North Shore MN Part 1

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Our next destination after Grand Rapids was to the North Shore of Minnesota. We had heard so many good things about this area from many Minnesotans during our stay elsewhere in the state during the month of August that we felt obligated to modify our fall travel plans to include a stop in this region. The North Shore is roughly a 150 mile stretch of northeastern Minnesota that is along the northern shore of Lake Superior. It runs from Duluth up to the Canadian border at Grand Portage. When we were looking for a campground in that area, we found a fair number of them but since we were planning less than 2 weeks out, we found that getting a site over the upcoming weekend to be problematic. We did however find a campground in Duluth that did have availability over the weekend. So our solution was to split our visit into two different spots of four days each. This should be enough time to see the major highlights yet still let us start the long journey to Florida before cold weather sets in.

The drive from Grand Rapids to Black Beach Campground in Silver Bay is about 140 miles. It follows US Route 2 into Duluth and the northern terminus of Interstate 35 and then up the coast. There is a visitor center in Duluth that we figured would work well as a lunch stop along the way. The drive started out fine but as we got about 5 miles from Duluth, we could see the weather looked questionable up ahead. It turned out we were heading into fog.

The last 2 miles into town is a few hundred feet lower in elevation and the fog just got worse the further we traveled. The last half mile into the visitor center was nearly impossible from a visibility standpoint. Unlike many rest stops near an interstate that are simple ramps to and from the expressway, this one is off of a side road that likely would be a challenge in nice weather with the several sharp turns required to get into the parking lot. I suspect I had less than 50 feet of visibility and felt quite nervous driving the big rig and not running into something. Fortunately there was a spot large enough for us that was open so we pulled in and had lunch, figuring we would simply wait out the fog since we still had 55 miles more all along the coast.

An hour later it was no better. Even though we couldn’t see the visitor center, Chris headed out to try to find it, pick up travel information for the area and talked with the worker at the desk. They had contacted a local hotel to reserve a room for a traveler and was told that it wasn’t foggy there. We were experiencing very localized dense fog and she suggested we simply head out and it should clear up in a few miles. Fortunately she was right and while it wasn’t a bright sunny day for the rest of the drive, it was fairly pleasant. We found Black Beach Municipal Campground without trouble and got setup in our site. It wasn’t all that level but we managed okay and were happy to have full hookups here.

We know there is a lot we want to check out in the area and the weather is fairly decent this afternoon so we head out before dinner to see some of the local sights. Just a few miles south of camp is the Silver Bay Marina. There are a couple of geocaches in the area near the marina and it’s a good place to view the Northshore Mining facility in between the marina and the campground. This plant processes iron ore mined about 50 miles to the north. The ore is brought to the facility via train and processed into taconite pellets. These are loaded onto ships and taken to smelting facilities in other cities along the Great Lakes. There wasn’t a ship being loaded when we were there but it looks like a fascinating operation.

Silver Bay Marina

Northshore Mining Facility

One of the geocaches hidden near the marina is out on a small island a quarter mile offshore. No boat is required since there is a break wall leading from the marina to Pellet Island. It sounded like a neat one to go for but as I climbed up onto the break wall and started to make my way out, I quickly discovered that the trek across the rocks to the island was not going to be easy. The rocks are very large and fairly stable but the gaps in between them are rather substantial with plenty of space for a leg or body to slip into if you aren’t careful. Chris convinces me I don’t need to find every geocache and we head out to explore more.

Looking Out to Pellet Island

The Northshore Scenic Lookout is on a hill in the town of Silver Bay. Finding the proper road to turn on can be a problem but once on it, visitors can drive up the 100 foot tall hill to a large parking lot. There is a path to an observation deck that overlooks the iron ore processing plant below. Another footpath on the opposite side of the parking lot leads to another viewpoint of the town.

Overhead View of Northshore Mining

Overlooking Town of Silver Bay

When we head back to camp, we decide to take the side road down to the beach area to see what it is like. The place is called Black Beach for good reason. Sure enough the beach is black but not from natural black sand, but from decades of taconite tailings dumped into Lake Superior from the nearby plant. In fact the area only was turned into a recreational area and campground in 2020. It was fairly deserted but still pretty.

