TRAVELING NORTH OF THE TWIN CITIES from Faribault toward cabin and lake country, I’ve noticed a distinct difference in roadside billboards and businesses along the way. And that’s a reflection of how the southern part of Minnesota, where I live, differs from areas around Mille Lacs Lake, Brainerd and farther north.
While I come from a region rich in farmland and mostly wide open spaces with some lakes, that changes to the dense woods and pristine water of “Up North,” a decidedly Minnesotan term for a region of cabins, vacation rentals, lakeside homes and all things woodsy outdoors.
For nearly 10 years now, Randy and I have headed north along U.S. Highway 169 once or twice annually to a family member’s cabin south of Crosslake in Crow Wing County. And it is along that route, outside Zimmerman, that the land begins to shift from urban to a more rugged, rural, outdoorsy feel.
Here I begin to see signs for boats, beer and guns. Some of that reflects the hunting culture, others the recreational opportunities offered by the area’s many lakes. Fishing. Boating. Tubing. Even float planes flying in for a beer and brats poker run.
Mille Lacs Lake, which hugs a section of highway 169, is especially impressive for someone like me who grew up on the prairie, mostly absent of lakes. I feel somewhat unsettled looking across the vast expanse of water with no distant shoreline visible. Mille Lacs, at 132,516 acres, is Minnesota’s second largest inland lake.
There’s a lot of water, a lot of woods Up North, where Paul Bunyan is comfortably at home among the pines. Businesses play off the fictional legendary lumberjack and his side kick, Babe the Blue Ox.
Log cabin and A-frame style buildings, which would seem mostly out of place in southern Minnesota, blend seamlessly into the landscape here. The look is signature northwoods. Cozy. Comfortable. Often set against a backdrop of trees.
Stacks of logged trees and campfire wood for sale frequent roadsides.
Life feels more laid back Up North. Or maybe that’s because I arrive with the perspective of a visitor, someone who comes here to relax, to get away from everyday life. Whatever, this part of the North Star state feels different than southern Minnesota.
Here, rather than acres of corn and soybeans, acres of thick woods prevail with narrow roads cutting pathways to lakeside cabins, resorts, homes.
Here, Up North at the cabin, if I get up early enough, I can drink my morning coffee lakeside as the sun rises over Horseshoe Lake. Or listen to the haunting echo of loons. Or relax lakeside in the evening around a campfire.
Last trip north in mid-September, I didn’t want to leave. I dreaded heading south into heavy metro traffic, the speed, the chaos erasing the peace I carried within me. I knew work, in the form of an unfinished house project, awaited us.
As we drove home, past the leaping deer statue in Deerwood, the deer processing billboards along the highway, the signs and art of The Hairy Mosquito Trading Company, the landscape began to change. Farms and fields. Abundant roadside businesses. More housing.
Traffic volume increased as we neared the Twin Cities. Busy, busy, busy. Oh, so busy. All the way to Faribault, even south of the metro along Interstate 35, vehicles zoomed.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
And that is why we love to go up north, right? To get away from the hustle and bustle.
That’s definitely part of the reason.
Looks lovely – not dissimilar to some areas of BC.
‘Mille Lacs’ is thousand lakes in French, a good name for a really big lake.
I also find massive bodies of water a touch unsettling.
It is a beautiful area. Minnesota has such a diverse topography from prairie to woods to the driftless region of valleys and rivers and rolling hills.
Good to hear from you, Michelle.
Yes, traveling the state to what is called Up North can revitalize the spirit with appreciation for the serenity of the woods and lakes. Glad your stay went well.
I always love going Up North. We’ll miss connecting with you and C up there.
it looks so beautiful there in the north. like minnesota, and michigan has what we call ‘up north’ as well, the upper part of the lower peninsula. my old boss had moved to michigan from florida and was shocked when i talked going up north. saying that we were already up north, and wondering how far north it went? like you described it has a different feel, a slower pace, a quiet beauty. it’s easy to leave our busier lives behind once you’re there. seeing the A-Pine, it reminded me that one of my dad’s dreams was to buy an A Frame and move up north.
Beth, I love that your dad had that dream of buying an A-frame and moving Up North. It’s interesting to hear that you have Up North in Michigan also.
It’s always interesting how geography has shaped the unique culture of UP North. I always thought that Paul & Babe emerged from the forests of Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. After all, the Trees of Mystery attraction in far northern California has huge statues of Paul and Babe out front – bigger than the ones in Bemidji. But Paul and Babe were from Minnesota and came west with loggers who migrated looking for work after Minnesota’s white pine forests were exhausted. And, yes, getting used to a metro of 2 million people and crazy freeways took some time after years living in a small town.
Interesting how the legend of Paul and Babe has spread. I didn’t know about the CA connection.
I don’t think I will ever get used to the Cities. But I’m glad you’re adjusting.
Up north! We who live up north call that area central mn. Please checkout the border lakes where you can only travel by water and have no utilities but an outhouse!
You are correct, Rich. Technically the region I call “Up North” is central Minnesota. Terminology depends on where you live. People from Iowa call my area “Up North.”
I grew up using an outhouse so I have no interest in returning to that type of bathroom. My days of roughing it are long over.
Thanks for your comment.
I might have to agree with Rich, LOL. Husband and I are from farther north. I lived up at the Northwest Angle for a while as a kid. When we moved here over 25 years ago, we really liked this area. But lately everywhere we look, there’s new buildings (mostly storage units), and constant cutting and clearing of land, more vehicles on the road, more giant brightly-lit road signs …. I’m feeling ready to go somewhere with fewer people, and more peace and quiet… 😊
It’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it? I find where you live in the woods to be peaceful and quiet. I miss the quiet of the farm having come from rural southwestern Minnesota to now live on a busy busy street in a city of around 25,000.
You describe it all so well, Audrey! I’m glad you’re able to get Up North and relax with family. It’s beautiful!
Thank you, Lori. Yes, we needed to get away for some R & R.