This Byway takes you to exactly what the name says, the edge of the wilderness in the Chippewa National Forest, meandering around 36 lakes and through landscapes thick with aspen, birch, pine and maple trees. Keep your eyes skyward to see the largest population of bald eagles in the United States.
Along the way, stop at Discovery Sites to explore the hidden cultural history of northern Minnesota, marked along the roadway with signs that alert you to the next site just ahead. Be sure to stop at the Edge of the Wilderness Discover Center in Marcell, where displays and exhibits introduce you to the whole Byway and the area. 
You can step back in history at the Forest History Center, to meet the blacksmith, saw filer, clerk, cook and lumberjacks in the state’s only authentic 1900s logging camp, complete with a floating cook shack, patrolman’s cabin, timber harvest simulator, logs and a multi-media who that demonstrates the power of forest fires. A one hour guided tour begins at the interpretive building and from there, you can take forest trails to the Mississippi river.
