Northernmost Point in the Continental U.S. (Angle Inlet, Minnesota)

Northernost Point
Photo by Lorie Shaull

Unless you’re traveling by boat, the Northernmost Point in the Continental United States (sorry Alaska) is so far north that it requires a drive through Canada to access. Yes, it is strange that it require entry to another country and is still considered the contiguous United States, but that’s an argument for another person on another day. Angle Inlet, Minnesota, the self-proclaimed “Walleye Capital of the World”, was inspired to build a monument honoring their northern local by Key West, Florida of all places, who proudly features The Southernmost Point in the Continental United States.

The northernmost marker located at Young’s Bay Resort, started as something of a joke. The idea of marking the location with a bouy is an obvious play on the Key West attraction, but unlike the similarly shaped Key West marker, there is not an hour-long wait to get you picture with the Northernmost Point bouy. It’s not because it’s any less interesting or fun, but rather that it’s often ridiculously cold and there are a lot, I mean A LOT, less people visiting.

Young’s Bay was chosen because the main marina for visitors and residents staying at one of the many nearby island resorts or cabins of the NW Angle islands is located here. The surrounding area is made up of a group of 14,552 islands, and there are more than a dozen nearby resorts catering to visitors and they range from full service lodges with all the amenities to simple fishing shacks with virtually nothing to offer but proximity to great fishing, snowmobiling, birding, and hunting.