Cozy Winter Stay at Tofte Trails

If you’ve been here for anytime at all you know that I love the Minnesota North Shore. I mean really love the North Shore. After all, I’ve essentially created an entire business inspired by it. There is just something about the big lake, the trees, the slower pace, even the smell of the air that just makes me feel most at peace, most at home.

So, it probably comes as no surprise that it is one of my favorite places to sneak away to for a few days. I do make it up the North Shore for design projects quite a bit (which I absolutely love) but getting away just to be, to relax, to recharge, just hits different.

This January, I stayed a few nights at Tofte Trails and wanted to be sure to share the gorgeous cabin photos and a bit more about my trip here. As a note, I stayed here first last October and completely fell in love with the cabins as a paid guest. This second stay was gifted to me in exchange for photography and content creation.

So keep on reading for all the details (including the 40 degrees below weather and how I landed in the ditch and needed to get rescued by a tow truck).

North Shore, MN Cabin Stay - Tofte Trails

Tofte Trails is located in (no surprise here) Tofte, MN. It is just about an hour and a half drive up the shore from Duluth, MN and about 20 miles away from Grand Marais, MN. I might get back to this, but in case I don’t - always take the scenic route up the North Shore. Honestly, some of my most favorite moments are driving up this shore, windows down, music on, with Opie in the backseat. Plus, all the good stops are on this route like Russ Kendall’s Smoke House for the obligatory smoked fish that basically must accompany you on any North Shore trip.

Since I know if you’re here, you probably love a well designed cabin just as much as I do - let’s talk a little about the design of Tofte Trails.

Maybe I start by saying, they completely nailed the design. Every little detail was really thought of in the space. The cabins are a perfect blend of modern design and that cozy cabin feel you would expect in Northern Minnesota. The modern, black, Scandinavian-like design of the exterior is the a beautiful balance to the warm, reclaimed wood that covers the interior.

Because I have shared a few photos of my stay over on Instagram, I’ve had a few people ask if I designed these cabins. Every single time I say “I wish” followed by “but they definitely didn’t need my help”. They just did such a thoughtful job on the design and made such great use of a small footprint. They included features like pocket doors, a foldable dining table and chairs, and a window shade that doubles as a projector screen (honestly, one of my favorite parts of the entire place and perks of the stay).

Seriously though, the showers are THE reason I booked my first stay here last October. I mean, green zellige tile mixed with the reclaimed wood, mixed with the vintage-styled brass hardware…it’s just so good! You can find a quick look at my October stay here.

Really though, can we all just take a moment for this absolutely gorgeous faucet? The cabin features similar hardware in the kitchen and again, in my opinion, it is the perfect hardware choice.

Dog Friendly Cabin - North Shore, MN

One of the biggest things that I love about Tofte Trails is that a couple of their cabins are dog-friendly. I can’t really imagine heading up the shore without Opie so this is kind of everything to me. I’m honestly not sure who loves these cabin getaways more, me or Opie. We hike, we sit by the lake, we explore, we snuggle, we eat snacks, and basically just have days of uninterrupted time together. Time that I get to do more of the things he loves without being distracted by work, by phones, by everyday life. And time that he gets to be my perfect little adventure partner.

Winter on the north shore, MN

The week that we were there it was during a cold snap that we almost always get at some point in January. The windchills were dropping into the 30 and 40 degrees below zero range so it definitely limited our outdoor activities at least for the first day or so. It started warming up toward the end of our stay and we got to spend more time outside.

And while it was cold, the lake was absolutely beautiful. The cold temps created sea smoke on the lake and caused most of the shoreline was iced over. We bundled up and still explored plenty.

I also booked a private sauna session at Sisu + Loyly and 100% recommend adding this to your trip itinerary, especially on those cold winter days.

cozy cabin Vibes

The cold temps outside made everything inside feel extra cozy. The gas fireplace in the cabin not only adds instant cozy vibes but it really warms things up. Seriously, there is just something about being cozied up in this bed, fireplace on, looking out the windows, seeing Lake Superior behind the trees, that basically feels like magic.

I made chicken wild rice soup (a northern Minnesota winter staple), I drank hot cider and gin, I stayed in bed reading and watching movies on the projector screen. For some reason when I stay here I think its appropriate to only watch 90’s rom-coms….this trip I watched The Cutting Edge (one of my favorites of childhood and basically of all time), Sleepless in Seattle, and My Best Friend’s Wedding. True classics, if you ask me.

And in true Aubrey-fashion, I got so distracted by talking about the beautiful design and cozy vibes that I almost forgot to tell you about the whole ditch incident.

Well, on Day 2 of our stay we headed out to go for a hike. I took off down the road at a normal speed, kind of forgetting that when we are in that deep freeze everything can just ice over. So, not surprisingly (well very surprising to me at the time) I hit some ice, couldn’t stop, and landed in the ditch. I was quite proud of my Jeep that just drove right out without any struggle, but as soon as I was out of the ditch my tire pressure light went on. Luckily, this all happened right down the road from the cabin so I could drive back just fine but within a few minutes my tire was completely flat.

Long story short, I had to have a tow truck come and put my spare on (which also ended up needing air) and had to drive it to a repair shop. Thankfully, they were able to fix the tire and I was back on my way to exploring the North Shore.

You can see more of my trip over on Instagram - saved in my North Shore highlights.

But really, I couldn’t recommend a stay at Tofte Trails more. From the cozy cabins, to the tree lined trails and the beautiful lake, to all the North Shore exploring, it really is the best little getaway. Hands down, 5 out of 5 stars from me (and Opie)!

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