
North Shore Scenic Drive
Minnesota’s Highway 61, also known as North Shore Scenic Drive, is a picturesque 150-mile roadway from Duluth to Grand Portage that winds alongside Lake Superior and is a destination unto itself. Here are a few must-visit stops along the way.
• Breweries in Duluth, including Fitger’s Brewhouse, Bent Paddle Brewing Co. and Canal Park Brewing Company.
• Eight state parks, including Gooseberry Falls State Park, George Crosby Manitou State Park and Cascade River State Park.
• Two Harbors Lighthouse, the oldest operating lighthouse in the state.
• Entry to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Grand Marais.
• Grand Portage National Monument, a living history center where you can learn about the area’s Ojibwe Indians.
For more information, visit Superior Scenic Byways (superiorbyways.com), and view an interactive map at North Shore Visitor’s website (northshorevisitor.com).
Resources
- 218-226-4408 silverbay.com
- Explore Minnesota Tourism exploreminnesota.com
- Silver Bay Marina 218-226-3121 silverbay-marina.com
Wilderness Adventure
When seen from a boat, the incredible geologic shoreline around Silver Bay takes precedence. Lake Superior’s North Shore is a mosaic of rock cliffs, promontories and pebble beaches created by the last glacier melting into the big lake. The bedrock coastline, formed from deep basalt lava that erupted more than a billion years ago, is continually sculpted by water, wind and weather.
A new era
Today, the city is establishing a new reputation for its environmental stewardship. The Minnesota DNR and the U.S. Corps of Engineers completed construction of the Silver Bay Marina and harbor of refuge (the first refuge on Lake Superior’s North Shore) 20 years ago, and in 2016 it was designated a Minnesota Clean Marina. The marina is owned by the Minnesota DNR and managed by the city. No matter the size of your vessel, you’ll have no trouble in this expansive marina of 110 slips, which accommodates boats up to 100 feet and offers depths at least 8 feet. In addition to a yacht club and playground, the marina offers an oasis of amenities, including freshwater, electricity, sewer pump-out, gas and diesel, and full private restrooms with showers and laundry.
A reef at the southwest edge of the marina marks the resting place of the Hesper, a wooden-hulled steamship that sank in 1905. Built in the early 1890s, the double-decker bulk freighter measured 250 feet long and could carry 2,700 tons. In a late spring snowstorm, a 60 mph nor’easter pushed it off course and onto the reef. It was then lifted over the reef by an enormous wave, endured a heck of a beating, broke apart and sank. The captain and 15-person crew remained onboard until the very end, launching two lifeboats minutes before the ship was destroyed. The Hesper lies in about 40 feet of water, popular among divers, and its artifacts are displayed in the lobby of the marina building.
Mother nature
Fishing enthusiasts will happily note a number of charter boats depart from the marina for half- and full-day fishing excursions, in search of big lake salmon and trout. The annual Lake Superior Salmon Classic fishing tournament is held every July.
Inland, you’ll find all kinds of wildlife to watch, from white-tailed deer, beaver and snowshoe hare to river otter, moose and black bear. Fishers and pine marten lurk beneath northern flying squirrels. You might hear timber wolves at night, and if you’re in the right place at the right time, you could even catch a glimpse of one of these majestic creatures.
This area of Minnesota offers some of the best rare bird watching territories in the country. The diverse habitat, geography and access to the big lake produce ideal conditions for the 140 identified species of birds. Birders can spot kinglets, spruce grouse and northern warblers in the summer, as well as the magnificent hawk migration in September and October.
Less than a 10-minute drive up the shore, Tettegouche State Park presents more noteworthy wildlife and bird watching. The largest Minnesota state park, Tettegouche protects 10,000 acres of mountain-like terrain, inland lakes, rivers, waterfalls, a mile of Lake Superior shoreline and a pristine northern hardwood forest. The park is heaven for hiking enthusiasts, with miles of trails that lead to waterfalls, cascades, high peaks overlooking the Sawtooth Mountains and shoreline cliffs surveying the big lake.
