During our trip to the boundary waters, we were in a very remote area. We were a solid 30 miles outside of Grand Marais proper, and we had no phone service, no internet, and – as it turned out – no options for dining. Well, there was one option. The Trail Center Lodge Creek quickly became our favorite restaurant. Admittedly, I did really enjoy the food, but there also wasn’t much competition given that it was the only place to go.

After busy days of hiking and canoeing, we didn’t feel like a long car ride, so it was to the Trail Center Lodge that we headed three consecutive nights.

Since there wasn’t much around the area (am I repeating myself?!), the Trail Center Lodge functioned as a one-stop shop. Of sorts.

There was gas…

There were groceries*…
*don’t let this word fool you into expecting a wide selection

There was the saddest produce section I have ever seen…

Fun fact: there were more types of mayo on sale here than vegetables. Oh yeah, and don’t bring your pets:

I am assuming that other boundary waters adventurers had the same thinking we did in terms of not wanting to drive anywhere, because the wait time to get a table was about 45-70 minutes every night. The food was good though! There was a fairly extensive menu with burgers, steaks, salads, and sandwiches. Fresh bread came to the table at the start of every meal:

And all entrees came with a salad:

The first night, I got a salmon salad:

Others ordered the blue cheese filet with pasta, mussels, and a regular filet with baked yams:

The portions were all very generous and everyone enjoyed the meal.

The second night we went was Friday, and Friday at the Trail Center Lodge means ALL YOU CAN EAT FISH FRY. woop woop. I didn’t get the fish, but others did.

No one at our table could even finish the regular serving of fish and chips, much less take advantage of the all-you-can-eat option. That is a lot of food!

The exciting thing for me the second night was the discovery of the Trail Center Lodge malts:

be still my heart

blended ice cream, I love you. I ordered a chocolate pumpkin malt, and the last night I tried pumpkin peanut butter.

Other food around the table included chocolate milk, fried chicken with fries, chili burger with fries, and another filet.

There’s no question that the food at the Trail Center Lodge was pretty heavy, but for a few days on vacation it really hit the spot. If you are in the Poplar Creek area, definitely go here. But, then again, if you’re dining out in the Poplar Creek area, you won’t really have a choice. 🙂