This Month's Featured Stories
The landscapes of the Northland often capture people’s attention first, but it’s the people who give a place its character. In this issue of Northern Wilds, we’re highlighting three individuals whose lives have been shaped by northern Minnesota and the Thunder Bay region. Though their paths are very different, from art......
Many Hands Make Light Work: Superior Hiking Trail Association Turns 40
The spring melt has arrived. Lake Superior tributaries are pounding their way furiously down to the Big Lake. The ground is turning soft, and the woods are reverberating with the call of spring peepers. Everywhere you look, nature is making fresh starts. It’s this wild environment that the Superior Hiking......
Gaming the North Shore: From Thunder Bay to Duluth
From Duluth to Thunder Bay, the North Shore offers a variety of gaming experiences that go far beyond the typical night out. Whether you’re seeking the strategy and social connection of tabletop games, the friendly competition of duckpin bowling, or the thrill of slot machines, the area has something for......
Along the Shore
Zach Walters: From Pro Boxer to Jungle Gym Coach in Duluth
Life’s purpose can be a journey, and Duluth resident Zach Walters has proven that believing in your dreams can make it worthwhile. At a young age, Walters often passed by...
Dan and Kirsten Cruikshank Celebrate 10 Years of Bikes, Coffee, and Community in Two Harbors
by Naomi Yaeger
In Two Harbors, nestled among a grove of cedar trees a little past Super One, a combination bike shop and coffeehouse is built around a single idea: community. But long...
Thunder Bay’s Repair Café Builds Community, One Fix at a Time
Along the North Shore of Lake Superior, where long winters, rugged terrain, and a culture of self-reliance shape daily life, repairing what you have is ingrained in our regional identity....
Making Tracks: Lake Superior Community Theatre Returns After Hiatus
It takes a village to keep a community theater going, but it takes heart and soul, too. Paul Deaner, executive director of the Lake Superior Community Theatre in Silver Bay,...
Celebrating 40 Years at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
by Dana Johnson
The Thunder Bay Community Auditorium (TBCA) is a renowned cornerstone of Northwestern Ontario’s arts and entertainment scene, and a North Shore destination. Located next door to the Canada Games Complex...
Sled Dogs Lead the Way on Eagle Mountain Trail
The trail to the highest point in Minnesota doesn’t yield easily. This winter marked the first phase of a multi-year rehabilitation project to replace aging boardwalks and a bridge along...
Gaming the Thrones: Exploring DUO Chess in a Divided World
It’s a mood thing. The mood in gameplay is generally competitive, so it takes a special kind of mood to want to play a cooperative game. And right now, for...
Monday Night Magic Builds Community in Grand Marais
by Dana Johnson
Living in the rural Northland has many perks, like easy access to outdoor recreation and more peace and quiet, though it can also feel isolating. Many people turn on their...
Breanne Marie & The Front Porch Sinners
In difficult times, music is a source of hope. Since 2013, Duluth band Breanne Marie & The Front Porch Sinners have been making what they describe as Great Lakes Country....
Pamela Davis: Inspired by Nature and Connection
Spend any amount of time in the northern forests, and you’ll quickly notice how everything is connected. Moss clinging to rocks, roots tracing the riverbanks, crisscrossing tracks in the snow—nothing...
Snow Carving with Nancy Scheibe
At the Snow Sculpting Symposium, held Feb. 5-15, dozens of artists use snow carving to create breathtaking sculptures....
Famous People: Beatrice Ojakangas
While I write about food here at Northern Wilds, I’m a literary nerd at heart and I love learning about people’s stories. This is the People issue, so as I...
It’s All Food and Games: Gaming Cafés
I moved out of my parents’ house when I was 19 years old. I had dreams of independence, which were met with bills and responsibilities. Thankfully, I had a roommate...
Say Cheese!
Over thousands of years of documented cheesemaking, the process has been refined, and today there are hundreds of different cheeses to choose from....
The Right Net for the Job
The basic fishing net is quite a simple tool, with a hoop, handle, and mesh. Back in the day, the typical fishing net was an aluminum frame with a green...
Three Classic Lake Trout Spoons
There might be some discussion about what the best lure presentation is for brook trout, walleye, pike, or muskie. But when it comes to lake trout, few people can argue...
Spinner Techniques for Bass
Spinners are a lure that tournament anglers quietly throw when everyone else is fishing crankbaits or plastic. In lakes where minnows are a primary forage, spinners may be one of...
Ladies of the Italian Society of Port Arthur
In keeping with the “people” theme of this issue of Northern Wilds, what better way than to feature a story about a group—Ladies of the Italian Society of Port Arthur—that has...
The Origins of Sports Gaming
In the world of gaming, who remembers the popular munching hero of Pac-Man (1980) played on Texas Instruments back decades ago? Admittedly, that’s about my last time in the gaming...
Nature’s Winter Ice Art Gallery
That well-worn summer phrase, “Take time to smell the roses,” could be replaced during winter with, “Take time to visit nature’s ice art gallery.” After a cold winter night, when...
Stay in Touch
Each month Northern Wilds Magazine features upcoming events, the arts, outdoor activities, dining, community news, and other interesting topics. It also contains The Ultimate North Shore Real Estate Guide, the area’s most comprehensive listings of homes and properties for sale in our coverage area.
Latest Issue!
April 2026
When coming up with 2026 issue themes last year, our Northern Wilds crew thought having an issue themed on People would be simple. And while it’s true that finding interesting people was easy, the hard part came next: choosing only a handful of people to cover, since the issue has only so much room for stories.
In This Issue:
- Dan & Kirsten Cruikshank Celebrate 10 Years of Bikes, Coffee, and Community in Two Harbors
- Zach Walters: From Pro Boxer to Jungle Gym Coach in Duluth
- Thunder Bay’s Repair Cafe Builds Community, One Fix at a Time
- Sled Dogs Lead the Way on Golden Eagle Mountain Trail
- Making Tracks: Lake Superior Community Theatre Returns after Hiatus
- Celebrating 40 Years at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
- The Early Inspirations that Shape a Life in the North
- Many Hands Make Light Work: Superior Hiking Trail Association Turns 40
- Creative Space: Breanne Marie & The Front Porch Sinners
- Famous People: Beatrice Ojakangas
- Northern Trails: The Right Net for the Job
- Dog Blog: Warmer, Warmer, Colder, Colder, the Can-Am 250.
- Ladies of the Italian Society of Port Arthur


