Savanna Portage State Park
Savanna Portage State Park, Minnesota’s third largest, is named for a centuries-old footpath used by the Dakota and Ojibwe, and later by explorers, missionaries and voyageurs. This trail is a 6 mile-long portage between the East Savanna and the West Savanna River. The Savanna Portage was a vital link between the St. Louis River watershed and that of the Mississippi River on the canoe fur trade route from Lake Superior to the Upper Mississippi. Modern-day voyageurs can still follow this route today.
Savanna Portage State Park is located 17 miles northeast of McGregor just off the Great River Road Scenic Byway in Minnesota’s Aitkin County.
Some people bring their bikes to Savanna Portage to pedal through the campground and on the park roads. You can also mountain bike on 10 miles of park trails. Chances of spotting wildlife are good on the park’s 27 miles of hiking trails. Most of them weave through the hilly country between Loon Lake and Lake Shumway. The Continental Divide Trail takes you along a ridge that separates the St. Louis River watershed from the Mississippi River watershed and offers a scenic overlook. The Remote Lake Trail off Loon Lake Trail will take you to the Remote Lake Solitude Area within the Savanna State Forest.
Plants and Wildlife
Visitors can keep warm by hiking, biking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing. Trails in the park are groomed as time permits.
More about skiing in the park and the McGregor area