Black Beach and Turtle Island

Later that night we finally got to experience the Northern Lights. We have spent the last two summers in the northern reaches of the USA - last year in New England and this year in the upper Midwest. We have had many occasions over these two years where a geomagnetic event was strong enough to produce them, but it seemed like weather conditions always made seeing them impossible. We drove up to a parking lot away from the lights of the campground and waited to see if we would get to see them and sure enough they were visible. Better yet we were able to do this at 9 PM instead of 2 AM!

We have several places we want to visit the following day. Our first stop of the day is at Gooseberry Falls State Park about 20 miles southwest of Silver Bay. This is one of the more popular places along the North Shore. There is a campground and many miles of hiking trails but we really only have time to check out the most beautiful part of the park - the waterfalls. We arrived before the visitor center opened, so we just headed over to the middle falls first.

Side View of Middle Falls

Frog

A trail follows the Gooseberry River downstream to a couple of bridges that crosses over the split in the river near the lower falls. The trail then proceeds along the other side of the river.

Lower Falls

Footbridge Over River

As we work our way around, we get many different views of the sets of falls as well as the bridge for the main road in the area. From the looks of things, there has been a busy beaver and it looked like fairly recent work.

Nice Falls Viewpoint

Recent Beaver Activity

The trail crosses under the main road and proceeds up to the upper falls. The trails continue on to something called Fifth Falls but it was a bit more of a walk than we had time for if we hope to visit all the other places we want to see today.

Upper Falls

We work our way over to Gateway Plaza which has some incredible stonework. We head back along the river and by now the visitor center is open so we can check it out. I could easily see spending a full day or two taking in the sights and all the trails but we need to continue on.

Nice Stonework at Gateway Plaza

Wolf at Visitor Center

Our next destination was to grab lunch at a famous local diner in Two Harbors about 12 miles further southwest. There was road construction at one of the tunnels along Route 16 so we stopped at a large scenic pullout just before the tunnel. From the parking area, the view of Lake Superior is nice, but there is a walkway that goes along the side of the cliff and we get an even better view from up at this level. It turns out that the path used to be the main road until 1994 when the tunnel was opened through Silver Creek Cliff.

Silver Creek Cliff Tunnel

Lake Superior View

Climbers on the Cliff

Getting back onto the one way traffic to continue to our lunch stop was a bit of a problem but we eventually made it to Betty’s Pies. We had noticed this place as we drove by in the motorhome and after checking it out, we realized they not only serve homemade pies but offer breakfast and lunch. We enjoyed a nice meal and got a couple pieces of pie to go. Excellent food and pie but you will have trouble deciding which of the 18 types of pie to choose from.

Betty's Pies Awaits

Our final stop of the day was to Split Rock Lighthouse which is back in the direction of the campground. There is a rest area less than a mile from the entrance to the state park that has a rather nice view of the lighthouse in the distance. Then we proceed to the park entrance. Even though our Minnesota annual state park pass allows entry to the park, touring the lighthouse is an additional nominal fee because it is run by an historical society.

View of Lighthouse from Rest Area

Lighthouse Entrance

Built in 1910, this 54 foot tall lighthouse sits atop a 130 foot cliff over Lake Superior giving it a range of 22 miles. We head into the main lighthouse visitor center to pay our fee and explore the many displays. There is also a good movie explaining about the history and construction of it.

Fresnel Lens

Old Camera

We go over to the lighthouse to check out the inside of it and the fog signal building which has additional displays. There are definitely some great views just from ground level outside the lighthouse.

Split Rock Lighthouse

A spiral staircase leads up to the top of the building. Visitors only can go up to the floor just below the large Fresnel lens but we do get a good look at the complicated drive mechanism that rotates the lens and light. The drive mechanism is actually similar to a grandfather clock with falling weights moving a series of gears to get the required flash every 10 seconds of lamp that’s always on.

