Forests, Fires, and Water

A little north of the City of Brainerd is the Paul Bunyon Scenic Byway. The roads of this byway weave in and out of the lakes and through the woodlands surrounding them. It struck us odd that very little information could be found, either online or in print, about where to see things along this byway, but we found a few places.

Our first stop was at the Pequot Fire Lookout Tower. A short way down the trail to the tower there is a clearing where they have a small pavilion. Along side the shelter there are several signboards with various photos, descriptions and illustrations showing the history of the tower, fire fighting practices, the environmental benefits of forest fires, historic fires in northern Minnesota, and even one of Smokey Bear.

There are two options for trails to take you to the observation tower and both involve climbing the hill. One is more out in the sunshine and is longer, gentler, and paved. A narrower, crushed stone trail is the more direct path and it takes you through the forest and up some steps. Each is good in their own right, seeing and reading about the aspen trees on one trail and seeing wildflowers on the other. I went up one and down the other, since neither is very long.

The observation tower rose from the hilltop as I got closer, revealing the many steps needed to climb to the top. They steeply ascended above the trees to the observation platform, where 360 degree views of nature awaited. I could see for miles in each direction with the forests, lakes and roads laid out before me. Descending the stairs can a little harrowing too, they are just as steep going down, and you can see exactly how high you are up.

Further down the road we came to the Town of Crosslake nestled on the shores of Cross Lake. This lake was created by a dam built on the Pine River. This dam and control structure were built in 1906 to help control flooding on the Mississippi River.

In Nisswa is the Pioneer Village, which is part of the Nisswa Historical Center and Museum. Gathered here and placed in a village setting are homes, businesses and other artifacts from the surrounding area allowing us a glimpse into a foregone era. It was especially fun to see the three different houses of German, Norwegian, and Swedish nationalities next to each other.

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