Day Trip to the Lost 40

The Lost 40 is actually around 140 acres in size and is a truly unique spot in Minnesota. Located in far northern Itasca County, just south of the Koochiching County line, the Lost 40 is an area that has never been logged. Surveyors made a mistake identifying this portion of land as part of nearby Coddington Lake, and as such, the stumpage rights were never sold. You can hike a mile or so along a self guided trail and learn quite a bit about how the forest changes with nature, but mostly you will be impressed by the centuries old pine trees.

A parking lot, picnic area and pit toilet are there to help you enjoy the visit, compliments of the Chippewa National Forest. The drive through the Lost 40 loop brings you past several small lakes and over several hardwood ridges.

If you are a wildlife watcher, you can hike on the nearby Dishpan Lake trail system which will take you through prime areas to spot Ruffed Grouse, Ducks, Cranes, Swans and many other types of birds. Many of the ridges provide an opportunity to spot Whitetail Deer browsing the abundant underbrush.

I've highlighted the route I like to follow to visit the Lost 40 on the map below, starting at my home in International Falls. It is the Minnesota Highway map and only shows the route in general terms. I would suggest stopping at a Chippewa National Forest Ranger Station and picking up one of their maps, which are very detail oriented. However, their map is limited to the National Forest and does not extend as far North as International Falls. You could plan your own route just by knowing the Lost 40 is located between Dora Lake on Itasca 29 and the intersection of Koochiching County 26 and Minnesota Highway 1 just east of Northome. The Chippewa has ranger stations at Blackduck and Marcel, not far from this great point of interest.

Here's a turn by turn description of my favorite route. I start from International Falls and head west on highway 11/71. At Pelland Junction, I stay with Minnesota 11 west. Just after you cross the Big Fork River, Koochiching County 1, also known as the Lindford Road will be on the left. Turn onto the Lindford Road and head south, you will be traveling along the west bank of the Big Fork and there are several great photo opportunities.

In one of the farm fields, there is a rather old piece of farm machinery with several trees growing up through it, I guess the farmer doesn't really need it all that much. I've been told it is a 1951 John Deere Combine, but farm-boy, I'm not.

A bridge over the Big Fork River at the little burg of Lindford offers some great views, and it is your cue to look for Koochiching County 13 to bear off to the right. This is a gravel road, but it is in good shape and will take you directly to highway 71 just east of Big Falls. Along the route, there will be a forestry road marked Keuffner's Landing. This is a small Koochiching County Park on the east bank of the Big Fork, you'll find a picnic table, a pit toilet and a hunter/hiking trail here. It is a great place for a little break.

When you reach Big Falls, turn into the City Park and Campground on your right, the cascades on the Big Fork River are beautiful at any time of the year, but especially when they are framed with fall colors.

Many visitors don't know about one of the best photo opportunities at the Big Falls Park. Walk up to the bridge and halfway across on the sidewalk, there will be a stairway down to the little Island in the middle of the cascades that offers a lot of great photos. Don't miss out on crossing the road and heading to the upstream end of this island, where you will find even more great views.

A small historic display in Big Falls features on old crawler used to skid enormous loads of logs as lumber and paper mills began the process of harvesting wood. Logging is very big business in the area, and the County and private companies alike practice sustainable management. Forest products truly is a renewable resource.

When you're ready to resume the trip, head south west out of Big Falls on US 71. About six miles down the road, you pass under a high tension power line, that is your cue to be looking for the Hick's Ridge road on your right.

Take a turn through the ridge and you will see pine plantations, aspen regeneration and beaver flowages. There are several logging roads that turn off of the main road, many are ideal for wildlife spotting, or hunting.

The road makes about a six mile loop on the north side of US 71. You are nearing civilization again when you spot a very large natural meadow on your left. Creative as we Minnesotan's are, we call this the Big Meadow. A bit past the meadow, the road will join with Koochiching County 61, go left and follow this road back to US 71.

Where the County road meets with US 71, you are on the south end of the small town of Margie and you want to turn right and head further southwest. As you travel this portion of highway 71, it is obvious that you are going downhill from Hick's Ridge, and from the lowest elevation, it is obvious that you are then heading up to another ridge. This area is within the Pine Island State Forest, so named for the Islands of pine the pioneers found rising out of the boggy lowlands.