Chris Heads Up

Below the Light and Lens

Drive Gearbox

It’s a self guided tour but there is a staff member at the entrance to try to maintain a good flow since there isn’t a lot of room for large groups at the top. She was also able to answer questions we had after seeing the light. Next we head over to one of the caretaker’s homes. Only one is open to the public and there was a fair amount of work being done all around the outside of the building but they have a path open to the front door.

Looking Down

Three Caretaker Houses

Quilting on Old Singer Sewing Machine

There are all sorts of old furnishings inside the very well maintained light keeper’s house. We explore the two floors of the old brick building and learn about the tasks the keepers needed to do as part of the job.

Amberola - Cylinder Phonograph

Large Cook Stove

Bedroom

One of the walkways out to a viewpoint was closed as they install a new support columns for the raised walkway. They also recommend heading over to the old tram house to see how supplies being delivered by boat were moved up to the hundred plus feet. There are only remnants of the tram that was used until 1934 when supplies could be delivered by truck from Duluth. We head down the very tall staircase to get to some of the other viewpoints of the lighthouse down near the boathouse and pump house.

Fog Signal House and Lighthouse

Viewpoint Walkway Closed for Construction

Lots of Steps Down to Water

Even though we are about 1000 feet from the lighthouse, the view from this perspective is much better since the scale of the cliff it is sitting on is completely visible near water level. As I walked along the rocky shore, I noticed all sorts of puddles formed from the waves and realized there was a chance to get an interesting reflection picture. It took some searching around to find a puddle with the proper alignment to the lighthouse and then some more playing around trying to get the proper angle. It turned out that my DSLR camera was too big to get positioned properly and had to resort to the iPhone. Chris waited patiently while I crawled the rocks getting just the right shot.

Nice View of Cliff and Lighthouse

Reflecting Pond

Wave Splashing

We followed the edge of the water and a trail continually getting different views of the lighthouse. By the time we made it down to an area called Pebble Beach and Ellingsen Island, we were over a half mile from the lighthouse and it was getting late in the afternoon. So we work our way back up some of the park roads to where we had parked. One of the maple trees had somehow gotten an early warning of winter and was already displaying its vibrant fall colors. Split Rock State Park was a really nice stop.

Last Viewpoint

Pebble Beach

Vibrant Maple Warns Us of Winter Coming

The next day we decide to explore some of the coastline to the northeast of camp. It’s a little over 90 miles to Grand Portage - the last town before crossing into Canada. We had selected a fair number stops along the drive but we were concerned that if we stop at too many on the way up, we may not actually make it to the stops at the far end. If we run out of time to see everything we want, it would be better to skip those closer to camp and we just do a shorter drive to those tomorrow. We had picked a hike near Grand Portage as our first destination. The Mount Josephine Trail is listed as a moderate 2.5 mile out and back hike with 650 feet of elevation gain. We did make one stop along the way to look for a geocache and take a short break, but we pulled into the parking area for the trail at 10 AM which is pretty good for us.

Stop Along the Drive North

Beginning of Mount Jo Trail

The first half mile or so is mostly flat but then the trail makes a left hand turn and starts a rather steep ascent. There are some neat rock formations on the way up and were to the main overlook area 45 minutes later. There were two women already sitting and enjoying the view. We chatted with them for a bit and it seemed they were in no hurry to head back down.

Unusual Mushrooms

Rocky Trail to the Top

Nice View

We had a geocache nearby to find so Chris went into a full explanation of what we were up to as I headed in to the woods to look for the cache. A couple minutes later I found what I was looking for and came back out. It’s not clear if the women were interested enough to look into using geocaching as another reason to go hiking but they might. We headed back down the trail and left them with the view.

Our next stop was barely 2 miles from the trailhead. Grand Portage National Monument has a beautiful visitor center where we stop at to learn about the history of the area and why this is a National Monument.

Grand Portage NM Heritage Center

Huge Fireplace/Chimney

Birchbark Shelter

Established in 1960, this national monument celebrates the history of the trading that took place back in the late 1700’s. There is an 8.5 mile trail that follows the actual portage required by traders bringing in their furs from Canada along the Pigeon River over to the North West Trading Company headquarters on the shore of Lake Superior.