Baptism River trails wind among waterfalls and cascades, leading to the 60-foot High Falls. Lakeside cliff trails to the end of Shovel Point provide spectacular views of the lake. It’s also an ideal place for experienced rock climbers who want a breathtaking chance to climb over the lake. A drive to the top of Palisade Head gives spectators a jaw-dropping view of the lake. Some of the most dramatic illustrations of the ancient lava flows are found at Shovel Point and Palisade Head, where you’ll find a lighter volcanic rock called rhyolite, contrasting the dark basalt of most of the shoreline.
Heading back down Highway 61 (see sidebar), one of Lake Superior’s icons, Split Rock Lighthouse, is located about a 10-minute drive south of Silver Bay. The lighthouse was built after a 1905 November gale wrecked almost 30 ships. It became an instant celebrity as one of the state’s most-loved destinations — often photographed from a roadside stop just to the south. The comprehensive Visitor Center is full of historical and cultural education. You can tour the lighthouse, the keeper’s house, the oil house, the fog signal building, and mingle with the staff dressed in period costume who perform tasks of the early 20th century.
A little farther south along the shore, you’ll come to another brilliant example of Minnesota public land: Gooseberry Falls State Park. Revered for its waterfalls, river gorges and wildlife, this natural paradise also offers up-close views of dramatic geological history, with ancient lava flows of dark basalt. Rock hunters might get lucky finding agates, as these basalt lava flows created the semi-precious stones.
The Gooseberry River appeared on European explorers’ maps as early as 1670. Two hundred years later, the area supported sport and commercial fishermen, and in the 1890s, logging became a primary industry. Tourism rose in the 1920s, and when people worried that the area would only be accessible to the wealthy, the state legislature protected the area as public land. Arriving in 1934, the Civilian Conservation Corps worked to cultivate the park, staying in camps until 1941. They built stone and log buildings, the 300-foot-long castle-like retaining wall, and designed the campground, picnic areas and extensive trail system. Their historic and cultural influence remains strong in the park today.
Get active
The area is also gaining notoriety among gravel cyclists, due in large part to the grassroots race series “Heck of the North.” This autumn race series follows routes of 20, 55 or 100 miles of gravel cycling. It has inspired “Le Grand du Nord,” a gravel cycling classic of 20-, 54- or 110-mile routes in May, and the “Heck Epic,” which takes gravel cyclists on a strenuous two-day, 225-mile route in July.
With the wealth of wilderness in this area, it’s no surprise that one of the leading environmental learning centers in the nation — Wolf Ridge — is located about a half-hour drive from Silver Bay. The Center provides one of the top graduate-level naturalist training programs in the world. They also offer camps and wilderness programs for younger students and serve more than 15,000 school-age children, teachers and chaperones during the academic year. Wolf Ridge summer camps, family programs and wilderness trips attract thousands more for the extensive outdoor experiences. Drop-in visitors are welcome, too. Stop by the front office to learn about events, trails, organic farm and other programs.
If you’re up for more hiking, the Superior Hiking Trail winds its way for more than 300 miles along the North Shore. Silver Bay provides access points to the trail, which is maintained by more than 5,000 volunteers. Day hikers and backpackers hike sections of the trail — or all of the trail over time — through the Superior National Forest, along the shoreline, over the Sawtooth Mountains, through city parks and towns (and sometimes folks’ backyards). It can feel like a pilgrimage to set foot on this epic trail.
Adventure
If non-motorized boats call to you, you’ll definitely want to head back to Silver Bay to explore the Lake Superior Water Trail, popular with canoeists and kayakers, offering a whole other view of the towering, rocky shoreline.
At the end of the day, return to the peace and solitude of the Silver Bay Marina for a good night’s sleep — you’ll need it for the next day of wilderness adventure.