The North Shore of Lake Superior! a GRAND getaway... Part 2!

Our Grand Lives
3 hours ago
9 min read

Friday, November 14, 2025

Happy Friday, Everyone

and

Welcome Back to The North Shore of Lake Superior!

Even after so many visits, this stretch of shoreline never loses its magic. There’s something about it that just makes every trip feel new!

In Part 1 of our getaway recap,

we shared memories of past family trips to the North Shore

and explained what makes the area so special and why we keep going back,

time and time again!

Then we highlighted moments from Day 1 of our recent October adventure!

You can find all the details from Part 1 of our recap here!

Thank you so much for your comments about the post! If you ever find yourself able to visit this northeastern part of our state, please consider doing so! You won’t be disappointed!

Today, Laura is back with Part 2 of our GRAND Getaway

and she’s excited to share more details about this recent autumn adventure!

As you probably gathered from our last post, the North Shore of Lake Superior has a way of capturing our hearts every time we’re there! Add in the stunning colors of autumn and, for us, nothing can beat it!

Traveling Highway 61 along the North Shore of Lake Superior is one of those journeys where beauty greets you around every curve. It’s a stretch of road that winds from Duluth (to the south) all the way to Grand Portage (near the Canadian border), tracing the shoreline and offering endless views of the lake.

Along the way, you’ll find charming small towns and you’ll pass state parks filled with waterfalls and scenic trails. The drive itself offers overlooks that invite you to stop and take in the sweeping views and rocky beaches perfect for skipping or collecting stones. Whether you’re chasing fall colors, hiking to a hidden waterfall, or simply soaking in the peaceful rhythm of the waves, Highway 61 is more than just a route — it’s an experience.

In our previous post, we shared Day 1 of our recent getaway…

Today, we’ll continue with Days 2 and 3 of our adventure!

Day 2 - Tuesday (Cascade River State Park & Grand Marais)

Another day begins… Good morning, Lake Superior!

After a quick breakfast we prepared for ourselves - an egg and some fruit - we were on our way north, with coffee mugs in hand!

First stop of the day? Cascade River State Park!

Cascade River State Park is only twenty miles from the town of Tofte so it’s a quick trip! There you’ll find a series of five small waterfalls.

While those are quite spectacular, you’ll also find the Cascade Falls as you continue on your hike. All of this can be found on the park’s lower loop trail which is only about ½ mile long one way. We were pleasantly surprised by how much water we saw flowing, especially considering the time of year!

If you have more time to explore the park, there is over a mile of Lake Superior shoreline that you can also explore and the spot where the river meets the lake is very photogenic, and on a cold autumn or spring day or even an icy winter one, the experience can be quite powerful!

We never know what to expect

so we always make a point of stopping to find out!

We got our morning hike in and Hubby added a few hundred photos to his memory card so we were ready to continue on. We jumped back into the car and drove another 20 minutes north to the charming town of Grand Marais!

On to Grand Marais!

Now, I have never been to New England or Cape Cod, (although both are definitely on my bucket list), but I’ve always imagined that Grand Marais is the Minnesota version of them! In fact, with its harbor, artistic community and welcoming downtown, it was named the Nations’ Best Small Town in 2023! It’s a popular destination for a reason!

Here’s a few favorite photos of Grand Marais from past trips…

Best donuts ever!

So picturesque!

Classic tourist photo ops, of course!

These next photos are of Artist’s Point near the entrance to the harbor.

The water is deep and cold here and along the breakaway!

When our girls were younger (and so were we) we spent hours

exploring these rock formations!

These days, I leave this kind of exploring to the youngins’!

😬

When Dave and I arrived in Grand Marais, this time,

we were hungry!

We stopped for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants on the North Shore…

The Angry Trout, right on the shore of Lake Superior!

It's wasn't nearly as busy as it can be!

The lines are long during the weekends or summer months!

The homemade salmon chowder and fresh fish fritters hit the spot!

DELISH!

When our tummies were full,

we were off for more views near Artist’s Point!

I wandered up and down the coastline with my iPhone in hand!

Meanwhile, Dave got busy with his camera, once again.!

Stunning, right??

It was late in the afternoon by the time we left

and made the trip back to Tofte!

We weren’t very hungry when we got back to our unit, so we just had some toast (me) and some rice cakes (Dave) and some fruit (both of us) as we watched the sun set over the lake!

A perfect fall day!

Day 3 - Wednesday (More State Parks & Duluth)

Another morning, another sunrise over the lake… it never gets old!

We had a bit of a lazy start to our Wednesday and didn’t get on the road until 9:30 since we were checking out of our cute unit! (We had the lower level of this cottage and it was perfect for the two of us.)

After eating and loading up the car, we headed south on Highway 61, reversing the route we’d made earlier in the week.