Moose

Wall of Windows Looking Over Lake Superior

We didn’t have time to actually do the hike to the old fort by the river. It sounds like most people that do this hike will camp at the primitive campsite near the fort. But there is something else to see that is a short walk from the visitor center - a replica of the old trading company headquarters. Outside the stockade fence are some native shelters mainly constructed of birch bark and sticks. There is also a larger building that displays some of the birch bark canoes that used to be so prevalent for bringing in the animal furs for trade. A volunteer described how the canoes are constructed and some that get used today for demonstrations are made and repaired in this shop.

Canoe Shop

Large Canoe Hanging Overhead

Walking into the stockade area are a couple of buildings, a garden and several other out buildings.

Garden, Scarecrow and Outdoor Oven

Inside the buildings were more volunteers all dressed in period clothing and with a wealth of knowledge about life in the harsh conditions prevalent here especially in the winter.

Large Dining Table

They had numerous animal furs hanging on the wall and a huge bearskin rug. We listened to some of the descriptions provided and found it rather fascinating although I doubt we could have lived a life like that.

Assorted Furs

Bearskin Rug

Back outside we check out the very nicely crafted canoe and the dock where events take place. It was a rather quick stop but still fun.

Canoe Looks Ready to Go

Boat Dock

There was one last spot in Grand Portage we wanted to see. Grand Portage State Park is right along the Pigeon River and has a nice waterfall. We first head into the visitor center to look at displays before heading out to the trail to see High Falls.

Floor Art at Visitor Center

It’s only about a half mile walk to the viewpoint and we get a glimpse of the river and Canada on the other side. In fact, our phones were convinced we were already there. We hadn’t brought along our passports so we weren’t going to be doing the border crossing for real.

Pigeon River

At about 120 feet tall, these falls are Minnesota’s tallest. They are quite nice and there was a pretty good flow of water going over. We could see an equivalent viewpoint on the Canadian side but never noticed someone over there.

High Falls

Canadian Viewing Area

I’m sure there is a lot more to see around this part of Minnesota but it was already 2 PM and we had a long drive and several other places we hoped to visit on the way back. We drove around 40 miles and stopped in the cute looking town of Grand Marias. There is a peninsula sticking out into the lake named Artist’s Point that kind of looks like a whale tail from above and seems to be quite popular. The eastern side seems to be one large landmass and has some trails in the wooded area as well as a rocky perimeter.

Grand Marias

Peaceful Waters

Rocky Shore at Artist's Point

The western side of Artist’s Point is actually comprised of several smaller sections of land but these are connected by concrete piers. They are not very wide and some have no railing. If we hadn’t seen people walking across them, we may have guessed they weren’t to be walked on but given the weather was nice, we decide to attempt to cross. You do want to be careful if others are heading the opposite direction since passing can be a challenge.

No Railing Here

Minimal Railing

There is a small lighthouse at the end of the western side as it helps to guide boats into the small harbor the peninsula creates. It’s definitely a picturesque spot with the Coast Guard station on the peninsula.

Coast Guard Station

Small Lighthouse at Harbor Entrance

As we walked back towards the car, we saw a small wedding ceremony taking place on the edge of the lake. We had also noticed a large sailboat out on the lake earlier and by now it had made it into the bay. The Hjordis is a tour boat that runs out of Grand Marias and looks to hold about a dozen people. It looks like fun if we had the time.

Small Wedding Ceremony at the Point

The Hjordis Sails By

It was 4 PM and we still have 55 miles back to camp so we can only fit in one more short stop. Cascade River State Park is on the way so we stop here to check out the falls. While there is a trail on either side of this river, it’s really hard to get a decent view of the falls or cascades with all the brush and trees but we can definitely hear them. With about an hour to drive back to camp, we call it a day and feel like we’ve gotten a good feel for this part of the North Shore. I doubt we will make it back here, but we could find enough to do to cover a week or two.

Cascade Falls