Our Adventures of the North Shore (Lake Superior)
Paul and I have traveled to the North Shore three times. Here is an account of our amazing adventures on the great and mysterious Lake Superior. The North Shore is my 2nd favorite place in the entire United States to vacation. The combination of the adventures of hiking with the calming nature of the lake makes it a perfect place to physically and mentally unwind.
Here are the following accounts of our trips:
July 2010: Paul and I had Max who was 1.5 years old on our first family trip to the North Shore. We stayed at Larsmont Cottages with my mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law with their two 6 month twins! We had an amazing week vacation enjoying the simplicity, beauty, and relaxation of Lake Superior.
June 2012: Our second trip to the North Shore was with Max (3), Sam (1), and Emily (in my tummy!). Max went fishing for the first time with my dad! My mom and dad vacationed with us as well as Paul ran in Grandma's Marathon in Duluth! Sam absolutely loved life, the grass, the lake, and his first s'more!! Paul did an incredible job running in his first marathon!! I remember staying up late talking with my dad about his adventures on the North Shore and Apostle Islands. To this day, it is one of my favorite conversations with my dad as his stories were so animated and full of joy and adventure!
June 2017: On our third visit to the North Shore, Paul and I took our FIRST TRIP away from the kids on our 10th Anniversary! This was the most adventurous trip as we spent our days hiking and exploring the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT). This trip triggered our cravings and love for adventure hiking and exploring that later led to our trips to Glacier, Yellowstone, Badlands, Devil's Tower, Bryce, Zion & Grand Canyon. (We are seriously addicted to hiking and cannot get enough!) We learned how to talk to locals about favorite beaches and sections of the SHT to explore off-the-road trails and secluded areas. We were terribly unprepared without good maps and supplies and were lost several times! We hiked and climbed for miles and miles and then relaxed with a glass of wine in the evenings with a good book right on the shores of Lake Superior. To this day, it is my happy place place I go in my dreams to relax.
Based on our three trips, here are our travel recommendations for North Shore area!
Duluth: We did not spend much time in Duluth. We would usually stop on the way up to Two Harbors or the trip home. We parked by the pier to walk out to the light house, grab an ice cream cone, and watch the bridge go up and down as large barges made their way through the canals. Take the North Shore scenic route is a MUST when traveling North! INCREDIBLE views!
Two Harbors: We stayed each time at Larsmont Cottages just south of Two Harbors. Two Harbors has a very nice and well-priced grocery store and fast food restaurants (Culvers is our favorite fast food!) as well as authentic, locally owned eateries. Betty's Pies (just north of Two Harbors) is a MUST! The food is delicious and pie is INCREDIBLE!
Train - there is a model train engine and train depot to take train rides along the North Shore from Two Harbors to Duluth. We never took the train ride but when the kids were younger, they loved to see the train!
Two Harbors Lighthouse: There is a small but beautiful lighthouse on the pier.
There is a trail along the shore line with some big smooth rocky area that is great to dip your toes in the water, skip rocks, and get close to Lake Superior. We've seen a lot of deer, wildflowers & sailboats on this easy hike!
Fishing: There are several private fishing charter boats that will take you out for a half a day or whole day fishing on Lake Superior! Paul & my dad went and had an amazing experience! They went on a fishing charter from a sister resort to Larsmont.
Sailing: At the Two Harbors marina, there are several opportunities to hire an expert to take you out sailing! The beauty, experience, and stories are amazing! Paul learned to sail. I chose not to since I was a bit sea sick! It was a beautiful evening sailing!
North Shore Beaches around Two Harbors: There are so many North Shore "beaches" to explore around Two Harbors! We spent a lot of time on the shoreline at Larsmont. The shoreline is all rock (no sand) and the water is freezing. However, our kids have enjoyed hours of rock play, building statues, skipping rocks, and searching for agates! We found a beach that was recommended by locals to hunt agates. It was located by the boat marina I believe - I don't remember what it was called but it was easy to find from the marina. Go hunt early in the morning! We met a woman who goes early each morning to search for agates that she places at her mother's gravesite each day. Beautiful story! We also found a beach on our bike ride with a unique kind of rock - it was illegal to take any with you (we were on bikes so we weren't tempted in the least!)
