Since international travel wasn’t safe or possible during most of this year, we decided to explore an area of our home state, Minnesota, a little more in-depth this September with a one-week camping trip along the North Shore along Lake Superior. We’d explored this area before, especially around the Duluth area, but hadn’t done a camping trip before.
The third week of September was a perfect time to go, as fall colors were at their peak but it wasn’t too cold sleeping in our tent. What follows is a short summary of our trip and some recommendations in case you want to take your own North Shore adventure!
Jay Cooke State Park
Our camping trip began with one night at Jay Cooke State Park, just south of Duluth. I was surprised at how many stunning overlooks, waterfalls, wildflowers, and fall foliage this park had, plus some the Mission Creek Trail for mountain biking near the park. Be sure to check out the swinging bridge around sunrise and/or sunset! This was definitely a great park to start off our week!
Gooseberry Falls State Park
Our next campsite was in Gooseberry Falls State Park. En route, we grabbed takeout Pizza Lucé for lunch and ate at Brighton Beach, where we enjoyed views of Lake Superior and hunted for agates along the shore. Then we continued along beautiful Highway 61 until we arrived at Gooseberry Falls. We set up camp for the night and made dinner. It was a gorgeous, clear night and I was able to get some great star and Milky Way pictures!
The next day, we visited Agate Beach within the state park, where we enjoyed the breeze, views, and volcanic forms. Then we went a bit south into Two Harbors, where we grabbed takeout lunch from one of their restaurants and ate at another beach. The Duluth and Iron Range Depot Museum wasn’t open, of course, but we did stop outside it to see a few of the locomotives. Finally, we finished the day with the Falls Loop Trail within Gooseberry Falls State Park. This is a wonderful short hike where you can see the Upper, Middle, and Lower Falls.
Highway 61 Heading North
The next morning, we made a hearty breakfast and then packed up our campsite. We stopped several times along the way to our next campsite, including at Pebble Beach to see Split Rock Lighthouse. I’d also highly recommend stopping at Palisade Head if it’s a clear day, but we skipped it this time around as we’d stopped there last year on a quick North Shore road trip.
I dropped Ryan off at the Britton Peak trailhead near Tofte so he could ride the Jackpot Mountain Bike Trail. We picked him up at the other end, at Lutsen Mountains ski resotrt. In the mean time, Tink and I hiked some of the gorge at Temperance River State Park and a short trail to see waterfalls at Cascade River State Park. We also stopped in Grand Marais and grabbed dinner from Hungry Hippie Tacos, a favorite of ours from last year’s road trip. Then we continued on to our next state park tent site and set up camp for the night.
Judge C.R. Magney State Park
Up as far north as Judge C.R. Magney State Park, it was a bit chilly, and we were a little disappointed that some of the campsite services were already shut down for the year. There was also little cell reception and bear warnings throughout the site, so it definitely felt a little more rustic!
On our full day in the park, we decided to hike the Devil’s Kettle Trail. This 2-mile round-trip hike has lots of stairs and some elevation changes, and it will take you past Upper Falls and to Devil’s Kettle, where a waterfall splits, half of it continuing in the river and the other half falling into a massive pothole. Along the way you’ll be treated to gorgeous river views and (while we were there) vibrant fall foliage.
Heading South
On our road trip last year, we continued north all the way to Grand Portage State Park and into Canada for a bit. That state park’s High Falls on the Pigeon River, the highest waterfall partially in Minnesota, is definitely worth seeing! However, since we’d visited last year we decided to make Judge C.R. Magney State Park the northernmost point on our journey and head south again.
We picked up a quick breakfast in Grand Marais, then made our way south along Highway 61 again. We stopped briefly at Black Beach and in Tettegouche State Park and did the Cascade Falls Trail, which was a lovely hike with–you guessed it–beautiful autumn leaves that followed the river to a waterfall at the end. Then we grabbed a quick bite in Duluth before continuing to our final campsite.
St. Croix State Park
Our last campsite was really just a nice midway point between Judge CR Magney State Park and home, but it had its share of lovely fall leaves too! St. Croix State Park is quite large and has a ton of campsites, so it was sort of the opposite experience as our previous one. We also were too tired to do much in the park besides a nice scenic drive (where we saw people riding horses on a nice trail ride!) before heading home from our trip.
Minnesota’s North Shore has tons to offer: nine state parks, dozens of scenic overlooks and waterfalls, and a plethora of outdoor activities, like hiking, mountain biking, kayaking/canoeing, rock climbing, and winter sports.
In the summer I also really enjoy the lupines along the side of the road, and in non-pandemic times, I love visiting Glensheen Mansion or the Depot Museum in Duluth and shopping at flea markets and antique stores in Duluth and along Highway 61. Someday I’d love to do a longer drive along Lake Superior’s shore, up into Canada at least to Thunder Bay, or perhaps all the way around the lake!
If you’re planning your own camping or road trip, here are a few more resources that can help:
- North Shore Visitor’s Mile-By-Mile Guide to the North Shore’s Attractions
- The Best North Shore blog, with many guides and reviews of the area
- Explore Minnesota’s 5-Day North Shore Itinerary
- Minnesota DNR’s State Parks Website
- Only in Your State’s Ultimate Minnesota Waterfalls Road Trip itinerary
