Black Beach in Silver Bay, Minnesota, with dark sand along the Lake Superior shoreline

Silver Bay and Beaver Bay

Facts checked against official sources on November 11, 2026

Photo: Thesavagenorwegian, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Distance apart
Beaver Bay is 3 miles southwest of Silver Bay
From Duluth
Silver Bay is about 55 to 56 miles northeast (city pages differ)
Black Beach Campground
49 sites; season listed as May 15 to October 15
Tettegouche entrance
4 1/2 miles northeast of Silver Bay (DNR)
Silver Bay Marina
110 slips, boats up to 100 feet
Bean and Bear Lakes Loop
6.8 miles from the Penn Blvd. trailhead
In this guide
  1. Where the towns sit on Highway 61
  2. Black Beach
  3. Black Beach Campground
  4. Silver Bay: what is in town
  5. Beaver Bay
  6. Nearby state parks
  7. Before you go

Short answer: Silver Bay and Beaver Bay are the two Lake County towns on Highway 61 between Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and Tettegouche State Park. Beaver Bay sits 3 miles southwest of Silver Bay, and Silver Bay is about 56 miles northeast of Duluth, according to the City of Silver Bay's About page. The city's marina page says about 55 miles. The main draws are Black Beach (dark sand left by decades of taconite processing), the Silver Bay Marina, Superior Hiking Trail access, and fuel, groceries and showers in the middle of the shore drive, per the city and its campground.

This guide is for North Shore drivers who need a stop between the parks: fuel, a shower, a campsite with hookups, or an hour on an unusual beach. Facts come from the two city governments, the Minnesota DNR, the Superior Hiking Trail Association and the Minnesota Historical Society.

Where the towns sit on Highway 61

Mileposts below come from the Superior Hiking Trail Association's trailhead directions and MnDOT's rest area list.

Hwy 61 milepostStopWhat is there
49.0Split Rock Lighthouse State Park entranceDNR park and the Minnesota Historical Society lighthouse
51.1Lake County Road 4 (Lax Lake Road), Beaver BaySuperior Hiking Trail parking, 0.8 miles up the road
54.3Stoplight at Outer Drive, Silver BayTurn here for the town center, visitor center and trailheads
58.5Tettegouche State Park lotPicnic area and large parking lot
59Tettegouche Visitor Center rest areaMnDOT and DNR rest area at the Baptism River

Distances the two cities and the DNR publish:

  • Beaver Bay to Silver Bay: 3 miles (City of Silver Bay).
  • Silver Bay to Tettegouche State Park: the DNR puts the park entrance 4 1/2 miles northeast of Silver Bay. The City of Silver Bay says "just four miles north."
  • Silver Bay to Gooseberry Falls State Park: 15 miles south (City of Silver Bay).
  • Palisade Head: the DNR says its road and parking lot are about 1.5 miles southwest of Tettegouche State Park. See our Palisade Head guide.

Black Beach

Black Beach is part of Black Beach Park in Silver Bay. The DNR's Lake Superior Water Trail tour describes "a unique black-rock beach about 3.5 miles up the shore from the ore docks." The Black Beach Campground FAQ says "Black Beach Park is open to the public."

Why the sand is black

Silver Bay was built by Reserve Mining Company for workers at its taconite processing plant. The Minnesota Historical Society's chronology says the state approved dumping taconite tailings into Lake Superior in 1947, production began at Silver Bay in 1956, and the release of tailings into the lake ended in 1980 when Reserve finished an inland tailings impoundment. According to Lake Superior Magazine, a regional travel publication, the beach's "strikingly colored sand resulted from taconite waste rock dumped into Lake Superior decades ago," and it has been officially open to the public since May 2015, after Silver Bay and the Minnesota DNR leased more than 30 acres at the site.

What to know before you go

  • Swimming: allowed, but there is no lifeguard. The campground FAQ says "Swim at your own risk." The DNR's water trail map lists Lake Superior water at 32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • No boat launch at the beach. Launch at the Silver Bay Marina instead.
  • Paddlers: the DNR's Lake Superior Water Trail map lists Black Beach Access at water trail mile 68.8 with carry-in access, a rest area, a toilet and parking.
  • No fireworks in the campground or Black Beach Park, per the campground's policies.
Highway 61 heading south into Beaver Bay, Minnesota, where the highway becomes the town's Main Street
Photo: Myotus, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Black Beach Campground

The City of Silver Bay runs a 49-site campground on 14.5 acres next to the beach. The campground's site lists 34 full-hookup sites (20/30/50 amp, water and sewer) and 15 electric-only sites (20/30 amp, no water or sewer), with fire rings, picnic tables, shower rooms and free Wi-Fi. The campground's facilities page lists its season as May 15 to October 15 and says the closing date may be extended in good weather. Check-in is 2 p.m., check-out is noon.

Rates as published on the campground's rates page, checked November 11, 2026 (the page lists its weekly rates as "plus taxes & fees"):

Site typeFitsJune 1 to Sept. 30, Sun. to Thurs.June 1 to Sept. 30, Fri. and Sat.Other open dates, Sun. to Thurs.Other open dates, Fri. and Sat.
Electric only (sites 1 to 15)Up to 35 ft vehicle plus camper$36$41$34$39
Electric, water and sewer (sites 16 to 49)Up to 75 ft$49$52$47$50

Extras on the same page: a $10 non-refundable reservation fee, $10 to lock a specific site, $10 a night per extra tent, $5 a night per extra vehicle and $5 per pet per stay. Sites 16 to 25 are on a main city road. The campground's own pages give two phone numbers: its home page says to call 218-226-1825, and its facilities page lists 218-226-4214.

