Norway Beach Picnic Shelter

Norway Beach Picnic Shelter is part of the Norway Beach Recreation Area on the southern shores of beautiful Cass Lake in north central Minnesota. The shelter and adjacent beach are a wonderful setting for family reunions, company picnics or weddings. The large log shelter can accommodate up to 100 people and is equipped with electric outlets, picnic tables and a grill. Flush toilets, outdoor showers and drinking water are provided. Cass Lake offers many recreational activities, including boating, canoeing, water skiing and swimming, and anglers fish for walleye, Northern pike, perch and trophy muskie. A boat ramp is nearby. Star Island, in the middle of the lake, is a unique feature of the Chippewa National Forest, with six miles of trails winding around it and 199-acre Lake Windigo at its center. Hiking and biking trails in the area include the Migizi Bike Trail and the Norway Beach Trail. The Norway Beach Visitor Center is nearby. This building, with its magnificent fireplace, is a monument to the talents and craftsmanship of Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees. Programs and displays depict Dakota and Ojibway heritage and the area's flora and fauna, and interpretive programs are offered Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from Memorial Day through Labor Day, alongside annual events including a Kids Fishing Day in June, Bald Eagle Day in July and Smokey Bear's Birthday Party in August. The shelter sits on the banks of Cass Lake at the edge of a forest of red and white pines, with a beautiful white sand beach in front of it. Cass Lake is the largest of the eight lakes in the Cass Lake Chain, covering nearly 16,000 acres with 27 miles of forested shoreline and sandy beaches. The town of Cass Lake, Minnesota, is 4 miles west, offering restaurants, a bank, grocery and hardware stores, a movie theater and a museum.