National Monument · MN
The National Park Service lists 17 things to do at Grand Portage National Monument. 17 have no extra fee, 14 need no reservation, and 8 allow pets. Each listing links to the full NPS page. Data is from the NPS snapshot of Oct 28, 2026.
Updated · NPS Data API
If you have a full day, you have time to see the museum exhibits at the Heritage Center, walk through the historic North West Company Depot, have a picnic along Lake Superior, and hike to the top of Mount Rose or a part of the Grand Portage Trail.
1-3 Days Year-round Reservation required Pets allowed
From the Heritage Center parking lot to the top of Mount Rose and down to the Historic Depot, you'll pass through different habitats. Listen for Merlins and White-throated Sparrows, watch Turkey Vultures soar, and warblers flit among the branches.
30-90 Minutes Year-round Pets allowed
A selection of books and souvenirs are available for sale in the bookstore.
Year-round
Junior Rangers have fun discovering history, while learning about why we need to protect the special treasures found in our National Parks.
Year-round Pets allowed
Learn about Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) culture past and present. Explore the art and craft of the Grand Portage community with many museum objects on display, including tools for woodworking and gathering maple sugar, a cradleboard, a drum, beaded items, and more.
30-60 Minutes Year-round
Suggestions for what to do if you have a half day to explore Grand Portage. Plan to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy a view of the bay. These activities take place indoors at the Heritage Center and Depot, as well as outdoors on the grounds.
2-6 Hours Year-round Pets allowed
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Several options exist for exploring the Grand Portage. From a canoe adventure starting in the Boundary Waters to a short walk from the Depot, this trail offers year-round options for hiking, portaging, skiing, and snowshoeing.
3-48 Hours Year-round Reservation required Pets allowed
Hike the Mount Rose Trail for stunning views of Grand Portage Bay and the Depot. To experience the trek the Voyageurs made as well as Indigenous people before them, hike a portion or all of Gitchi Onagamiing, the Grand Portage Trail.
Year-round Pets allowed
Driving through? Stop to stretch your legs at the Heritage Center and Historic Depot to view exhibits about Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) culture and where you learn about a time when the fur trade dominated North American commerce.
2-3 Hours Year-round
View archaeological artifacts from excavations from the 1930s to the present. Most of what we know about Grand Portage and the fur trade came out of the ground!
30-60 Minutes Year-round Reservation required
Voyageurs, North Men and Montrealers, made up the bulk of the fur trade employees at Grand Portage. These hardy souls would spend weeks to months in the wilderness transporting trade goods to remote posts either in canoes or on their backs.
30-60 Minutes Year-round
Stop by the Heritage Center for a list of today's programs. Learn how to build a canoe, take a hike with a ranger, find out what is growing in the heirloom garden, and see what kind of food the men of the North West Company ate.
30-60 Minutes Spring, Summer, Fall
Craft Demonstrations
Ask at the front desk to check out a pair of historic snowshoes for the day. Explore the snowy Depot area.
Winter Pets allowed
The Grand Portage National Monument passport stamp is located at the Heritage Center desk.
2-5 Minutes Year-round
Grand Portage State Park is the location of the highest waterfall in Minnesota. The waterfalls and rapids along this section of the Pigeon River caused the significance of the Grand Portage Trail bypass for canoe traffic.
1-4 Hours Year-round Pets allowed
Boozhoo! Bonjour! Welcome to the Depot! In the days of the fur trade, a great variety of people passed through its gates to do business with the North West Company.
1-3 Hours Spring, Summer, Fall
Reenactments
Watch the feature film - Rendezvous With History: a Grand Portage Story (23 minutes)
23-60 Minutes Year-round
Check current alerts and closures, entrance fees and operating hours for Grand Portage. Programs and tours can change with the season or be cancelled on short notice — confirm on the NPS page before you plan around one.
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