Grand Portage

The first day of our expedition we'll carry our gear and canoes across the longest portage of our route- the infamous 8.5 mile long Grand Portage, also known as Gichi Onigaming (Great Carrying Place). This portage was used by the North West Company from 1731 to 1804 to transport thousands of tons of furs and supplies from Fort Charlotte (located on the Pigeon River) to Lake Superior. This portage is necessary to avoid hazardous sections of the Pigeon River that are unnavigable by canoe. This portage is part of Grand Portage National Monument, which is within the homeland of the Grand Portage Anishinaabe. We're very excited to spend day one of eighty-five portaging this historic route!

We acknowledge that Grand Portage exists on the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe people.