A beautiful state park! The campground and trails are incredible and very well maintained…read more We stayed at site 55 in the lower campground. A great site and fairly secluded considering it was in the middle of the campground. They have beautiful sites that sit right at the shoreline of Lake Superior but the downfall to that is your right next to the public picnic area. So scenic view, yes, but can get quite busy around your site. The lower campground only has pit toilets but the upper campground is about a 8-10 minute walk where they have beautiful bathrooms! If you're camping in the lower campground, the turn into the park is BEFORE you get to the main entrance. It took us a bit to figure out how to get to our site. But now we know! One thing that surprised me was how quiet the campground was. The moment it hit 9:30/9:45pm it was SILENT. A high level of respect for the "quiet hours" but I will say highway 61 is very close to the sites so you will hear highway noise all day and night. It never bothered us but worth the mention if you're a light sleeper.

Spending time along the north shore is always a joy. It's a hike to get to from the cities, but the…read moredrive is worth it. I appreciate the camping location off the highway but a quick walk to the lake from the campgrounds. Listening to the waves crash from the campsite is such a calm and relaxing experience. It is a little strange to have parking outside of the actual park for people to visit the two sections on either side of the river. A little inconvenient if you're in the park and want to walk over that way, in my opinion. This is one difficult locations to book for camping if you're looking for a weekend. There is no dump station at this park, so we usually have to drive about 40 min to another park with one.

I love state parks, and this one was everything I hoped for and more…read more Visited on a Saturday in August so it was quite crowded, but we still managed to find a parking spot and once we left the parking lot it wasn't too bad. The visitors center is large and clean with lots of information, bathrooms, a gift shop, and places to sit around a fireplace. They were doing a lesson on primitive fire building when we arrived. We unfortunately had a limited amount of time, so we only did the brief hike down the beach and out to Shovel Point, but both were absolutely stunning and I wish we had more time. I'd love to come back someday and hike more and possibly camp as well.

Minnesota really does their state parks correctly - they sometimes double as rest stops for weary…read moretravelers. It's totally a win-win. The rest stop area of the state park visitor center was very nice. Picture windows let the outside sunlight in. Vending machines were well stocked, and the washrooms were spacious and clean. The visitor center was large, with an area with exhibits and displays about the history and the natural features of the park. The information desk abuts this area. There's a gift shop that sells souvenirs and last minute hiking/camping items. There's also ice cream and small snacks. If you want to spend significant time outside here during the summer and forgot mosquito repellent, I highly recommend picking up a canister of 40% DEET. You'll definitely need it! Palisade Head was absolutely gorgeous.

If you are choosing just one trail to hike in Lutsen, this it it. This easy 2.5 mile loop trail…read moreoffers stunning views with multiple scenic spots of Oberg Lake, Lake Superior and surrounding mountains. It's especially magical at sunset and during fall, when the landscape is alive with vibrant colors.

This trail is beautiful to hike in the fall! It's not to far off the road, so accessibility is…read morenice. I would say it's my favorite trail in Tofte. It offers great views of Lake Superior, the rich greens of of trees, and Oberg lake itself. The trail seems well maintained and it's pretty easy to figure out where you're going!

Amazing spot to check out, but just be careful if you are unsteady on your feet as the path does…read morehave drop offs. It has minimal elevation gain otherwise. There's parking in a paved lot, as well as street parking. Toilets consist of port-a-potties. No running water is available, so bring water as well as a lot of bug spray if you want to do the hike into the more wooded area. You can walk on the breakwater and that leads to the Grand Marais Lighthouse. You cannot enter the lighthouse. While there are stairs leading up, they quickly stop at a locked panel. Stay awhile to view the waves and enjoy the sounds of nature. It's pretty unique to be out on the water on such a narrow structure. As it was foggy when I went out, I couldn't see that far, but I was rewarded with a fogbow.

This was a fun little hike that we were recommended by an employee at the place we were staying. He…read morehad recommended it because we were looking for a flat and easy hike that would be doable for someone with limited mobility. While it was pretty flat, I don't know if I would've recommended this hike to someone under our circumstances. It's basically a lifted concrete path that's about 3 feet wide with no railing most of the way right over the lake and rocks. For someone with bad balance, this is definitely a risk and my dad wasn't able to make it to the end of the hike because we were too nervous about him falling off the trail. All that said, the views are beautiful and the lighthouse is really cool, though you can't go up into it. The wind was brutal and none of us had enough layers because we didn't realize it would be that intense, but everything was gorgeous so still worth it. It was also interesting reading the billboards about the history of the area, including the tragic shipwreck that resulted in the construction of the levee.

