Bowen Lodge Lake Winnie Resort Trails

Bowen Lodge is an eighty-acre oasis of private land located within the boundaries of the Chippewa National Forest. Our plant community is mainly composed of old growth maple, oak, and basswood. It is a climax deciduous forest, which means that it has been left undisturbed over thousands of years.

The Nature Conservancy recognized this area as a rare and endangered forest type, which will be protected forever as a designated preserve known as the Battle Point Research Natural Area (RNA).

Guests can enjoy approximately 3 miles of hiking trails that wind through this magnificent forest. There are two main points, Sugarbush Point and Battle Point, both names stemming from our rich Native American history.

Sugarbush Point was where the Ojibway gathered each spring to tap the large maple trees. Many of these majestic trees are still living, and can be recognized by their wide, swollen bases, a result of the yearly harvest of syrup.

In 1860 a fierce battle was fought between the Ojibway and Sioux to gain control over the portage that connects Lake Cutfoot Sioux and the Bowstring River. This portage was strategic because it was the connection between the Mississippi and Hudson Bay drainages. Hence the name "Battle Point."