Pehrson Lodge: An Idyllic Minnesota Family Getaway

To be 8 years old, living life in a swimsuit, jumping freely into cold Minnesota waters off a boat, screaming at the top of your lungs because your surroundings don’t require mom and dad to say “keep it down.” To play on a playground, build a sandcastle, cast a line off the dock, fight the waves in a kayak – BY YOURSELF! And then you paint a plate, tie dye a shirt, pick out sunglasses from the gift shop, stay up late to watch the stars night after night after night, concoct every kind of s’more possible with the ingredients that came with you in the cooler. Only to end the nights laughing uncontrollably with your siblings and sitting on the laps of your parents because they are actually sitting down. They are slowed down. They are relaxed.

Those are the moments that make the memories. Those exact memories were made for our kiddos (and us!) this past week during our visit to Northern Minnesota – the kind of Northern Minnesota where grocery stores are called “markets” and video rental stores still exist. We packed up our gear and drove 3.5 hours north from our home near Minneapolis to a legendary family-owned resort called Pehrson Lodge, located in Cook, MN. Immediately upon arrival, we knew this was gonna be good!

Met by friendly staff and kind owners who showed us down the thin peninsula lined in bona fide North woods trees, the kids were squealing with anticipation in the backseat. Every cabin looked inviting and the water had the kids’ attention immediately (it helped that there was a huge inflatable water slide right in their eye line). We pulled up to “Sandcastle,” one of their “medium-large” cabins. Pehrson Lodge, which has been owned by the same family for 24 years now, offers cabins in varying sizes – “small” which holds up to 5 people, “medium” for up to 6, “medium-large” for up to 8 and “large” for up to 12. Depending on how much you want to spend and how much space you require, it is a nice breakdown of options. Plus, many are pet-friendly and all are beautiful and have been progressively improved over the years.

Their main lodge was also redone from its original state and is exceptionally gorgeous – open air, super clean, plenty of seating, a small gift shop (where you can also purchase necessities if you forget, say, toothbrushes), books and board games for borrowing, foosball, ping pong, pool, porch swings and a workout room.

We were most excited to jump in the lake. It took us about 12.4 seconds to get from the car to the cabin to dump our bags – immediately into our swimsuits and into Lake Vermilion. It was chilly for late August, but nobody cared. Off of Pehrson Lodge’s main beach are a few docks and some water toys, a bag of beach toys, a playground, an inflatable slide (which was the absolute best, and most exhausting, thing I’ve done in a long time), tons of beach chairs and a sanitizing station. You can see seagulls, hawks and bald eagles from every angle too!

Of course, we had to try out every piece of water equipment the lodge offered, so we walked down to the office dock (only about 60 seconds to get there from our cabin – awesome!) where two staff helped us get ready to launch. I have to say this in writing – the young kids (do I sound like a grandma yet?) they have working here are phenomenal. Every time we borrowed equipment, the guys manning the dock would ask us about our trip, our summer, our lives. I found that impressive because we’ve definitely had some bad service in our time. Anyway….back to the water…

You walk down the dock, borrow a life jacket (or bring your own) and tell them if you want to try the stand up paddle boards, canoes, kayaks, hydro bikes, or Hobie boards (which are like ellipticals on water, but easier). While our 4-year old was too short to ride anything on his own, he loved being a passenger in our kayaks or on our boards. The 8- and 11-year olds were allowed to use whatever they wanted with parental supervision – and I wasn’t about to let them have all the fun. We spent literal hours doing this and was such an awesome perk to our stay at Pehrson Lodge!

Our Sandcastle cabin was so nice – with an upstairs loft, two bathrooms, a full kitchen and (my favorite) a little sundeck where I sat and sipped my morning coffee (and evening wine) because I could see the kids playing in the sand from the windows. All five of us slept hard each night because A) sun and B) comfort. While we had to tiptoe around in the morning to not wake up others, it was surely enough space for our family.

Mornings were spent eating mini boxes of cereal and playing on the playground. While the cabins are relatively close to one another, the noise is not an issue. Plus it was sort of comforting hearing other parents around us saying “where are your goggles?” and “don’t hit your sister.”…made me feel normal.

