“Peak” fall season begins this weekend for one of Minnesota’s most beloved autumn activities: the Summit Express Gondola that glides across Poplar River rapids before rising to the 1,000-foot summit of Moose Mountain at the Lutsen Mountains resort.
The Moose pinnacle overlooks Lake Superior to the southeast and the Sawtooth Mountain Range to the northwest. Maple trees on the inland slopes of Moose and Mystery Mountains were turning scarlet and orange earlier this week, with golden birch and aspen trees yet to come.
If you visit on peak weekends now through Oct. 11, gondola hours extend from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Last fall, 4,685 people rode the gondola on its single busiest day, with the longest wait stretching to two hours.
To speed things up, a new “Signature Gondola Experience” offers the equivalent of first class on an airline. Groups paying between $120 and $250, depending on size, get priority boarding, a private gondola, supersized chocolate-chip cookies, bottled water and a nonalcoholic drink voucher.
The normal rates for a shared gondola run $35 per adult or $20 for kids ages 6 to 12, although sharing may not be needed for visitors who travel on weekdays when the gondola runs between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Gondola riders can grab food and enjoy the view from Summit Cafeteria’s patio, walk to Mystery Mountain overlooks, or follow part of the Superior Hiking Trail spur along Moose Mountain or the Ridgeline Trail.
A fall view from inside the new Charlie’s Alpine Bistro at Lutsen Mountains resort. (Lutsen Mountains)
Another new experience at Lutsen Mountains is breakfast or dinner at Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, which opened last month to replace Papa Charlie’s, which burned in 2023. Diners take in mountain views from the outdoor patio; indoors, an elegant vapor fireplace and an open kitchen cast a cozy vibe in the evening.
Midweek openings remain for eight new slopeside studios with balconies (including ADA-accessible units) and remodeled studios and condos that are also part of Lutsen Mountains’ Eagle Ridge Resort.
The Summit Express Gondola operates daily through Oct. 19 plus Saturdays Oct. 25 and Nov. 1. It does shut down if high winds or storms roll in. Check lutsen.com for updates and more details.