Hike-in Required
No
Open Year-round
Yes
ADA accessible
No
Guided tours
No
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

There is a historical marker in Grand Portage State Park which provides information about the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. This treaty laid out the international border between the United States and Canada.  The Pigeon River, which can be seen from the State Park, serves as a portion the international border.

The historical marker can be reached by hiking on a 0.2-mile-long trail within Grand Portage State Park. Unlike most Minnesota state parks, there is no fees to visit Grand Portage State Park. Dogs that are on a leash are allowed on the trail. The trail starts near the picnic shelter between the parking lot and the visitor center. Most of the trail is paved except for the last portion which is a narrow dirt path. There are several picnic tables near the path. There is even a selfie station where you can stand in the United States and view Canada across the Pigeon River.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Fall
Summer
Spring

Congestion

Low

Parking Pass

None

Pros

Views of the Pigeon River and Canada.

Pets allowed

Allowed with Restrictions

Features

Historically significant
Flushing toilets
Potable water
Picnic tables
Near lake or river

Location

Comments

10/16/2021
The sign explaining the Webster-Ashburton Treaty was interesting. Being originally from Maine I have always found it hard to understand what the granular details of the treaty actually were. In negotiations for the earlier 1783 treaty, Benjamin Franklin gave away a good deal of what is now southern New Brunswick. He settled on the St. Croix River rather than the St. John as the border. And there was the Aroostock County War between locals on each side of the border there. It seems the boundary line was already established elsewhere along the border such as through the library in Derby Line, Vermont, a great place to have a drink with minimal hassles during Prohibition, I would imagine. Lake of the Woods and Point Roberts seem a little incongruous but perhaps the British felt sheepish for having duped the wise but elderly Franklin.
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