Secluded inn nestled in the Northwoods near the Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway. On quiet canoe-only lake & creek. Overlooking BWCA. Inn with whirlpool, fireplaces, and guest kitchens. Canoe, fish, swim. Hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing trails on site. Birding, wildlife, moose viewing. Each room is different, and all have private bathrooms with showers, queen size beds. Second floor rooms share a common kitchen area and sitting area with fireplace and outdoor deck with umbrella table. One room has double whirlpool tub and one queen bed. One room has 2 queen beds double size shower. Main floor 2 room suite has bedroom with one queen bed, kitchen area with table/chairs plus area with couch and fireplace. plus sliding door to deck with umbrella table.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Five stars. Great experience. Our room was spacious and super clean. Barbara and Ted are wonderful hosts. Every little detail was thought of. Barbara brought a canoe to Bearskin Lake and gave us great advice for canoeing and portaging to Rose Falls. We also canoed across Poplar Lake to Poplar Haus for lunch. Plus tons of great hiking trails nearby. And use of the guest kitchen with dishes, fridge and stove. Highly recommend.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
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My husband and I stayed here for a long weekend and it was really lovely. Barb and Ted are great, welcoming, and really helpful. The food is amazing and the rooms are really beautiful and cozy. We rented a canoe to go into the BWCA for a day trip and Barb made a delicious lunch and Ted helped us get the canoe on our car and decide on a route. They really helped to make our weekend a great one. I highly recommend staying here!
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Date of stay: September 2013
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I rarely review places I visit but my partner and I had such a fantastic experience at the Poplar Creek Guesthouse that I feel compelled to leave a review today.
The Guesthouse is a perfect retreat for those of us that love exploring the great outdoors. Its location is perfectly placed off-the-beaten trail - in that it feels remote and slightly wild – whilst actually only being an easy 45 minute drive from Grand Marais.
The Guesthouse itself is beautiful. Immaculately maintained and laden with interesting ornaments, artwork, maps and assorted memorabilia - most notably a sled that one of the owners, Ted, used to use when mushing his dogs across the Mid-West! The place is bursting with warmth and character and you’ll find yourself spending some time just observing the adornments and soaking in the atmosphere of what is clearly a much-loved and cherished home.
Ted and Barbara run the Guesthouse and they are two of the loveliest people you could ever hope to meet. They will take time to go through maps with you, share stories, discuss the local fauna they’ve sighted (moose, timber wolves, black bears, bobcats and bald eagles are all local to the area) and give recommendations of what to do and where to go if you need it. They really are so kind and they’ll take the extra time to ensure you have all you need, but if you’d like to just get up and go, they’ll facilitate that too.
Special mention to Barbara who puts on lovely breakfast spreads every morning that will send you on your way with a full tummy. We ate heartily and devoured sausages, bacon, rolls, granola, parfaits, fruit and jams with gusto. We were able to share breakfast with other guests that were staying at the lodge, which made for an enjoyably relaxed and sociable experience to start the day.
As an aside and on a personal note, having spent much of the holiday staying in empty AirBnB’s and liaising with remote hosts who only seemed to care that you checked in and out as quickly as possible, it really was a welcome change to feel so looked after. It seems that the second ‘B’ in ‘BnB’ is wholly overlooked these days, but it should be a cherished and treasured part of the BnB experience, and we found that Ted and Barbara’s morning hospitality stood out as a highlight of our trip.
There is a large lake situated at the bottom of the property and there are kayaks and canoes available to use if you ask. I took one for a spin and had a great time splashing around the lake (along with a young moose that appeared earlier that day). I should mention that the Guesthouse Lake is connected to a series of inland lakes that stretch on for days so if you wanted to spend a week kayaking around the area I think that the Guesthouse would be a fantastic place to start from.
In terms of the wider surroundings, there was plenty to do along the Gunflint Trail with a number of walking trails and other activities available to us as well as several lodges to stop at for a bite to eat. In particular I'd recommend the Trail Centre Lodge just up the road for something delicious and heartening – the staff working there are really good fun too so be prepared for a bit of friendly banter.
We could only stay a couple of nights due to time restraints on our trip and that was our main regret from our holiday as the guesthouse and the surrounding area were truly beautiful and the time we spent here recharged our body and minds. It really is such a fascinating place, so thank you to Barbara and Ted for looking after us during our stay. You were so warm, hospitable and endearing.
We hope to be back one day.
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Date of stay: August 2019
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Rooms were quite attractive, clean, and well appointed. Bed and coverings were very comfortable. Barbara, the owner, was so accommodating, warm, and friendly. Breakfasts were lovely and attractively presented. The remote location was beautiful.
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Date of stay: July 2019
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Rooms
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Barbara Y, Owner at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B
Responded Aug 7, 2019
Thank you for your review of Poplar Creek Guesthouse. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay with us. The Gunflint Trail is truly a beautiful area. Regards, Barbara Young
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Barbara and Ted offer up comfortable, super clean, up north lodging for visitors to the Gunflint area. The private setting within the woods about 30 mi. from Grand Marais is so relaxing. They have a small lake behind the property you can relax on the dock with cup of coffee or glass of wine and listen to the loons. Barbara pulls out all the stops with her fantastic gourmet breakfasts and Ted is the consummate host who is right there to assist her. Hope to return.
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Date of stay: July 2018
Location
Service
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from tedyoung78, Owner at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B
Responded Aug 24, 2018
Thank you so much for the kind review. So glad that you relaxed on the dock. We just rebuilt it. Renew, relax and refresh. That is our motto. Thank you. Barbara Young
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Loved our long weekend cross country skiing. The Guest House was warm and comfortable. Ted and Barbara are amazing. They have seen and done so much in the area that they are a rich and entertaining source of information. The breakfasts were spectacular. Coming home at the end of a ski session really felt like coming home.