An RV dump station is in town on Shop Hill Road (donations appreciated).

Silver Bay: what is in town

The City of Silver Bay says the town was incorporated in 1956 and has about 1,850 residents.

StopAddressHours or note, as posted November 2026
Multi-Modal Trailhead Center109 Outer DriveLower building restrooms and coin-operated showers open 24 hours
Silver Bay Marina99 Beach Drive, 218-226-31218 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Silver Bay Golf Course19 Golf Course Road, 218-226-3111Nine holes; the city's rate page lists 2025 greens fees of $20 for 9 holes, $30 for 18

The marina and the Hesper wreck

The Silver Bay Marina opened in August 1999, and the city calls it the first marina and refuge on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The DNR owns it and the city manages it. It has 110 slips for boats up to 100 feet, plus fuel, pump-outs, showers and laundry. Bayside Park, beside it, has a sand beach, picnic areas, a boat launch and a scuba divers' dock.

The city says the steamer Hesper was driven onto the reef at the southwest edge of Silver Bay Harbor in a 1905 storm and broke up in 42 feet of water. The DNR's water trail tour says paddlers can go past the wreck from the marina, and should stay 300 feet from ore boats loading at the plant.

Hikes and overlooks from town

  • Bean and Bear Lakes Loop (Twin Lakes Trail): 6.8 miles from the Penn Blvd. Trailhead, per the SHTA. From the Outer Drive stoplight, go 1.5 miles to Penn Blvd., then 0.5 miles to the lot. A 7.6-mile version starts at the Bay Area Historical Society/Silver Bay Visitor Center, 0.5 miles up Outer Drive. For more options, see Superior Hiking Trail day hikes.
  • North Shore Scenic Overlook Park: a 1-mile loop with interpretive signs and three overlooks, one looking over the mining plant and one with views past Palisade Head, according to the city's parks page. Follow the blue signs north into town, then left up the hill.

Beaver Bay

The City of Beaver Bay calls itself "The Oldest Settlement On the NorthShore Of Lake Superior," established in 1856.

  • City office: 11 McDonald Ave., 218-226-3251, Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. In November 2026 the city's site said its office phones were down and asked people to email city@beaverbaymn.com.
  • Green Door (municipal liquor store and bar): on-sale hours run from 9 a.m. most days (11 a.m. Sunday), with off-sale 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, per the city's liquor store page.
  • Lake access: the DNR water trail map lists Beaver Bay at mile 64.5 as a "rest area on beach only" with no facilities. The DNR's tour suggests exploring the bay and the mouth of the Beaver River, 1.5 miles west of the Silver Bay Marina.
  • Superior Hiking Trail: the Lax Lake Road trailhead (milepost 51.1, then 0.8 miles up County Road 4) starts a 4.4-mile section to Silver Bay's Penn Blvd. Trailhead, with two campsites. Overnight parking is allowed.
  • By bike: the DNR's North Shore itinerary puts Beaver Bay 15 miles one way on the Gitchi-Gami State Trail from Gooseberry Falls State Park, and the DNR's trail page lists the whole Gooseberry Falls State Park to Silver Bay segment at 17.3 miles. The DNR says that segment "has steep hills and curves."

Nearby state parks

Both parks need a state park vehicle permit, which the DNR sells for $7 a day or $35 a year.

  • Split Rock Lighthouse State Park (DNR park entrance at milepost 49.0): the lighthouse is run separately by the Minnesota Historical Society. See the Split Rock Lighthouse visiting guide.
  • Tettegouche State Park (5702 Highway 61, Silver Bay): visitor center, Shovel Point and High Falls. For overnight options, see Tettegouche State Park camping and our Shovel Point guide.
  • Hunt closures (as of November 2026): both parks are running special firearm deer hunts from November 7 to 22, 2026. The DNR says the inland side of Highway 61 is closed to visitors except lottery hunt permit holders (and, at Split Rock, Shipwreck Creek Campground campers), while the lakeside areas stay open.

Before you go

  • Recheck campground rates before booking; the page says "Prices subject to change."
  • Bring a state park vehicle permit if you plan to stop at Split Rock or Tettegouche.
  • For Lake Superior paddling or swimming, plan for cold water and monitor marine weather forecasts, as the DNR water trail map advises. There is no lifeguard at Black Beach.
  • The Bay Area Historical Society/Silver Bay Visitor Center is at 80 Outer Drive, according to a Lake County Chamber listing (a regional visitor guide).

Related guides: All North Shore guides · Minnesota road trips · Duluth to Grand Marais, stop by stop · Things to do in Two Harbors · Palisade Head

Sources

Keep planning

Split Rock Lighthouse above Lake Superior on the North Shore Scenic Drive

Duluth to Grand Marais drive

Duluth to Grand Marais on Highway 61, stop by stop: Scenic 61 vs. the expressway, every state park in order, where you need a permit, and winter driving notes.

A cut and polished Lake Superior agate from Minnesota showing orange, white and tan bands around two eye-like rings

Lake Superior agates

Lake Superior agates explained: how Minnesota's state gemstone formed, how to spot one, where hunting is allowed, and why you can't take rocks from state parks.

The rhyolite cliffs of Palisade Head dropping straight into Lake Superior in Tettegouche State Park

Palisade Head road and parking

Palisade Head explained: the road up from Highway 61, the one-hour parking rule, why no permit is needed, the winter hike, cliff safety and climbing permits.