Banadad Ski Trail

The BWCA's Longest  Tracked Ski Trail​

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The Banadad Ski Trail System is a public ski trail managed by the Banadad Ski Trail Association, in agreement with the Gunflint Ranger District — USFS and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The Minnesota Ski Pass is required to ski the trail. Free public parking is provided at the Eastern and Western Trail Heads.​​

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The System consists of the 27 kilometer Banadad trail, a single tracked intimate trail through the Boundary Waters Wilderness, and another 14 kilometers of trails taking off from the Banadad's eastern end. All the trails are single tracked. The Trail is centrally located along the 200-kilometer Gunflint Nordic Trails. The eastern end of the Banadad connects with the Central Gunflint Trails and at the western end skiers can ski into the Upper Gunflint Trail System. Trail access for the Eastern Trailhead is located along the Little Ollie Road. The Western Trailhead is off the Gunflint Trail, 1/4 mile south of the Loon Lake Public Landing. Other trail  access is across Poplar Lake at the Swamp, Lizz and Mead Lake Portages.

In the summer the Banadad Trail is an interesting hiking trail, providing you with a glimpse of what much of the interior of the Boundary Water (BWCA) looks like when not viewed from a Boundary Waters lake.

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While Nordic Skiing is normally considered an eco-friendly sport, the Gunflint Nordic Trails have taken this one step further. Many ago the Banadad Ski Trail became carbon neutral ski trails.

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A NOTE ABOUT THE YURTS

Boundary Country Trekking is no longer operating yurt-to-yurt skiing. The Tall Pines yurt has been dismantled. The Croft yurt is still in place but is not being maintained. 

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Banadad Ski Trail in the news

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• MN Conservation Volunteer Magazine (Jan-Feb 2022). Read story with this link

• In the Spring 2018 Cross Country Skier Magazine 

• November 27, 2018  Quetico Superior Wilderness News

• National Geographic online