Highway 61 through the pines on Minnesota's North Shore

Minnesota road trips

Drives stop by stop: routes, distances between stops, and where you need a permit.

Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Road trips

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.

The reconstructed Grand Portage depot stockade and dock on Grand Portage Bay, seen from the Mount Rose overlook

Grand Portage National Monument guide

Grand Portage National Monument: free admission, Heritage Center and depot seasons, the Mount Rose and portage trails, and how it differs from the state park.

The paved two-lane Gunflint Trail curving through dense green forest in northern Minnesota

Gunflint Trail drive guide

Drive the 57-mile Gunflint Trail from Grand Marais: stops by mile, Forest Service campgrounds, Chik-Wauk Museum, and what Boundary Waters permits you need.

The Sea Hunter III ferry tied up at the Grand Portage Isle Royale Lines dock in Grand Portage, Minnesota

Isle Royale ferry from Grand Portage

Isle Royale ferry from Grand Portage, MN: Voyageur II and Sea Hunter III seasons, crossing times, 2026 fares, park entrance fees, and when 2027 booking opens.

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.

Satellite view of all of Lake Superior in December 2018, with the first thin ice forming along its shores

Lake Superior water temperature

Lake Superior water temperature by month from NOAA's 1995-2025 satellite record, what nearshore readings near Duluth look like, and NWS cold water safety.

Two red Summit Express gondola cabins above early fall foliage in fog at Lutsen Mountains

Lutsen gondola planning guide

Lutsen's Summit Express Gondola: 2026 summer and fall dates, hours and ticket prices by age, winter sightseeing rides, what is at the top, and fall color timing.

Orange-leaved birch trees on the rocky Lake Superior shoreline along the North Shore Scenic Drive in Minnesota

North Shore fall colors

When North Shore fall colors peak, inland ridges versus the Lake Superior shoreline, how to read the DNR Fall Color Finder, and which drives and parks to plan.

Split Rock Lighthouse on its snowy cliff above an ice-covered Lake Superior shoreline in winter

North Shore in winter

What stays open on Minnesota's North Shore in winter: state park winter camping, groomed ski trail miles, ski pass and permit costs, and MnDOT 511 road checks.

High Falls of the Baptism River pouring over a rock ledge in Tettegouche State Park on Minnesota's North Shore

North Shore waterfalls in driving order

Every major North Shore waterfall in driving order from Duluth, with the walk length, stairs, permit rule and park for each, from Gooseberry Falls to Grand Portage.

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

Silver Bay and Beaver Bay

Silver Bay and Beaver Bay, MN: where they sit between Split Rock and Tettegouche, Black Beach and its campground rates, the marina, trails and town services.

Shops and storefronts looking north on Broadway Avenue in downtown Grand Marais, Minnesota

Things to do in Grand Marais

Things to do in Grand Marais, MN, sorted by how much time you have and the season, with published hours, prices and dates from official sources.

The lake freighter James R. Barker loading iron ore at the ore docks in Agate Bay, Two Harbors, Minnesota

Two Harbors, MN: what to do

Things to do in Two Harbors, MN: the lighthouse, depot museum and ore docks, current museum hours, the Scenic 61 drive, Burlington Bay camping and nearby parks.