Scenic Hwy 61
NORTH SHORE DRIVE, MINNESOTA
Stretching 154 Miles from Duluth to Grand Portage is the beautiful and scenic, North Shore Drive, also known as Scenic Hwy 61. Give yourself a good 3-4 hours to drive this scenic byway and enjoy the sights. There are numerous waterfalls and places to stop for a rest or picnic. Bring your camera and stop at many of the scenic overlooks to get some great pictures of the spectacular views. You will go by 8 state parks and the Superior National Forest.
The rocky North Shore of Minnesota, which is a product of volcanic flow and glacial ice, has what no other place in the Midwest can offer; an inland sea, a mountain backdrop, an unspoiled wilderness, and a unique feeling all its own. North Shore Drive runs along the wild northwoods filled with acres of pine, aspen and birch trees, flanked by Lake Superior and the aptly named, glacier-carved Sawtooth Mountains. You’ll travel between breathtaking cliffs and the beaches of Lake Superior. Rivers and streams make their way to the lake, producing dazzling waterfalls along the way.
Make your first stop at Gooseberry Falls State Park. It’s located on Hwy 61, 40 miles NE of Duluth. The 100-foot cascade of the Gooseberry River into Lake Superior is the highlight of Gooseberry Falls State Park, one of eight State Parks along the drive.
Split Rock Lighthouse is one of the best known landmarks along the drive. Built in 1909 as a result of many shipwrecks resulting from storms, the lighthouse now operates a historical site where you can tour the structure and learn more about life in a lighthouse
On Hwy 61 east of Two Harbors is the highest bluff rising directly out of Lake Superior. Hwy 61 was carved out of the cliffside 125 feet above the lake. The new tunnel here provides a safer route and features a wayside area that you can stop at to take in the cliff side views.
Just east of Thomsonite Beach, Highway 61 turns left and reveals an incredible picturesque Good Harbor Bay, Seagull Rock and the small town of Grand Marais in the distance. The wayside rest area and vehicle pullover area are on the lakeside of the road, this is a great site to stop and take some pictures.
Grand Portageis the last town before the Canadian border and the hub of the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century fur trade. It was named for the 8.5-mile trek voyageurs and Indians had to make between Lake Superior and Fort Charlotte. A few miles further, Mount Josephine offers a 1,348-foot view of Lake Superior, the peninsula and nearby islands, as well as beautiful Teal Lake. Grand Portage State Park features the tallest waterfall in Minnesota, which makes a suitable finale for our tour of the North Shore Scenic Drive.
If you continue your journey up into Canada, further along, there are some spectacular hills and cliffs with the best concentration around Thunder Bay, Ontario. There are lots of gems to be unearthed and memories to be made along scenic Hwy 61. The best time to go is spring through fall. In the fall time you will experience the beautiful fall foliage.
North Shore Map
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Resources:
Leah Lind
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