Exploring the fall colors at Lutsen

With the leaves changing colors rapidly in the Northland, Lutsen is now one of the most popular places to go to see a vast sea of colors.

Lutsen Mountains acts as a ski resort in the winter but in the fall it’s all about the gondola rides to the top of the mountains for the spectacular over looks.

“The gondola ride is the premiere attraction, it’s one of the few spots where you can get a ride up to the mountain top vista,” says General Manager Jim Vick.

The resort has been around for 75 years, and only a few years after their opening was the gondola system built. But now due to a spike in popularity on social media, Lutsen is seeing the more people than ever.

Jim says, “Right now a peak fall colors Saturday sees almost twice as many visitors as the number of visitors on our peak ski day.”

You can see the colors from above or up close if you take a hike along on of their trails. Some people even take the gondola up and hike through the forest all the way back down.

As for how much time is left to see the colors Jim says, “The maples at the canopy are going to be nearing their end. I think there’s another week where a hike in the maple forest still are going to be spectacular. And the birch and aspen in the river valley so far has been mostly green. That all turns gold in the next two weeks.”