Flooding at the end of the Gunflint Trail continues as Memorial Day weekend nears

Flooding issues continue at the end of the Gunflint Trail and across other parts of northern Minnesota. Water levels continue to rise in Saganaga Lake at the end of the Gunflint, as water flows north from Gunflint and Seagull lakes in and around the Boundary Waters.

The water level in Saganaga went up more than an inch from Tuesday into yesterday morning, according to Bonnie Schudy, the site manager at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center at the end of the Gunflint Trail.

Record flooding has overtaken the Rainy River watershed and water levels continue to rise across the region where water flows north toward Hudson Bay.

In late April, heavy rains fell on frozen or partially frozen roads, yards, forests and lakes across much of the WTIP listening area and other parts of the region. This combined with a warm spell in March and April leading to rapid snow melt that created flood conditions for some area lakes, from Saganaga to Rainy Lake. At Rainy Lake, flooding continues to impact Mallard Island, home of the Oberholtzer Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the legacy of wilderness pioneer Ernest Oberholtzer.

As Memorial Day weekend arrives, the opening of Chik-Wauk has been delayed for at least this weekend, Schudy told WTIP’s CJ Heithoff during a May 25 interview. Audio below.

Joe Friedrichs May 26, 2022