Some of the natural resources of the Lake Country Scenic Byway are already packaged in a tour route for your convenient enjoyment. By car or boat, you’ll see some of the best of the Byway.

WOODTICK AUTO TOUR

This unique, 14-mile auto tour of scenic lakes and wetlands includes many highlights. The auto tour follows a road that was built along an 1890s railroad grade used to haul logs to a sawmill. View examples of homesteaders who tried unsuccessfully to farm the area. There are open fields, wind rows and home sites that are signs of the past. The Woodtick Auto Tour route crosses the North Country Trail and leads to the Woodtick Impoundment, a waterfowl nesting area. Other points of interest include tree cutting and regeneration sites along the route.

BOAT TOURS

Chester Charles at Lake Itasca 1.5-hour daily tours by boat, narrated by a naturalist

WILDERNESS DRIVE

This 10-mile, one-way scenic drive heads west from the Headwaters and ends near Douglas Lodge. There are many spectacular sights along the drive.

FALL COLOR TOURS

The byway is filled with fall color opportunities due to the vast array of forests. You can see aspen, basswood, birch, maple, oak and tamarack in their prime beauty. Drive through the sprawling Chippewa National Forest or explore Itasca State Park, where the mighty Mississippi River begins its 2,552-mile sojourn to the Gulf of Mexico. The Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge or the Paul Bunyan State Forest near Park Rapids also offer the spectacle of fall in its prime. Spectacular colors and fun fall activities await you in the Detroit Lakes area from late-September to mid-October.

For more information contact the local chamber of commerce.

Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber:
http://www.visitdetroitlakes.com

Park Rapids Area Chamber:
http://www.parkrapids.com

Leech Lake Area Chamber:
http://www.leech-lake.com

Itasca State Park:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us