An amazing gem for those looking for a more secluded experience with nature on the North Shore. The…read moreparks along the North Shore are all good, but this one really stands out as a way to escape the crowds and enjoy nature. Lots of cool hike-to camping sites.

This waterfall is gorgeous! The hike is very hard so be careful if doing this with kids. There is…read moreno pathway everything has been getting taken back by nature. There are two routes one 0.8 miles roundtrip and the other 1.5 miles round trip! They have a nice little parking lot as well! Highly recommend if you're adventures and love a good challenging hike!

We actually didn't go TO the lighthouse, having been there many years ago. We walked the trail of…read moreSplit Rock Lighthouse State Park. Beautiful scenery following the lake and great views of the lighthouse from below. $7 day pass parking.

This has been on my bucket list for ages, and I finally did it this fall! And trust me: it's worth…read moreit. Instead of going to or into the lighthouse itself, I used my state park pass to go into the state park and get a view of it. Because my motto is: you want a picture of the famous thing, not in the famous thing! This goes for the Eiffel Tower and pretty much any famous landmark. After parking in a spacious parking lot practically empty and walking a short distance, I got to the beach where there was an awesome view of the lighthouse. I walked a bit further to get closer, and every view was breathtaking! A must see when visiting the North Shore.

I highly recommend getting on the water and experiencing the Sea Caves. I didn't have any…read moreexperience with kayaking and so I went on a guided tour. Definitely worth the money! Sea kayaks are recommended for venturing out into the lake as well as wet or dry suits. Do not underestimate Lake Superior as the water temperature is much, much colder than other lakes due to its depth, and the swells can get up to 6 feet tall, knocking you off your boat. People have gotten hypothermia even in the summer. I also visited the Visitor Center and Headquarters in Bayfield, as well as the visitor center in Little Sand Bay. The headquarters had exhibits, a movie, small gift shop area, and of course friendly rangers! The Little Sand Bay visitor center had exhibits outside. While it wasn't staffed, the vestibule was open for brochures. It's on my bucket list to visit again during the winter for the ice caves.

Visit for the Sea Caves! We spent 4 days in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore - 3 days of…read morecamping on Sand Island and a full day touring the surrounding area. Skip Madeline Island if your schedule is tight. Highlights: Sea Caves - my favorites were the northeastern edge of Sand Island (next to Justice Bay). They are so breathtakingly beautiful, especially in sunrise or sunset lighting. Since we took our boat, we were able to get up close to see all the spectacular details. If you don't have a boat, rent kayaks and a tour guide to get up close views. Grand Tour - we drove to Bayfield to ride a large catamaran boat for a 3 hour tour of the Apostle Islands. Visitor Centers - they were full of interesting info and has some fun merch for souvenirs. Many people rave about their experience visiting Madeline Island (the largest island) which isn't actually a part of the National Lakeshore, but we found it rather outdated and boring and left on the very next ferry.

Located just a few minutes south of the Lutsen ski resort on highway 61, this is a small rest stop…read morewith free parking and bathrooms. Note that the bathrooms were closed when we were there in March possibly due to COVID health restrictions. 50 ft of stairs takes you on a well maintained trail with a number of picnic benches with a view of Lake Superior. The dirt trail takes you alongside the Onion River with a option to get down to it.

I've lived in lutsen my entire life, and I had never actually hiked this trail. But this summer my…read morecousin, her two boys (both under 10yrs), and my 6mo old huskador decided too. And it sure wasn't a mistake! -wish I had sooner honestly. I'd consider it a pretty easy/maintained trail, some roots, moderate incline/declines along the way, but then again we only went 1/4 of a mile to the only not-so moderate decline which leads to a pretty "secluded" spot along the river.. my pup sure loved the break we took there, she even took a dip in the water and the boys were able to try and skip rocks, find some agates, and we even seen some water-spiders. (Aka water gliders I believe.) Overall, LOVELY hike and it also has two one stalled bathrooms (1boys/1girls) which are also in good condition, I remember when they built them not too many years ago.