Since we had skipped stops on our way north, we included a few spots to check out on this day!

First up… Temperance River State Park!

Just a few miles south of Tofte, you'll find yet another state park!

In fact, when we’ve stayed at Bluefin in the past as a family,

we’ve checked out their bikes and rode to the park for the day!

We began by hiking some familiar paths closer to the lake

and gorge (from both directions)!

We were tickled when a couple we met while hiking

told us about a trail that they had discovered!

It was one that we had never explored!

We;re always so excited when we discover something new (to us)!

It was twisty!

I was so intent on watching where I was stepping

that I took very few photos!

We made it up to that bridge

and the views were glorious!

Next… a quick stop at Tettegouche State Park!

There are numerous trails, multiple rivers and waterfalls nearby and a large visitor’s center at Tettegouche State Park. All are fun to explore and we’ve done so multiple times!

At this point in the day, we still had two more spots we wanted to make before arriving in Duluth for the evening (and we had dinner reservations), so we only took a few photos from the road within the state park and then were on our way yet again!

Palisade Head! Always a favorite stop!

It wouldn’t be a visit to the North Shore

without a trip up the winding narrow road to see these scenic views!

Photo credit once again goes to my Hubby, Dave!

Palisade Head is actually part of Tettegouche State Park but can only be reached by traveling up or down this road and you keep your fingers crossed going both directions that if you meet up with another car coming from the other way, that they are going slowly, too!

The 300 foot high views are breathtaking!

But, can you spot the forest fire from a distance away?

Our last stop was Split Rock Lighthouse State Park!

Split Rock is one of the most iconic and picturesque places to check out,

not only on the North Shore but in all of Minnesota!

On our way north, earlier in the week, we had briefly parked

at the scenic overlook to grab a photo from the highway perch.

This time we went into the state park to do a bit more exploring!

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, there are frequent historic tours offered of the lighthouse and a restored keeper’s home, too, with costumed interpreters as well as a visitor center with exhibits and a short video. These are offered through the Minnesota Historical Society and it’s definitely worth the price, at least once, to explore the actual lighthouse and to hear the stories from long ago.

Split Rock was an operational lighthouse from 1910 until 1969. In fact, earlier this week there was a recognition of the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald held at Split Rock as well other locations scattered across the Great Lakes region. We would have loved to have been in attendance! The beacon light shone once again with a large crowd gathered in remembrance.

It’s quite a beautiful sight!

(This photo was taken recently by Alex Kormann/Star Tribune.)

We ended our day in the city of Duluth!

Since we needed to be home by midday on Thursday

(our kids and grandkids were coming),

we decided that we’d spend the last evening of our getaway in this port town.

It’s only three hours north of our home near Minneapolis

and one of our favorite destinations on its own!

We stayed at The Park Point Marina Inn in the Park Point neighborhood, which, at seven miles, is the world’s longest freshwater sandbar! To get there, you cross over the Aerial Life Bridge in Canal Park (another iconic Duluth locale) which goes up and down to allow the big ore boats in and out of the harbor!

Our hotel room looked out on the harbor and we could see the big boats as they arrived or prepared to leave. Hubby loves to watch this process and it never gets old for him! We also love this particular view… the one from our hotel room balcony.

We ended our evening and our trip with a fabulous dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Canal Park - Bellisio’s! I’m still dreaming about the shrimp risotto I enjoyed that evening!

And that’s a wrap!

Thanks so much for joining me as I recapped this recent getaway!

Hopefully you can tell what a special place Lake Superior is

and the magic it’s brought to our worlds over the years!

It has so much to offer and we’ve only scratched the surface!

Have you ever been to Lake Superior?

Do you have any suggestions for places we could visit that might have a similar vibe?

If you have any thoughts, ideas or insights to offer,

we’d love to hear more!

Please share by commenting at the end of this post!

You can always reach out to us directly at ourgrandlives@gmail.com!

We appreciate you all so much!

Next week we’ll be back with the November edition of our regular feature,

We’ve got a favorite story to share as well as a few related activities,

and it would be a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving library with

more fun for you and your Little(s) to enjoy together!

We hope you’ll stop by and talk a bit of turkey with us then!

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There’s a special kind of peace that settles in after a few days by Lake Superior — the kind that only comes when you’ve truly stepped away from the rush of everyday life. Everything seems to taste a little better, sparkle more brightly and hold a bit more meaning! The North Shore has a way of doing all that — gently reminding us how good it feels to slow down and soak up the beauty around us.

It’s one of the places I feel closest to God! The wide-open beauty of Lake Superior has a way of turning my heart toward Him. In the stillness, I’m reminded to stop, listen, and trust that He’s there in every moment and that I’m exactly where I’m meant to be!