As you are heading uphill towards Gemmell ridge, look for a forestry road that heads both east and west off of Highway 71, you want to turn left onto the Gemmell Ridge Road. If you reach the small town of Gemmell, you zipped past the ridge road.

Stay with the Gemmel Road for about 8 miles and you come to a three way intersection. Heading east, or to your left, will be the Caldwell Brook Road and heading south west will be the Wildwood Road. You will want to stay with the Wildwood Road. The forestry road becomes a county road just past the bridge over Caldwell Brook, and you simply stay with the county road until you intersect Minnesota 1 just a mile or so past the Wildwood township hall.

Turn right onto Minnesota 1 and start heading west, you'll travel through farm and forestland for seven or eight miles until you come to Koochiching County 26 on the left. Turn Left onto 26 and follow it until you come to an intersection with Itasca County 31. Your choices will be to bear left on 31/26 or head south on 31 alone, Stay with 31. You will know you are doing the right thing if you go past a rural home and old farm and cross a small stream called Moose Brook. Within a mile of Moose Brook you will find a Chippewa National Forest Road heading south, or to your left. This road is clearly marked The Lost Forty Loop and that is the road you want to follow. At this point, if you do not find the Lost 40, you should be legally required to surrender your driver's license.

There will be plenty of parking space, and you'll see the first interpretive sign, explaining how the lost 40 came to be. The sign is at the start of a self-guided trail and you will spot some really big pines just yards down the trail.

As you hike along this trail, you will see pines that have been growing for centuries, and you will see areas where wildfire consumed the forest and newer pine have been growing in. Some pine have been knocked down by lightning or wind, and they are an important part of the habitat here, providing homes for rodents and raptors alike. It is not unusual to spot Bald Eagles.

Following the trail to the end brings you to Moose Brook, a stream you crossed on your way here. It's a nice overlook to take a break, on your return be sure to take the other loop back to the parking area.

Enjoy your visit to the lost 40, and be sure to tell others about this great day trip. Learn more about fun things to see and do near International Falls by visiting www.rainylake.org, the website for the International Falls, Ranier and Rainy Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The May 2011 iossue of Field and Stream magazine features International Falls and Rainy Lake on page 44. I'd direct you to check it out on their website, but I couldn't find it there. Closest I can come is the photo you see.

Some people have emailed me to ask about camping near the lost 40, which is quite possible. There is a National Forest campground at Noma Lake just north of Wirt, about five miles east of Dora Lake. There are a couple very simple campsites on Glove Lake, just north of the Lost 40. The city of Northome has a campground with some services located on Bartlett Lake. Big Falls also has a city campground and it is situated on the cascades of the Big Fork River.

There are some other things to see nearby. The flowing well taps an artesian water source 214 feet down, it was drilled in 1914 to provide water to ice logging roads in the winter making it easier to pull huge loads of timber out of the woods.

There are gold mines on Rainy Lake and in the summer, Voyageurs National Park provides boat tours to one on Little American Island. The photo is of the horizontal mine shaft on Bushyhead Island.Voyageurs also offers boat tours to Kettle Falls, and a remote wilderness hotel surrounded by stunning scenery and swimming in history. Kettle Falls, incidentally, is one of the few spots where you can stand on US soil and look south into Canada.

The St. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church at Bramble is worth a photo. Basshenge is an interesting, if quirky, piece of roadside art near Birchdale. There are rapids on the Rainy River near Birchdale and Indus. Big Vic is a 30 foot tall Voyageur guarding the village of Ranier and Smokey Bear has been working to prevent forest fires for more than a half-century in International Falls. The number of forestry roads providing wildlife watching opportunities is truly astounding.

Of course you could canoe the Big Fork or Littlefork River, fish any of the area lakes, hike, bike, ride atv's, pick berries, hunt, ski, snowmobile...well, you get the idea.

Do you have a question? email me, I'm Pete Schultz at cvb@rainylake.org or call me 1 800 325 5766.

Yes, that is what I look like, and I'm sporting a stylish record low temp hockey hoodie from the International Falls Chamber of Commerce. They are selling for $44.00 for S-XL and a little more for larger sizes. Shipping costs vary. The hoodies note the record low here of -55 set in 1909. However, the coldest spot in Minnesota is really Embarrass, about 100 miles east of here. If you'd like one of these fashionable hoodies, contact me at cvb@rainylake.org or call at 1 800 325 5766.

The welcome runners sign was up to greet participants in the "Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run" held January 15, 2011.