Grand Marais ( ) is a city and the county seat of Cook County, Minnesota, United States, of which it is the only municipality. It is on Lake Superior's North Shore. Grand Marais had a population of 1,337 at the 2020 census. Before it was settled by French Canadians and before Minnesota's statehood, it was inhabited by the Ojibwe.
The Gunflint Trail, a National Scenic Byway, begins in Grand Marais and ends near the border with Ontario.
History
The Ojibwe name for the area is , which means "great duplicate water," "parallel body of water" or "double body of water" (like a bayou), a reference to the two bays that form this large harbor of Lake Superior.
The area was a bustling fur trading station in the 1700s, and the French Canadian Voyageurs termed the settled village "Grand Marais" ("Great Marsh"), referring to a marsh that, in early fur-trading times, was 20 acres (8.1 ha) or less in area, nearly at the level of Lake Superior, and at the head of the little bay and harbor that led to the settlement of the village there. Another small bay on the east, less protected from storms, is separated from the harbor by a slight projecting point and a short beach. "Grand Marais" also may mean "sheltered water area", as the harbor has natural breakwall rock outcroppings, providing a natural safe harbor for early Lake Superior explorers.
The area is home to several nonprofit educational institutions, such as the Grand Marais Art Colony and the North House Folk School, and art galleries featuring the work of local and regional artists.
On April 13, 2020, a large fire swept through downtown Grand Marais, destroying three buildings: The Crooked Spoon Cafe, White Pine North, and Picnic and Pine. The fire burned for over three hours in intense winds.
Geography
thumb|The start of the [[County Road 12 (Cook County, Minnesota)|Gunflint Trail in Grand Marais]]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , all land. Grand Marais is on the northwestern shore of Lake Superior. It is an entry point for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, at the beginning of the Gunflint Trail. The Superior Hiking Trail passes near Grand Marais, and Judge C. R. Magney State Park is nearby.
The land surrounding Grand Marais slopes up to form the Sawtooth Bluff, a dramatic rock face visible from nearly any vantage point in the city. Adjacent to the bluff is Pincushion Mountain, a large bald monolith with views of Lake Superior and the inland wilderness.
Grand Marais Harbor is protected by Artist's Point, a barrier island formed by lava that was connected to the mainland by gravel deposited by lake currents, forming a tombolo. An Arctic–alpine disjunct community survives there.
Road access to Grand Marais is by Minnesota Highway 61, which follows the shore of Lake Superior, and is known as the North Shore Scenic Drive. The Gunflint Trail (Cook County Road 12) begins in Grand Marais and heads northwest, away from the lake and into the Boundary Waters region.
Grand Marais is northeast of Duluth and southwest of the Canada–US border.
Climate
Grand Marais has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), like the rest of northern Minnesota. Because of the moderating influence of Lake Superior, summer temperatures are cooler, winter temperatures warmer, and the seasonal temperature difference is smaller than locations farther inland. With average highs of just below in July and August, Grand Marais has the coolest summer temperatures of any weather station in Minnesota. The difference between the temperature of the warmest and coldest months is only , significantly smaller than , the seasonal temperature difference in Tower, about to the west. Despite being significantly farther north, Grand Marais lies in USDA hardiness zone 4b like Duluth and Minneapolis,<!-- Grand Marais's hardiness zone is found by plugging in its zip code, 55604. --> with an average yearly minimum temperature of .
When winds come from the south, hot temperatures can sometimes hit Grand Marais in spite of the mild summer averages. The warmest temperature recorded is in July 1930.