Bike Trails: There are miles upon miles of bike trails along the North Shore (Gitchi-Gami State trail). There are several locations along this trail to rent bikes (we brought our own helmets). https://www.ggta.org/biking.php
We were able to use bikes from Larsmont and biked to Split Rock Light House and back. It was my favorite bike ride EVER! So beautiful! There are many beaches to stop at and lake views. Bring lots of water, a couple snacks, and layers - there are hills. The temperature can change drastically on one ride.
Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
Split Rock Lighthouse is a historic landmark and lighthouse with a beautiful view and great photo op! There is a fee to tour the lighthouse, museum, and shoreline, but it is worth it and very educational!! We parked our bikes and toured the lighthouse/shoreline before biking back to Larsmont. We were never here for sunrise or sunset but I can only imagine the view!
Gooseberry Falls State Park
Gooseberry Falls State Park is one of my favorite state parks in the U.S.!! The waterfalls, views, and hikes are fantastic! You can get in the water a bit if you are hot to cool off but be careful for dangerous drop offs and of course the falls! There are many places to fall over the edge but watch children and your step. We hiked for miles around Gooseberry Falls and enjoyed the sounds of the falls and talking to people! We met some really fun couples with awesome stories every time we went! We hiked the Fifth Falls Trail. https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_parks/spk00172_summer.pdf
Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) to Bear & Bean Lake - Two Harbors has a great informational center for the Superior Hiking Trail. Paul and I highly recommend talking to the staff there to get ideas of hikes and directions for trail heads. The guide recommended we hike to Bear & Bean Lake using the SHT. We also STRONGLY recommend buying a map! We were lost twice on the SHT without a map. Clearly we found our way out of the trail but it led to a couple intense discussions :D The terrain can be very rocky so good hiking shoes/boots are needed. I also recommend a hiking backpack with adequate water, snacks, simple first aid kit, bug spray, etc. We hiked about a 7 mile loop to bear and bean lake. Along the hike there are glacier scrapes in the big rocks! The big boulders hold the history of the ice age. On our hike, an scientist was there studying the glacier etchings in the rock and explained the history and science behind these markings. He was in awe to find the actual glacier etchings and so excited to share his discoveries with us! The trail leads down to one of the lakes and it is truly a remote lake. It would be an amazing place for a picnic or a rest/snack break. The trail continues to climb to overlooks of the Bear and Bean Lake with steep cliffs. However, one can see for miles and the landscape is breathtaking with Lake Superior in the far distance. This is a hike I would venture on again and again! Paul and I took a couple side trails off the SHT and found some small waterfalls, creeks, and mossy caves!
Tettagouche State Park & Baptism River -
A local we met recommended Tettagouche State Park and hiking up Baptism River to another incredible waterfall! In order to fit this in, we had to hike this the same day we did the Bear & Bean Hike on the SHT. Whoa. But we did it and it was SO WORTH IT! We hiked from the mouth of the river up to the swinging bridge. The falls and hike was amazing! There was a lot of climbing up to the top of the falls but there was a cool bridge over the falls and the view was beautiful! We ate so well after these hikes, enjoyed some wine by the shoreline at Larsmont and slept AMAZING!
One of my absolute favorite things about the North Shore are lake evenings and sunsets. There is something so majestic, mysterious, wonderous, and peaceful about Lake Superior. Whether it's roasting s'mores, sitting around a campfire, listening to the crashing waves, reading a book drinking a glass of wine, or just being, it is a place like no other that I have discovered. There is a majesty to Lake Superior that is completely its own.
Lutsen - We decided last minute to drive all the way north to Lutsen by suggestion of another traveler we met along the way! Lutsen was full of character and fun as we rode the Summit Express Gondola up Mystery Mountain! What a fun ride up and expansive view! At the very very top there is a restaurant with of course the most amazing view in all of Minnesota (in my humble opinion!) We had packed snacks and water so didn't pause at the restaurant but really enjoyed the view. Paul and I decided we were up for one more adventure so we hiked down Mystery mountain instead of taking the gondola ride (we had only purchased a one way ticket!). While the hike ended up being worthwhile, we of course got lost on the wait down which lengthened our hike greatly! Fortunately we ran into SHT backpack hikers who had a map! We felt a bit better about ourselves when we learned even though they had a map they were a bit lost too :D Together we navigated our way down the mountain and made new friends as they told us of their month long adventure of hiking and camping along the SHT (new goal made that day!). We were both convinced there is a reason they call this "Mystery Mountain"....the hike down is a complete mystery! Good luck!
We are all excited to explore the North Shore again and all the hiking, lake, and adventures have to offer! There is so much more to see and do. I do believe it's time for another adventure....
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