LUTSEN, Minn. — The U.S. Forest Service said Friday it has rejected the expansion plans of Lutsen Mountains, one of the premier skiing destinations in the Midwest.
Lutsen Mountains was hoping to expand onto 495 acres (193 hectares) of public land in the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota so it could add more runs, lifts and other facilities and essentially double its skiable terrain in the Sawtooth Mountains along the north shore of Lake Superior. It's one of the largest ski areas in the Midwest, with a vertical rise of 1,088 feet (326 meters) and 95 runs.
In rejecting the permit application, the Forest Service cited impacts on tribal resources such as sugar maple stands, negative effects for users of the Superior Hiking Trail and backcountry skiers, and other impacts on the environment.
The company has until Oct. 10 to file objections. It asked the Forest Service last month to defer a decision indefinitely while it consulted with three Ojibwe tribes that hold treaty rights in the area. The resort signed a memorandum of understanding with them in May and asked the Forest Service to give it time to modify its proposal and reach a solution that would benefit the tribes.
Lutsen promoted the additional skiing opportunities and economic benefits that the project would bring to the area, including more tourism and jobs. But Thomas Hall, supervisor of the Superior National Forest, concluded that negative impacts would outweigh the benefits.
It has not been a great stretch for Lutsen: The expansion rejection comes just two months after Lutsen's anchor for dining and nightlife, Papa Charlie's, burned to the ground. All the resort's computers and servers were housed in the restaurant building as well.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
