Meet your Cook County Neighbor: Stephanie Shea
Sep 02, 2025 08:05AM ● By Editor
A Boreal Community Media Exclusive - August 30, 2025
Stephanie and her husband own Borderland Lodge. To learn more about their lodge, follow this link to their website.
How did you land in Cook County? What journey led you here?
When [husband] Dave and I started dating almost 20 years ago, he’d talk about wanting to move into the woods (we’re both from eastern NoDak). I grew up staying at mom and pop resorts around Detroit Lakes / Otter Tail County with my family. My parents were the folks who would poke their heads in to get the brochure and my mom would always try to sneak into the cabins while they were being turned. It was always a part of our travel itinerary. Then in my 20s I spent a good amount of time working multiple roles at a boutique hotel in Fargo (i.e. I scrubbed toilets and checked in guests). It was very locally-focused at a time and place where that wasn’t happening much elsewhere.
So when Dave would talk about moving “up north” it just planted and watered the seed in my head that someday we’ll be resort-owners. We can sustain a life in the woods while also continuing the traditions of small shop hospitality that I had connected to through the years. It was a very matter-of-fact guiding force in how I planned my life… like “right now we’re doing this and when the time is right we’ll have a lodge.” Easy peasy, right??
When the pandemic hit, we were both working from home in St. Paul with our dogs (Fin and Thor), and for so many reasons it just felt like it was *the time*. Every weekend we’d pack up and go look at properties - I think we scoped out 22 across multiple states and put in a few offers that all (thankfully) didn’t work out.
We knew in our guts we wanted to end up in Cook County because it had been such a favorite place to escape to over the years. Every time we’d look somewhere else, it just solidified where we really wanted to be. We put all of our effort into trying to figure that out and finally found our match in the fall of 2021, with our first season starting May 2022.
As owners of Borderland Lodge, you live and work in what many would describe as paradise! What are some of your favorite parts about life on the Gunflint Trail?
The community. We’re in such a remote place but I never feel isolated. It’s like the best of both worlds.
Otherwise I think just having the BWCA as the backdrop to our home/daily lives. Fetch with the dogs is on Gunflint Lake, with the high cliffs in the backdrop. The local town for running errands is Grand Marais - it's such a peaceful drive to/from and I can never get enough of the view coming down from the Pincushion Mountains!
I also love the wildlife. I was such an animal nerd growing up – I had the little binders with the cards for each animal that would arrive monthly in the mail. It never gets old seeing an eagle, moose, or otter. It makes me so, so happy every single time.
Do you have any memorable moments of guests visiting your lodge that stand out in your mind?
A friend visited a few years back with her parents. They were staying along the big lake and took the drive up the Trail for a visit. Apparently as they were driving down our road (North Gunflint) they started getting very deja vu feelings. As they walked in the front door my friend and her sister were like “what the heck is up with you two…?” Turns out this is where the parents had honeymooned way back when and they had thought it burned down in the Ham Lake Fire. As they walked in they were realizing that the lodge is not only very much still operating, but also owned by a friend of their kids'. It was a unique family moment to witness!
Generally, we have also really loved long time guests and neighbors showing off their old Borderland merch! We’re the second oldest lodge on the Trail and after a few different name changes throughout the years, Dave and I were able to get “Borderland” back. People were showing off their old caps, mugs, and sweatshirts from decades back. So fun!
How do you get time to unwind and relax? Do you intentionally try to take a day or so off to avoid burnout?
During the on-season I’m not really able to take a full day off so it’s really about taking advantage of pockets of time as they come up. Shortly after closing on the property I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which comes with a bit of fatigue, so I try to be diligent about how I manage my time and energy. We’ve adjusted some of our hours and services at the lodge to make it more manageable and I’m also pretty religious about taking an afternoon rest - even if it’s just a quick 10 minutes with my eyes shut.
I’ve started spending more time gardening and tending to the plants on the property. I wouldn’t say I have a green thumb, but there’s something so calming and satisfying about messing in the dirt with the wind and waves in the background.
What is your favorite season in Cook County and why?
This season RIGHT now! Late summer into early fall. The water is lovely, the bugs are lessening, hiking is great, the sun has some oomph but the days are shorter, sunrises and sunsets are a little more colorful and typically more aurora action around this time as well. There’s a little bit of a lull between peak summer and peak fall so I have some room to catch my breath and explore the nearby trails and entry points.
For someone considering a stay at your resort, what are some activities that tend to be popular with your guests?
I feel so strongly that every lodge has a personality, and every guest has a lodge to compliment them. We have really been finding a connection with folks looking to come up here to connect with nature - photography, birding, BWCA day-trips, nordic skiers (we’re open in the winter and the Upper Gunflint has a SOLID 70km trail system), people looking to go out and get some good hiking in.
On Gunflint Lake we have several waterfalls that are fun day-trips. Bridal Veil Falls down at the east end of the lake is a must-see. We recommend people boat down (it’s a 7-mile trek), take advantage of the sandy beach and picnic spots. The hike in is less than a mile and depending on your balance and the water flow you can actually get pretty close to the falls! Closer to us–just in the #57 entry point–is Little Rock Falls. There’s a sweet little swimming hole there, you paddle past the international border marker, and when in season the blueberry picking is pretty great.
We’ve also been growing our weekend dinner services (also open to the public) so guests have an option if they don’t want to cook or leave the property. They can wrap up a day exploring with a beer or glass of wine and some homemade meals. We try to switch things up with the seasons and have a range of items from hamburgers and wild rice burgers to lodge-made pasta and risotto. This has been a real labor of love that we’ve been slowly working on over the last few years.
