MN Fall Foliage Colors: Gull Lake Tour
Click image to download printable map & tour details.
Gull Lake offers many outdoor stopping points and viewing areas for the lake. There are even fishing opportunities, so bring the kids and the fishing gear and leave the worries behind. Points of interest include Maddens On Gull Lake, Gull Four Seasons Resort, Sandy Beach Resort, Grand View Lodge, and Lost Lake Lodge.
Buckle up and sit back for a picture-perfect fall colors drive around the Gull Lake Area. The 38-mile tour begins as you travel west on County Road 77, or the Pine Beach Road, around Gull Lake. To reach 77 from Brainerd, go north five miles at the intersection of highways 210 and 371 North.
County Road 77 takes you west to the south shore of Gull Lake and will circle the entire lake. This route reveals such a rich bouquet of colors that it makes fall in the Brainerd Lakes Area just as exciting as the rest of the year!
As you start your drive around the south end of Gull Lake on County Road 77, you will begin to notice the beauty of the Lakes Area exposed in vibrant shades of red, yellow, green and orange. Amidst the breathtaking fall flora, look for a stark and impressive Great Blue Heron Rookery. You'll also pass many beautiful and popular resorts, restaurants and scenic golf courses.
Continuing along Gull Lake's west side, you'll notice on your left the Pillsbury State Forest. Our Pillsbury State Forest fall color tour can nicely coincide with the Gull Lake tour. You'll loop around just a few miles north of where you'd leave County Road 77 if you follow the Pillsbury State Forest fall color tour.
Whether you continue north on 77 or detour through the the Pillsbury State Forest area and exit near the north end of Gull Lake on County Road 77, you will travel through an area known as Sherwood Forest. This is the area between Lake Margaret and Gull Lake. Here, the trees surround the road, forming a brilliantly colored passageway of trees. Gull Lake’s northern edge offers additional dining, lodging and recreational options as it takes you back out to Highway 371 on the southern tip of Nisswa, MN.