Get there early to secure a spot or wait until about after lunch time. This is usually when campers…read moreare heading out for the day/leaving from their stay! Super easy to set up, however to get spots along the lake, you need a reservation scheduled at least 1 week in advance. 2-3 vault toilets for both male and female and no shower. They have a fire pit and most have picnic tables at each spot. Definitely recommend bringing your own wood, toilet paper, wipes, and hand sanitizer in case the site manager isn't around.

This was the one-time when it paid-off not to plan ahead. It was a rare July weekend when my…read morepartner & I both didn't have plans so we decided to go "up north" camping. In MN, reservable campingsites fill up fast, sometimes a year in advance so when we looked, everything was booked. Luckily, there are many campgrounds in the state that are walk-in or first-come-first-serve only. We chanced it and drove up north 4 hrs from the Twin Cities on a late Friday morning. When we arrived, all the lake-view campsites were taken but there were plenty of other drive-up sites available. We picked campsite #8 since it was one of the more spacious ones. It also felt far enough away from others and was a decent ways from the toilets (which I learned the hard way you shouldn't be too close to). The toilets are just like an outhouse but they were clean and included TP & hand sanitizer which was nice. The campgrounds have a boat access area to the lake with a dock that made for a good star-gazing spot. We walked over here at about 11pm and saw a brilliant night sky with layers of stars and the Milky Way was visible. I'm just sorry that I can't share any photos of the night sky to prove it. Believe me, I tried but my iPhone looks like I took a picture of a black rectangle -__- OVERALL TIPS: - This campground is located in Superior National Forest and has a small hiking trail near the campsites to check out. It's ok, but I recommend spending most of your time exploring the nearby George H Crosby Manitou State Park for more exciting and varied hiking paths. - Bring cash & small bills! You'll need the cash to pay for your campsite using small envelopes available when you enter. There's no onsite staff & unless you're ok writing down your credit card info or paying over the amount, bring plenty of $5 dollar bills and $1s. You'll want cash for the state park fees as well. - Get here as early as you can to get the best campsites. Look at all the empty ones before settling. I wanted to jump on the first open one I saw, and when I kept looking, they got better and better. There were still open sites at 11pm on the weekend after Fourth of July so shouldn't be too hard to find one. - Don't count on wood to be available. They were all our of wood bundles to purchase on-site. We had to drive back in town a ways to purchase wood for $7 at a gas station. - Drive a car you don't mind getting dirty. There are only dirt roads near here. It kicks up a lot of dust & makes for one bumpy ride. - Try to time your visit when there isn't a moon & you'll be able to see amazing layers of stars. - Remember to be a good camper & leave the campsite as-good if not better than you found it! Each campsite has a picnic table & firepit. We lucked out with the previous folks leaving a bunch of kindling for us & the firepit was nice and clean with no garbage in it like I've seen at other campgrounds. I was pleasantly surprised by Ninemile Lake campgrounds! It made me a believer in the goodness of impromptu trips. Overall, I loved the huge pine trees, how quiet & dark it got at night, & folks were pretty friendly. We were the only POC campers though. I'd definitely recommend staying here, as long as you're ok not having showers and flush-toilets. It's pretty rustic but doesn't "roughing it" make it more exciting?! -Says the person with a queen-size air mattress in her tent, wuhaha :)

Palisade Head is located near Silver Bay within Tettegouche State Park. There is a small day use…read morefee associated with the state park, although I'm not sure how strictly they enforce this here as the parking lot is a distance away from the visitor center. I highly recommend stopping here for at least a few minutes as you get breathtaking views of Lake Superior. There's a pull out lot by the side of the road if you don't feel comfortable driving the narrow road to the real parking lot just a few steps from the cliff. It wasn't too crowded when I visited, but I'm not sure if the road can handle two way traffic... There isn't really a pathway to get to the edge of the cliff, but you can see there's a small stone wall erected so people can stand a little bit closer to appreciate the view of the water. Great place for photos.

Great view on a clear day, and a nice amount of parking. This is not accessible with a trailer or…read moremotor home though! Terrain is rough, the road is strap and only one lane (watch for cars coming down!). They have designated motorcycle parking and some signage with I for about the area and hiking.