Lady Slipper Scenic Byway
Lady Slipper Scenic Byway is a State Scenic Byway in Minnesota. Within Minnesota it covers roughly 25 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Lady Slipper Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
The Lady Slipper Scenic Byway is a 28-mile Minnesota state byway through the Chippewa National Forest, named for the wildflowers that bloom along it each summer. More than 10,000 showy lady's slippers, Minnesota's state flower, bloom here each late June and early July. Following County Road 39 between the small town of Blackduck and Highway 2 east of Cass Lake, near Bemidji, the drive passes pine and hardwood forest, fishing lakes, and a crossing of the Mississippi River not far from its source. Along the way sits Civilian Conservation Corps Camp Rabideau, seven miles south of Blackduck, the most intact CCC camp remaining in the United States and now a National Historic Landmark, offering a rare, preserved look at Depression-era conservation work. Campgrounds and beaches line the route for travelers wanting to stay overnight in the forest. It's a short but rewarding drive, best timed to early summer for the wildflower bloom.
- 28 miles on County Rd 39, Blackduck to Cass Lake
- Chippewa National Forest
- 10,000+ showy lady's slipper wildflowers
- CCC Camp Rabideau National Historic Landmark
- crosses the Mississippi River near its source
Plan a drive on Lady Slipper Scenic Byway →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.
Where to Stay along Lady Slipper Scenic Byway
6 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Lady Slipper Scenic Byway.
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