Blog
New Credit Card Policy
The last two years have given us extra time for internal reflection and a chance to look to the future. What a great honor it is to see many of you each year. We look [...]
What Are the Fishing Regulations on Pelican Lake in 2022?
Pelican Lake in St. Louis County is part of the North Central Zone for Minnesota fishing regulations. This means that the general fishing restrictions set in place for the North Central Zone will apply to [...]
Minnesota Fishing Opener 2021
The Minnesota fishing opener for Walleye, Pike, and Bass will be May 15th, 2021. Every year, fishing opener is the widely celebrated, unofficial holiday of Minnesotans across the state. As of 2020, there were 1.5 [...]
Exploring the Best Minnesota Fishing Trips
Thousands of years ago, during the last ice age, glaciers receded and advanced over what is now the American Upper Midwest. Not only do we have the Great Lakes as a result, but Minnesota has [...]
2020 is over!
Well the docks are out of the lake, cabins are shut down, things are cleaned, water lines are blown out, boats have been winterized and stored, picnic tables, barbecues, garbage cans and everything else is [...]
2020 Minnesota High School Bass Fishing Championship
Last weekend Birch Forest Lodge had a very special opportunity to be part of the Student Angler Tournament Trail 2020 Bass Fishing Championship held here on Pelican Lake. 32 teams from various high schools in [...]
June Covid Update
Where to start? The calendar may say it is only mid June but it sure seems like the summer has been going for a while. At least if you measure by the phone ringing. Our [...]
Covid 19 vs Going Fishing
Everyday we get a couple of phone calls and emails asking if we are going to be open this summer. Our answer is we are doing everything we can to make that happen. Some have [...]
Will we be open for Fishing Opener?
Like many of you, we have been very affected by the COVID 19 pandemic. And we are scared/worried/stressed. No, we aren't sick. We haven't had a death in our families, we don't even personally know [...]
COVID-19 and Birch Forest Lodge
We are starting to get calls and emails about COVID-19 and how it will affect our season. So I thought I'd post an update on what is going on with Birch Forest Lodge and our [...]
New Resort in Belize!
Today our family has a huge announcement, we just finalized the purchase of a small resort in Belize! We will be moving there in October to operate Cotton Tree Lodge for the winter months. Before [...]
August Bass Fishing
In May and June fishing is relatively easy. In May the fish are hungry after a long winter, love leeches, swim in the shallows and are preparing to find beds or spawning. June is all [...]
Best Time to Fish for Walleyes in Minnesota
According to the Department of Natural Resources, walleyes are some of the most sought-after fish in all of Minnesota. The walleye (also known as the yellow pike) is one of the most delicious freshwater fish—and [...]
10 Activities to Enjoy at a Northern Minnesota Cabin
Cabin vacation rentals can be a fun way to get away with the whole family any time of year. They are perfect for those extended family get-togethers or when you just want to get out [...]
The Ultimate Packing Guide for Your Next Cabin Vacation
When it comes to making plans for the perfect vacation, there’s nothing more stressful than figuring out what to pack. This can be especially true for long, extended stays at a cabin rental in Minnesota. [...]
How to Reconnect as a Family During a Weekend Getaway
In today’s world, it seems almost impossible to find a way to disconnect from technology. Eyes are glued to phones, television screens, or tablets, and you just can’t seem to get away from those pesky [...]
Cold Cold Cold!
You probably heard somewhere that we just went through a polar vortex. Previous to this week I had never heard the term polar vortex, but now that I have, I like it. I don't like [...]
What’s the Best Season to Rent a Cabin?
Who doesn’t love planning a family vacation? You get to decide where to go, what you’re going to do, what you’ll eat, and more! A lake cabin vacation rental can be a fun, memorable place [...]
Why You Should Consider a Cabin Rental for Your Next Family Vacation
We’re always looking for that perfect family vacation to create memories that will last a lifetime. Water parks and theme parks might seem like good ideas at first, but they don’t always appeal to everyone [...]
Wild July Weather
This year seems to be a year of extremes. Winter was very long and very cold. Then we had no Spring. Went from dead of winter including a late April blizzard to 80 degree weather [...]
4 Reasons to Celebrate the Fourth of July in a Minnesota Cabin
There’s no shortage of options for celebrating the Fourth of July. There are fireworks, baseball games, parades, car shows, boating, beach games, large picnics with friends and family. But there’s another way to celebrate the [...]
