Every year, the Visitor Guide conversation starts the same way: with someone saying, “We should probably make this thing a little smaller.”
Every year, that idea lasts about five minutes.
The brand-new 2026/2027 Visit Cook County Visitor Guide is officially here, and once again, it’s packed with enough trip inspiration, local insight, photography, maps, stories, and planning tools to turn a quick weekend idea into a full-on vacation. You came up for one hike. Now you’re pricing out a fall return trip and debating whether you need snowshoes.
The new guide is designed to help visitors experience all corners of Cook County, from Grand Marais and the Gunflint Trail to Lutsen, Grand Portage, and the quieter places in between. It’s equal parts practical and aspirational. One minute you’re checking trail maps and lodging listings, the next you’re staring at a full-page photo wondering if you should learn how to sea kayak.
Visually, this year’s guide leans hard into what Cook County does best: dramatic shoreline views, dense boreal forest, inland lakes, cabin mornings, and endless trail days. The photography throughout the guide captures all four seasons without making any of them look more or less desirable.
Inside, readers will find curated trip ideas, outdoor recreation guides, seasonal highlights, dining recommendations, shopping, arts coverage, lodging information, and community features designed to help both first-time visitors and long-time regulars discover something new. The guide also includes updated maps, activity breakdowns, event information, and local business listings that make planning substantially easier than opening 37 browser tabs and hoping for the best.
One of the strengths of this year’s edition is the lineup of writers behind the stories.
Kalli Hawkins
Grand Marais-based journalist and WTIP news director Kalli Hawkins brings a distinctly local perspective to the guide. Her work consistently focuses on the people and character of the North Shore, and that shows throughout her writing here. There’s an understanding of Cook County that comes from actually living in it year-round, which means the stories feel grounded rather than overly complicated.
Website: http://kallihawkins.com/
Instagram: @kallihawkins
Lucas Will
Lucas Will contributes the kind of outdoor writing that makes you want to throw your phone in a dry bag and disappear into the woods for a few days. A former resort recreation director in Cook County and longtime outdoor educator, Lucas has spent years paddling, skiing, hiking, and guiding throughout northeastern Minnesota. His sections tap into the quieter side of adventure travel up here, the part that’s less about conquering something and more about settling into it.
Instagram: @alfrescobum
Antonia Grant
Antonia Grant brings a strong family-travel lens to the guide, especially for visitors trying to figure out how to balance outdoor adventure with realistic expectations for kids whose patience may expire halfway through a hike. Her feature highlights some of the best flavors of the county and how they can be found in every season.
Website: https://kneadtoroam.com/
Instagram: @knead.to.roam
Maddy Marquardt
Then there’s Maddy Marquardt, whose background in paddling, photography, and expedition travel gives her work a natural connection to Lake Superior and wilderness travel. Her stories carry a sense of movement to them, which makes sense considering she’s spent weeks kayaking places most people struggle to pronounce correctly. Her contributions fit naturally into a guide centered around exploration and connection to place.
Website: https://madelinemarquardt.com/
Instagram: @maddymarq
The result is a guide that feels less like a brochure and more like a conversation with people who actually spend time here.
There’s also a practical side to the guide. Yes, the photos are great. Yes, the stories make you want to immediately book a cabin. But the guide is genuinely useful. It helps visitors figure out where to stay, what season fits their style best, where to eat after a long hike, and how to connect the dots between different parts of the county.
It also quietly reminds people that Cook County is much bigger and more varied than they expected. Lake Superior gets the attention first, understandably, but the inland lakes, forests, trails, backroads, arts communities, and small businesses are what turn visits into traditions.
And while the guide works well digitally, there’s still something satisfying about flipping through an actual printed copy while planning a trip. Maybe it’s nostalgia. Maybe it’s easier than scrolling. Maybe people just like leaving it open on the kitchen table for two weeks while pretending they’re “still deciding.”
Either way, the 2026 guide officially joins the long tradition of helping visitors answer one very specific Cook County question: “How did we end up staying an extra two days?”