The water was shallow enough that I wasn’t nervous to send them out to play on the beach with each other, but life jackets were mandated by me if they swam out to the slide. Overall, every mom (and dad) I saw enjoying Pehrson Lodge was in a state of utter relaxation – a rarer sighting that Big Foot, I believe.

Our second day was spent on a rented pontoon. Yes, the entire day. They rent fishing and ski boats in addition to pontoons. They do have a sailboat as well, which is complimentary to guests and comes with an orientation (because sailing is hard!). Rates for pontoons start at $200 for the whole day, but you can rent for 4 hours or for an entire week. For our family, it was 100% worth it – we packed a day bag with snacks, towels, drinks and entertainment and made stops to eat lunch, spot eagles and stretch our legs on Black Bay. My husband had never driven a boat before, but he had no problem navigating the lake and keeping everything safe and sound. We let the kids jump off the pontoon in one of the bays and they thought they were the coolest – jump off the front, swim around the side, climb up the ladder, and repeat. Then of course we all had to nap because that’s what you do on a boat, right?

We did find a fun little stop for dinner, which was super exciting for the kids. They’ve never pulled up to a restaurant via boat before. The Landing is just a short 10-minute boat ride from Pehrson Lodge with plenty of patio seating to enjoy with yummy beers and kids meals for only $5. We heard Moosebirds was a short walk down the road from The Landing, so we headed to the gift shop for some shopping and ice cream. Then, finally back to the lodge to return the pontoon and unwind by the fire.

Bonfires feel like a no-brainer Minnesota staple when it comes to cabin life. They felt like the only time all day we could finally sit simultaneously for a long period of time. We caught up on our favorite parts of the day, discussed our cuts and scratches, planned our next day’s agenda and giggled through conversations. We rocked our s’mores bar with various chocolates and Ritz crackers instead of graham (try it…I’m telling you!). We taught the kids about constellations via the Skyview app. We played “Would You Rather.” We stood on the docks and watched the sunsets turn from pink to orange to a gorgeous royal blue. The evenings were my favorite time – unwinding together.

Because our family doesn’t sit still very long, we actually headed 45 minutes (more) north one morning to explore the Vermilion Gorge hike on Crane Lake. While it killed my husband to not go just a little bit farther to see Voyageurs National Park, I thought the distance to the gorge was far enough for our family. The trail was nearly 5 miles out and back in some deep almost-Canadian woods, dense with some bugs (so wear some spray) and plenty of beauty!

There were wetlands with boardwalks, rocky steps, mossy tree trunks, happy squirrels and even some deer. But the best part was obviously the ending – the gorge itself! We all played on the rocks in the river, and even caught (and released) a couple massive frogs. The actual gorge is crazy high and the cliffs are more sheer and frightening than made me comfortable, but we held our kids back and enjoyed the views from a safe distance. It certainly was worth the drive and the hike. Five stars – highly recommend. And bring water shoes, snacks and drinks.

When I say Pehrson Lodge is family-friendly, I really mean they put thought into the vacation they’re providing their guests. If water sports or hikes won’t hold all of your family’s attention, they’ve come up with some pretty awesome alternatives. When we arrived, we had coloring sheets and crayons on the table, and the office provided each child with a Dreamcatcher Building Kit. We could also sign up for activities from their Children’s Program. While these cost extra, our artsy kids definitely appreciated the time they got to paint ceramics and tie dye shirts.

Depending on the week (and the status of a certain global pandemic), activities are altered a bit, but the “normal” program includes ceramics, model sailboat building and racing, tie dying, canvas painting, nature hikes, outdoor games and weinie roasts. The steps they took to accommodate each family and their safety during this particular time were thoughtful and appreciated.

Lake Vermilion is surrounded by the Superior National Forest and is a fisherperson’s haven. The location of Pehrson Lodge gives you prime viewing of stars and sunsets, occasionally even astounding your eyes with a majestic Milky Way sighting. When I think of Northern Minnesota, my mind pictures a place exactly like this. You want a family getaway that truly feels like a family getaway? Pehrson Lodge is the place to go.

Our “Don’t-Forget” items for this particular trip included: