Cheery knotty pine paneling captures that up north feel in this fully-furnished lakeside cabin on 2nd Crow Wing Lake. Dangle a hook with a minnow. We provide kayaks, canoe, and a wavy, bouncy, floating mat for endless hours splashing off our dock. Fisher folk will find the esteemed Crow Wing chain of lakes brimming with walleye, northern pike, bass, and pan fish. Bring your own boat or explore usi
ng the canoe or kayaks we provide. Dog and kid friendly. An open concept kitchen and living room with big screen TV and fireplace highlight the cabin’s main level. The kitchen is ready for you with a full array of cookware and dishware. Sorry, no dishwasher; you’ll have to rough it! Alongside the kitchen and living room, a sun porch offers stunning lake views through a wall of windows. A dining area occupies one end of the porch with a conversation corner with comfortable seating on the other end, which includes a queen sized futon. The main level includes a utility room with clothes washer and dryer, and a bathroom with shower. We'll supply the paper products and dish and laundry soap. Salt and pepper. Even the coffee, sugar, and powdered creamer. Bring your foodstuffs from home or patronize local grocers. Park Rapids is served by Hugo's Family Marketplace, Coborn's Supermarket, and Walmart Supercenter. We'll supply bathroom towels but bring your own beach towels. The upper level of the cabin features two bedrooms with a queen and a full bed and a bunkroom/game room with bunk beds and a trundle for five kids plus a queen-sized futon. A huge deck outside overlooks the lake--the perfect place for morning coffee. If the weather sours, hang out in the game room featuring arcade games and an electronic dart board. Or, tune in to Netflix or Disney or catch THE GAME on the big-screen TV in the living room. Or, sample our wide selection of board games. If you must touch base with the world, screaming-fast wireless internet via fiber-optic cable fills the cabin. A second bathroom with shower serves the upper level. The cabin is professionally cleaned after each visit. We'll provide the bocce ball and bean bag toss (aka cornhole) games, and you arrange family tournaments in the dappled shade of our heavily treed lawn; oaks, maples, birch, and lofty red and white pines overlook the lake. As the day winds down, join the parade of boats and pontoons enjoying a sunset cruise or catch it all from our deck or dockside. Back on shore, roast s'mores over a crackling fire in our fire pit amidst the towering pines that reach for the stars (firewood provided). Clean and clear 2nd Crow Wing Lake boasts great recreation and fishing, located 12 miles southeast of Park Rapids in Hubbard County with a surface area of 221 acres and a maximum depth of 36 feet. Bring your boat and moor it to our dock.
2nd Crow Wing offers plenty of watersports activities. We provide a tube to pull around (limited life jackets provided), plus a floating mat, kayaks, canoe, and great swimming and wading on the sandy bottom around our dock. The lake supports a popular fishery for Northern Pike, panfish, Largemouth Bass, and Walleye. Stocking by the DNR contributes heavily to the walleye population in the lake. Panfish are a popular choice for anglers with good populations of Bluegill and Pumpkinseed in the 6 to 8-inch range and Black Crappie in the 9 to 12-inch range. Kids will catch plenty of smaller panfish right from our dock. We provide a few basic fishing rods, but you need to get the worms (hint: there are bait shops nearby).
“Crow Wing” is a loose translation from the Ojibwe word that means "Raven-feather River." Signs of Native American presence mark the Crow Wing River corridor with Native American burial mounds at several sites along the river. The Crow Wing River flows through 2nd Crow Wing Lake--one of eleven chain lakes along the slowly meandering 113-mile journey of the river before it flows into the Mississippi. A short journey upriver (around 300 yards) connects boaters to 3rd Crow Wing Lake and from there into 4th Crow Wing Lake for more fishing, cruising, or paddling. You may boat or use the kayaks and canoe for exploration into 3rd and 4th Crow Wing Lakes, but the river outlet toward 1st Crow Wing Lake is not navigable for boats. You may use the kayaks or canoe to explore the long, winding river to 1st Crow Wing Lake, but the return journey will be against the current! Bring your bicycles or rent them locally and enjoy a forested ride along the Heartland Trail from Park Rapids east. The Heartland State Trail was one of the first rail-to-trail projects in the country. It is a 49 mile, multiple-use, PAVED trail between Park Rapids and Cass Lake with stops along the way in Dorset, Nevis, Akeley, and Walker. The trail is located on a level, abandoned, railroad grade. The Park Rapids to Walker segment also has a second grassy trail for horseback riding and mountain biking. The Heartland State Trail also connects with the Paul Bunyan State Trail system and other regional trail systems. Tiny Dorset (population 22) claims to be "the restaurant capital of the world." Park Rapids boasts an eclectic restaurant scene as well great shopping along the historic Main Street. You gotta love a place with competing home made candy stores across the street from each other. You can always grab a bite in Nevis at Bullwinkle’s, or the Iron Horse Grill, or Cindy Lou's. While there, snap a photo in front of the World's Largest Tiger Muskie. Forty-five minutes away by auto, Itasca State Park and the headwaters to the Mississippi should be on everyone's bucket list. Small city Park Rapids thrives with thousands of annual visitors who journey to the lake country heartland. As you plan your trip, check the events calendar on the Park Rapids Chamber of Commerce website or download the discovery guide that identifies opportunities for shopping, dining, recreation, arts, culture, and entertainment. Catch a show at Jasper's Theater. Park Rapids is 12 miles from the cabin as the crow flies but 15.5 miles by car. Park Rapids is the place for major shopping, dining, or sampling the shops on Main. The restaurants of Dorset are less than 12 miles by car, and Nevis is the same 12 miles. Both Dorset and Nevis are on the Heartland Trail that originates in Park Rapids--6 miles to Dorset and another 7 or 8 to Nevis. Ice cream shops in each town. As autumn quiet follows the bustle of summer, cruise around the lake for "leaf peeping" as fall colors explode. Listen to the warble of the loon or the high-pitched chirps of the eagle. Relax in the more leisurely pace, curled up with a good book in the porch overlooking the lake, or in front of the fireplace, or in the hammock swaying in the pines. A trio of novels, written by the cabin owner, will be available for sampling. There's still biking to be done along the Heartland Trail amidst fall foliage. The Itascatur Outdoor Activity Club hosts an annual fall biking event through the colorful forest that draws nearly 600 bicyclists from all over the country. Serious fisher folk know that walleyes put the feed bag on in the fall to fatten up for winter. When the first snow flakes filter through the pines, solitude settles into the north country. Put on your winter boots, or cross country skis, or snowshoes and trek around the serene lake. Return to a cozy fire in the fireplace and a cup of hot chocolate or a snifter of brandy. If you're working from home nowadays, why not Zoom from the cabin? Blazing fast fiber optic internet will allow you to remain connected. Maybe you're not looking for solitude but white gold action. The same Heartland Trail that welcomes bikers and hikers during summer months now becomes a snowmobile trail. Or, hook up with the Wadena trail in the Huntersville State Forest just a few miles south of the cabin. Pull your sled trailer to the nearby trail heads and return each evening to a cozy cabin. For experienced skiers and novices, Itascatur maintains the groomed Soaring Eagle Cross Country Ski Trails and hosts an open house every Sunday through the winter season with free ski and snowshoe equipment and a cup of hot chocolate. The lodge and trails are 7 miles north of Park Rapids. During the May to September high season, a seven day minimum rental is required from Saturday to Saturday. At other times, a three day minimum applies with discounts for weekly rentals. Well-mannered dogs are welcome for a fee of $75 per dog. Please be mindful of our neighbors, and please keep your dog off the furniture. Thank you.
