For our anniversary in August, Steve and I took a couple days off work and headed to Minnesota. Our plan was to use Duluth as a “home base” to explore the north shore of Lake Superior. We wanted to make the most of the time we had and it was difficult to decide what was a “must see” or “must do”. Knowing my love of waterfalls and lighthouses, Steve came up with a plan. We would drive up highway 61 and see as much as we possibly could.
Pallisades Head
Our first stop was Pallisades Head. With little more than a small highway marker to signal our arrival, we drove up the narrow road to the parking area. My jaw dropped as I stared out at the scenery…
Several people have died falling from these cliffs. With no safety rails, Steve wasn’t taking any chances as he photographed the landscape…
Walking back to the Jeep, I stopped to examine the sap covered pine cones…
We could have spent much more time there, but then we would have had to miss out on something else.
Tettegouche State Park
The furthest north we drove was Tettegouch State Park. After paying for our day pass (which turned out to be valid at all the state parks we visited that day), we got directions for the trailhead to High Falls. It would be a 3+ mile round trip hike, but the ranger assured us it would be worth it. The trail started out rather steep and I was thinking how sore I would be the next day. Eventually the gravel trail turned into boardwalk and the hiking became a bit easier…
We debated whether or not to climb down the 135 stairs to get the best view of the waterfall because, after all, you have to climb back up! In the end, I’m SO glad we did…
With a little patience and wading into the river, you can get a picture of the falls without crowds of people. But then, we had to climb those 135 stairs…ugh…
Again, we could have spent days exploring the trails and waterfalls!
Split Rock Lighthouse
Next we stopped at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. There is an extra fee to visit the lighthouse, but we were determined to see it all. Luckily, it sits on a high cliff so there were only a few stair to climb to get to the top…
But the best view of the lighthouse is further down the road at a scenic overlook…
Moving on, we stopped at one of the places everyone said was a “must”
Gooseberry Falls State Park
After finally finding a parking space we headed down the trail to see Gooseberry Falls. It is actually a series of falls. Again, with patience, we were able to come away with uncrowded pictures…
The afternoon was quickly slipping away from us as we headed to our next stop.
Two Harbors Lighthouse
We barely made it to Two Harbors Lighthouse before they closed for the day. It is the oldest, continuously operating lighthouse on the north shore. It has been converted into the Lighthouse B&B, but you can still tour the grounds and climb the tower…
We walked down by the jetty to get a view of the lake…
The waters were calm and the setting was so incredibly peaceful. I didn’t want to leave, but we still had an anniversary dinner ahead of us!
We were exhausted by the time we got back to our hotel room! We managed to stay awake long enough to drink a bottle of champagne we had brought with us before drifting off to sleep. The next morning, we checked out and tried to decide how much we could see of Duluth before starting the 5 hour drive back to the campground. One thing Steve really wanted to see was the Peterbuilt Boat…
Yes, you are seeing that right. It’s a pontoon boat, how cool is that!?!?! What I wanted a better look at was the Duluth Ariel Bridge. The bridge spans the Duluth ship canal and is flanked by three lighthouses…
We were lucky enough to have time to visit the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center. Here we checked out the shipping schedule and were delighted to learn we’d get to watch the Duluth Ariel Bridge in action…
At nearly 740′ long and 78′ wide, the cargo ship Whitefish Bay sailed under the bridge, through the canal and out into Lake Superior with its load of iron ore in under 15 minutes. In less than 3 minutes, the bridge was back in the down position and cars were driving over it!
After a quick bite to eat, it was time to head back to Waldo 😦 We absolutely loved the north shore!!! While we managed to cram a lot into our 3 days, we barely scratched the surface of what the area has to offer. That just means we’ll have to plan to find work up there one of these summers so we can see it all!!!
Thanks for taking me back to Minnesota’s North Shore! Yes, we have visited there and you captured it’s beauty wonderfully. I love all the lighthouse photos. We camped st Temperance River State Park, walked down a trail to the lake, saw waterfalls and the highlight was Split Rock Lighthouse.
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I’m not sure when we’ll get back, but I know for sure we will!! Every turn brought more jaw dropping scenery. Absolutely loved it! I could live there (except for winter lol)
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nice
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Thank you, it’s a beautiful area!
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What a beautiful area. I’ll have to put it on our list, for sure. Gorgeous photos of a memorable anniversary trip. Thanks for taking us along! HMMH!
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What a beautiful location. I’ll have to put it on our list, for sure. Gorgeous photos of a memorable anniversary trip. Thanks for taking us along! HMMH!
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You would absolutely love it there! HMMH!!!
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Wow! I had no idea there were such enormous cliffs up that way! Beautiful photos and, I agree, best to stay far back when taking them. Love the lighthouses and waterfalls too. What a scenic area! Glad you guys had a nice anniversary trip!
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Lol Steve took the safe route and I might have ventured a bit closer. It is such a beautiful place with so much to see and do! You’d love the hiking!!!
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Lovely photos!! I have not visited the North shore of Lake Superior, but your post reminds me of the South shore of the same one. Remarkable area, for sure!
Christie
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We would love to do the circle tour of Lake Superior, not for the record time but for the number of places we visit!
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Beautiful….awesome pics! Added to my list of places to visit. Haven’t been to Minnesota yet.
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Thank you The north shore is spectacular. I can’t wait until we can go again. I bet you’ll love it!
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Happy anniversary! And what a wonderful anniversary trip! 10 years or so ago I befriended a blogger in Duluth, and was so surprised when she posted pictures of her hometown and the Lake Superior shoreline. It is breathtaking! Your pictures are fantastic and should be used in a tourism ad campaign. 🙂 That said, I think that the locals like keeping this gorgeous stretch of coast a bit of a secret.
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I was amazed at the scenery, blown away! I had no idea until we were researching where to spend our anniversary!
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Your photos are jaw dropping! I had no idea about this area or the beauty it contained. Looks like you had a very memorable anniversary celebration. That boat that looks like a truck is fabulous. some people are seriously creative.
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Sue, I knew the area was supposed to have lots of water falls and be “pretty”, but we were blown away by how stunning it really is. We’d loved to have ridden in the truck/boat, but we ran out of time.
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I just found your blog, it is super inspiring!!
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Thank you! Looking forward to having you along!
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Your photos are striking, the sap-covered pine cones look like they have diamonds photoshopped on them, Tettegouche State Park looks like The Hobbit could have been filmed there—gorgeous, thank you for sharing these gems!
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Thank you for your kind words. It was definitely one of my favorite places we visited this year.
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One of the prettiest posts I’ve seen. I love lighthouses, so Split Rock Lighthouse made my heart leap. Would love to visit this site. Thanks for quality writing and delicious photography!!!
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Thank you so much! You’d love visiting Split Rock Lighthouse! The entire north shore is a stunning place!
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I so miss traveling right now. But ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Stay safe so you can show me more great photos.
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