to fish in any public lake in Minnesota. While Tucker Lake is small weather can change quickly and create dangerous condidtions. Check the weather on the provided ipad and avoid going out on the water when its windy. Use caution and please sign the Liability Waiver provided in the pocket of this binder or sign digitally here: https://form.jotform.com/251433304086147

Leaving the Burrow

Before you leave we ask that you make sure the lights and record player are turned off. Please do your dishes and empty the sink strainer into the trash. The last step is to hike out your trash and recycling and seperate it into the cans in the box at the trailhead. We’ll do the rest.

Restaurants

Poplar Haus Cabins, Restaurant, and Liquor Store (218-388-2222)

Great food and cocktails - about 15 minutes east (towards town) of the Burrow on the Gunflint Trail. Reservations are required in peak season and recommended in winter.

Borderland Lodge (218-388-2233)

Great food made from scratch and sourced almost entirely from the State of Minnesota. Borderland offers fantastic views of Gunflint Lake and the surrounding palisades with a homey atmosphere. Open weekends. Reservations are required.

White Pine Lodge and Pizza (218-388-0172)

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 can be  a line in peak season.

Hungry Jack Lodge

Bar with food and a mean hot chicken sammich. 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 beer and wine. 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 forest 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. Check out whats going on in the newest issue of Northern Wilds, on visitcookcounty.com, or feel free to ask us what’s up in the wilderness.

Hikes - Lengths and difficulties generated using alltrails

There are many beautiful hikes in the area within a short drive. Ask us for directions to the trail head or just do a quick search. Here are some of our favorites:

Honey Moon Bluff - .4 miles

Labeled as moderate difficulty this is a short hike with quite a few stairs but the ROI is high.

Caribou Rock Trail - 7.7 Miles

Labeled as hard difficulty this is a hike with lots of ups and downs that ends at a beautiful waterfall with side treks to great overlooks of Rose lake and Canada.

Bridal Falls Via Crab Lake Trail - 7.7 Miles

Labeled as moderate difficulty this is a very nice hike with some good views of Gunflint Lake and a waterfall at the end. Note that Bridal Falls can also be accessed if you are on Gunflint Lake via the trail near campers island.

High Cliffs Overlook - 1.5 Miles

Labeled as moderate difficulty this is another trail with a high ROI. Great views of Gunflint Lake.

Magnetic Rock Hiking Trail - 3 miles

Labeled as easy difficulty this is a classic Gunflint Trail Hike. There are no lake views but some beautiful spots that overlook Moosey Zones (swampy areas). It all ends at a large monolithic rock that will mess with your composes.

There are many more hikes on the Gunflint and along the shores of Lake Superior. Ask if you have any more questions.