7 Electronic-Free Activities to Pass the Time at Your Minnesota Cabin
There are few things as relaxing as spending the weekend, or week, in the comfort of a summer cabin. Getting away from work and your normal responsibilities every once in a while is a great [...]
Introducing a new cabin!
Over the last few years we have been noticing a trend of people asking about bigger cabins. As we looked over the last few years of reservations it was clear that the larger cabins occupancy [...]
Orr Fun Day July 3rd Celebration
For a small town, Orr does a great job with their 4th of July Celebration, which is held on July 3rd. Being close to so many other lakes(Crane Lake, Lake Vermillion, Rainy Lake, and Kabetogama Lake) [...]
Open Water on Pelican Lake
After more than 4 months of looking out the window each day and seeing ice, we finally have open water on Pelican Lake! No matter how many times you see the ice come off a [...]
Minnesota Fishing Opener
Today is 7 weeks till the 2017 Minnesota Fishing Opener! Many of you like me have probably tried to fill the fishing void with a day or two on the ice peering down a hole [...]
Favorite Summer Activities at Birch Forest Lodge
The days are getting longer, and that means that Summer in the Northwoods will be here soon (relatively speaking). I love summertime and this got me thinking. What are my favorite things about summer at [...]
2016 Fishing Contest Results and 2017 Contest
First: Our 2016 fishing contest ended yesterday and we'd like to take a moment and announce the winners. First and second place were awarded to the photos sent to us that garnered the most "likes" [...]
Go hiking for a day
Often people ask us about hiking in the area. And while our response is that there aren't many good hiking options right by us,we do have a couple of very good hikes relatively close. I [...]
Northern Lights in Minnesota
People come from all over the world to visit Birch Forest Lodge for a variety of reasons. Fishing, getting together with family and friends, visiting the bears at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary, and sitting [...]
Sunsets at Birch Forest Lodge
One of the things we love most about Birch Forest Lodge is the sunsets. And if you have ever been here I'm sure you would agree. Not only do we enjoy really clean air and [...]
Spring Fishing
Ahhh, the joys of spring-the ice recedes from the lakes, trees being to leaf, everything slowly turns green, and little baby animals are seen-and of course fishing season! And what better fishing is there than [...]
Lodge’s Newest Crew Member
We've had many people ask us why we aren't opening the resort till May 20, and choosing to miss out on fishing opener. While we do plan on being open for fishing openers in future [...]
Best Family Vacation in Minnesota
We received an email a few days ago informing us that Birch Forest Lodge was chosen as one of the top 25 places for a family vacation in the State of Minnesota! This got us [...]
Unique Apparel at Birch Forest Lodge
As we've probably mentioned before, we spend all winter preparing for summer. One of our biggest projects is producing unique apparel. We take great pride in making sure our guests have great options for a [...]
Fishing Contest
We believe that Pelican Lake is a great lake for fishing. And we think that of all the resorts in Orr Minnesota, Birch Forest is the best place to stay. So naturally we think Birch [...]
Family Resort
When we first took over Birch Forest Lodge we asked ourselves what we could do to show people why the lodge is the best place to stay in Orr Minnesota. We decided we needed an [...]
Preparing for Summer
We love summer. But we know winter has a place in the grand scheme of things. Nature needs a chance to take a breath and recover a little. So do we. We use winter to [...]
A New Holiday Tradition at Birch Forest Lodge
We love the holidays. And our family has a very special holiday tradition that we'd like to invite you to join in with us. All year long we collect pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald [...]
Berry Picking makes a sweet summer season
One of our favorite things about summer is berry picking. We love going out as a family and picking raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. It used to be that we had favorite places to go to [...]
Fishing Ideas for Warm Summer Days
Most fisherman would agree that fishing a large body of water can be challenging during the warmest days of summer. And most of us would say that is because fish don’t like the warmer surface [...]
September in Northern Minnesota
People always ask me what time of year is best to visit Minnesota. My usual response is it depends on what you want to do. However, if someone asks me what is my favorite month [...]
Closed for 2015
Well, the 2015 season at Birch Forest Lodge is officially in the books. Sadly enough we are now closed till May of 2016. These summers go by so fast. And whereas we only arrived in July, [...]
Brand New Website!
Buying a lodge is a unique, challenging process. Before you actually buy anything you spend days, weeks and sometimes even years dreaming of what this lodge will look like. You scour the internet looking for something [...]