The skiing was wonderful. The Banadad trail system is right out the back door. So great to be able to ski without driving. The trails are well-groomed, secluded, and beautiful. We will be back for sure!
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Date of stay: January 2018Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from pcgbarbara, Owner at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B
Responded Feb 26, 2018
Thank you for staying and letting us know how much you liked it here. We want our guests to feel comfortable, but yet we know that you need your privacy too. As you said, skiing was great and continues as we are get more snow. We hope to see you again. Barbara and Ted.
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My husband and I stayed at this quaint B+B, Ollie’s room, for 4 nights in early January. We loved every minute of it. Barbara and Ted were such great hosts - we enjoyed their company and stories every evening and the accommodations were great. Everything you need to cook your own meals and a great sitting area to warm up by the fire at the end of the day. Despite the frigid temps - we were able to enjoy the freshly groomed xc ski trails of the Banadad that leave right from the front door of the guesthouse. We hope to return soon! If you are looking for a secluded getaway where beautiful wilderness abounds - this is the place to be!
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Date of stay: January 2018Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from pcgbarbara, Owner at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B
Responded Feb 26, 2018
Thank you. Ted and I appreciate the wonderful review. We remember how cold it was during your stay. You did not let that stop you from skiing and snowshoeing everyday. You dressed for the cold. Having a fireplace to come back to is nice. So glad you enjoyed our stories, but we also know that our guests need privacy too. We hope to see you again. Barbara and Ted.
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My husband and I only had one night to spend in the Minnesota Wild. After much difficulty we found one room left available at Poplar Creek. I was a spacious room with an extremely comfy queen bed, table, chairs, desk and jetted tub. The view was all trees with changing leaves. We walked down to the lake and wishes we had more time for a canoe or paddle boat ride. It's a beautiful, peaceful place. Breakfast was awesome. The Young's are friendly and an additional joy to visit.
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Date of stay: September 2016
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Rooms
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from pcgbarbara, Owner at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B
Responded Sep 30, 2016
Hi, Thank you for your kind review. I am happy that you enjoyed breakfast. Lots of buttons on the whirlpool tub. Sometimes one night is not enough, but glad I had the room for you. Regards, Barbara
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Recently stayed at the Tall Pines Yurt. The website hyped the facilities and offerings. Reality fell far short, one of my worst lodging experiences. Long list of issues. Checked out after only 1 night. We were offered and given a full refund after a brief guilt trip about how they are elderly and can't afford it.
If you plan to stay in the yurts: bring your sleeping pad and plan on sleeping the dirty floor as that is far more comfortable, do not drive your own vehicle to the yurt regardless of what you are told, set your expectations low.
So many nicer places to stay near by for the same rates.
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Date of stay: September 2016
Rooms
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from tedyoung78, Owner at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B
Responded May 19, 2017
Thank you for your comments about your short stay at the yurt. As you know, the yurt is not our Bed and Breakfast or cabin accommodation. We are sorry that you had such a bad experience at the yurt. As mentioned in our website description, the yurt is a camping tent in the woods, with no electricity or running water. You mentioned that the floor was dirty. We do clean the yurt floor with a wet mop with disinfectant between guest visits. We do clean the yurt between guests, but it appears that we did not do a thorough job. When you came back to the office to indicate that you were leaving early, you mentioned that the futon was lumpy and you slept on the floor instead, even though there are mattresses on the bunk beds with liners. In the meantime, we did replace the futon mattress. It is 8 inches thick, which makes it comfortable for guests. They have told us so. Thank you again for letting us know that the futon mattress absolutely had to be replaced. You did receive a full refund of course. Yes, I did mention that a full refund was difficult and I guess I was feeling elderly that day. But I did not mean to make you feel guilty. Sorry for saying that to you. You were offered a free room with breakfast in our bed and breakfast. But you said no. You were anxious to get to another lodging location, as this was where you really wanted to go to begin with. I was surprised at that comment. When we arrived at the yurt to shuttle your gear to your vehicle, your trip partner mentioned that the yurt was fine. You mentioned that the our website hyped the facilities and offerings. We went to the yurt description and photos to make sure that the website was accurate. We believe the website is accurate in its description of the yurt. It is a camping yurt, next to a wilderness and bog. Again we are sorry for your bad experience at the yurt.
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Stayed with Ted and Barbara in the main house and it was fantastic! We arrived ready to do some great hiking; overnight it snowed 9 inches!!! Turned out to be one of the best getaways two girls could have. While Ted diligently worked at digging us out, we ended up having the best snowshoeing experience we've ever had! They were both so welcoming and wonderful! They made us feel like we were at home. Excellent food! Excellent conversation! Our room was SUPER clean and comfortable; we didn't want to leave! We WILL be staying with them again!
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Date of stay: April 2016Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from tedyoung78, Owner at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B
Responded May 4, 2016
Thank you for reviewing your stay. When life throws you a lemon (lots of snow in April) , you make lemonade (snowshoeing). So glad you enjoyed your visit. It was fun for us too. Having guests like you two gives us so much pleasure. The lakes are open; patches of snow in the woods; warm and light breezes. Perfect spring. Thank you again for staying. Barbara & Ted
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Poplar Creek Guesthouse Bed and Breakfast is on Little Ollie Lake. This is also a bay of a larger lake called Poplar Lake. There is a inlet that you can canoe to get to the larger lake. Little Ollie lake is a secluded, quiet lake, very near the Boundary Waters wilderness. The lake has small mouth bass and walleye too.
There are more places to choose from in the Grand Marais area.
PRICE RANGE
C$263 - C$263 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United StatesMinnesotaGrand Marais
NUMBER OF ROOMS
3
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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