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The Atlas/Minnesota/Pincushion Mountain Overlook

Pincushion Mountain Overlook

Pincushion Mountain Overlook is a roadside parking area at the top of the first major climb on the Gunflint Trail (Cook County Road 12), roughly 2 miles north of Grand Marais, MN. The Gunflint Trail ascends approximately 600 feet in its opening miles through a maple and birch forest before reaching the Pincushion ridgeline, where a pull-off delivers a 180-degree panorama back over Grand Marais, the Lake Superior harbor, and the open water stretching to the Canadian shore. The overlook is free, with a small gravel lot and interpretive signage about the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness that begins a few miles north. It is the most accessible high-elevation viewpoint near Grand Marais.

Minnesota
Region
Viewpoint
Stop type
Standalone stop
Atlas
// Why riders stop

The Gunflint Trail's opening climb is a rewarding short detour off MN-61 — the overlook 2 miles in rewards the twist-and-grade ascent with a sweeping look back over Grand Marais and Lake Superior before riders head deeper into BWCA wilderness or return to the North Shore highway.

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