Our Essential Travel Resources :
There are plenty of travel companies, but these are our favorite websites and resources for planning an unforgettable trip. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Car rentals are best through Discover Cars - just make sure to bring your international driver's permit with you! We always use Expedia's easy to use platform for comparing hotels. To keep cell service while traveling, we always use Airalo’s easy eSIM’s (no installation required). For fun things to do, we always recommend Viator to find the best tours in the America's and Europe, and Klook for tours in Asia. Just in case, Safetywing is what we use for travel insurance. Lastly, our packing list for any international or domestic travels.
Getting to Pequot Lakes & Where to Stay
Pequot Lakes is located in the Brainerd Lakes area, and sits just 20 miles north of Brainerd. If you're planning a weekend trip here, then you have a few options on where to stay - although we recommend staying near the town center so you can visit all the amazing places to eat (more on that below). On our most recent visit we stayed at Cabin au Nord, a brand new cabin (we were literally the 2nd people to stay in it) located right on Sibley Lake and only 2-3 miles from town. With incredible windows, wildlife throughout the property like foxes, deer, and owls, and even your own solo stove to enjoy during your stay - this is one of the most peaceful and cozy stays in the area!
7 Best Winter Activities in Pequot Lakes
1. Go Ice Fishing
The Brainerd Lakes area is one of the best areas in the state to go fishing, so it's no doubt that one winter activity we recommend is to go ice fishing! Since we stayed right on Sibley Lake that's where we went fishing, but other popular lakes in the area include Gull Lake and Pelican Lake. You can catch northerns, walleye, crappies and sunnies - just make sure to have your Minnesota fishing license and know the ice thickness before you head out! The DNR recommends having at least 4-6 inches of ice to walk out on.
2. Enjoy a Brunch Board
Located in downtown Pequot Lakes, MN Traders Co. is notorious for having the best brunch board in the entire state. With bacon, boiled eggs, waffles, bagels, mini donuts, fruit, and even avocado toast - one board can easily be split between 2-4 people. We also highly recommend grabbing coffee while you're here - their "nordic" coffee was excellent! MN Traders Co is also a great co-working space if you're looking to get some work done while you're visiting the Pequot Lakes area! 
3. Explore Downtown
There's not many places that have 2 separate downtowns - but Pequot Lakes does! You can find a "newer" downtown area along Government Dr that includes MN Traders Co, a few small boutiques, and even some small salons and spas. If you head over to Front St you can see the older downtown area, with a few antique stores and of course Bobber Park - which has a giant log chair and Babe the Blue Ox for some fun photo opportunities! 
4. Bobber Bocce on Ice (& the Bobber Watertower)
This annual event held in February highlights the winter fun and games held in Minnesota each winter! Pequot Lakes holds the curling and bocce ball events on Sibley Lake (conveniently the same lake Cabin au Nord is located on) - they're free to watch but if you want to join in on the competition you'll have to pay $100 per team. 
5. Snowshoeing & Snowmobiling
The Brainerd Lakes area is surrounded by endless trails, the most popular being the Paul Bunyan trail that is 115 miles long and connects Brainerd to Walker. If you're looking to do some snowshoeing or snowmobiling this is the perfect spot! And just incase you don't have your own gear, there's some places in the area that rent out exactly what you'll need. For snowmobiles, we recommend Nisswa Adventure Rentals - which rents snowmobiles for $299 for the day. For snowshoes, we recommend heading to Breezy Point Resort which offers snowshoe rentals for $15 for 4 hours.
6. Winter Bonfire & S'mores
If there's one thing special about enjoying the outdoors during the winter months in Minnesota, it's the special feeling of when there's a night warm enough to sit outside, enjoy the stars, and have some s'mores! I'll be honest there aren't many places you can do this, however if you happen to stay at Cabin au Nord they have a solo stove for all guests to use during their stay. Bring some s'mores ingredients and you'll have the perfect night out! 
7. Visit Nearby Towns
Pequot Lakes is an adorable town in the heart of the Brainerd Lakes area, but it's definitely not the only one. Just down the road you'll find Nisswa, another town with a uniquely adorable downtown. Just a little further away you'll find Crosby, one of our favorite towns to visit in the winter with access to the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area!
Watch our Adventures in Pequot Lakes here!
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Hi, we're Deborah & Tyler!
After our first move to Alaska, we decided to take a gap year and visited 30+ countries on a budget of $100 a day. This blog shares our best budget saving travel tips & international itineraries.
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