Best Duluth hikes by bus

Getting to a great North Shore hike can mean as much driving as hiking. It's a pretty good haul up the Onion River Road or all the way to Grand Portage for your outdoor experience. 

Not so for hikers in Duluth. Just walk to the corner, hop on the Duluth Transit Authority bus, then ring the dinger for your trailhead bus stop.

From downtown Duluth, you can catch the #3 bus going west toward Proctor. 30 minutes and a few quarters for the bus fare later, and you're at the corner of Highland Street and Skyline Drive. It's a rugged nine mile hike on the Superior Hiking Trail along scenic Peace Ridge and past Enger Tower back to downtown.

Or hop on the #13 bus headed up Woodland and ride all the way to Hartley Nature Center, about a 25 minute trip. Then hike back to downtown via Hartley, UMD's Bagley Nature Area, Chester Creek and the Lakewalk, 4.5 miles all on the Superior Hiking Trail.

One more trip from downtown Duluth: you can take the #15 bus from downtown all the way to the Park Point Recreation Area. From there, you can either hike past the airport into the pine forest and the Superior Entry, or you can walk the gorgeous sand beach all the way back to Canal Park.

For more information on any of these hikes, check out my book:
Hiking the North Shore: 50 Fabulous Day Hikes in Minnesota's Spectacular Lake Superior Region (There & Back Guides)

The State Fair is on; special secret season for the North Shore

The Great Minnesota Get-Together is starting up this week. If you want S'Mores without the hassle of 1) camping, 2) campfires and 3) stick whittling, you could go to the Fair and patronize the "Real S'Mores" shack. They might even put it on a stick for you. 

But if you want another authentic Minnesota experience, head for the North Shore instead. As soon as the Fair starts, the summer crowds on the North Shore drop right off. Shhhhh...it's the special secret season!

As of today, there are open campsites you can still reserve at every North Shore state park from Gooseberry to Judge Magney. Come mid-week you can have your choice of any park. Things will pick up over Labor Day weekend; get up here and enjoy the special secret late summer season.

If you come to the North Shore in the next week or so and you still need a taste of the Big Fair, you can check out the Midway, livestock judging and even greasy food at the Lake County Fair, August 25-28.  

If you really want the Giant Slide, head for Spirit Mountain's Timber Twister or Lutsen's Alpine Slide.

Come up for some gorgeous late summer weather and to experience the trails and towns of the North Shore without the summer crowds. It's special!

Down the river, to the beach

Heavy rains pummeled the western Lake Superior area earlier this month. Up to six inches of rain fell in a band just south of Superior, Wisconsin...the headwaters of the Nemadji River. The rising river tore at the clay banks and carried everything it grabbed down to Lake Superior. It created not only a plume of red clay into the lake but a veritable parade of tree trunks, some more alive than others.

While the new horizontal forest is thickest down toward the end of Minnesota Point, there was still a lot of big wood on our own beach. My crafty neighbor quickly built an entire teepee frame out of the 8-10 foot logs. The 20-foot to 30-foot trees were just too big for him, and the fresh ones with their branches sanded clean by the current just too awkward.

A few days later, these skeleton trees began washing up on the Park Point beach. They must have followed the Nemadji current out through the Superior Entry and to the open lake.  These massive logs speak to the power of water and wind and waves.

I'm always nervous when things start washing up on the Lake Superior shore. Two years ago I was half-expecting to find a kayaker's remains along our beach. This last rain storm, its downpour channeled into our streams, carried another victim to Lake Superior, Jefferson Bowen, a Duluth 13-year-old, who drowned on Amity Creek and whose body was found up the shore from the mouth of the Lester River a few days later.

But almost all the time, the Lake brings cool, good things. Like massive driftwood. Agate chips. Foreign beer cans. And, so his family can rest, the body of a adventurous kid.

On the road with Sam Cook

Chris Evavold being photographed by Sam Cook at Divide Lake

Every two or three years, the phone rings and a familiar voice with just a hint of Kansas in it says, "Hi, Andrew, Sam Cook." Just like the sound of a bell got Pavlov's dogs to salivate, that voice makes me start to stuff my day pack. We're going on an adventure.

Sam wanted to do an article about North Shore hiking and our new book, Hiking the North Shore: 50 fabulous day hikes in Minnesota's spectacular Lake Superior region. "Where would you like to go, Andrew?," Sam asked. What a great question to get!

Sam was looking for something different. The day would be hot, so it would be good to be near a lake. He'd done a lot on the Superior Hiking Trail. He wanted to bring his lab, Lucy. Fortunately, I had the perfect hikes for him. And the perfect hiking companion.

Eighteen Lake and Divide Lake are both in the Superior National Forest, just east of Isabella off Highway One. They both have hiking trails around the shore, 2.7 miles at Eighteen Lake and 2.1 at Divide Lake. In the National Forest, dogs can run free off leash. And Divide Lake is a trout lake, which was perfect for my old friend Chris Evavold. 

Pipsissewa in bloom along Divide Lake trail

Chris, Sam and I met in Duluth and headed up Highway 61 to Illgen City. I drove Sam's minivan so he could ask me questions and jot down notes in his classic narrow reporter's notebook. I was ready: "What's so great about hiking here?" "Why did you want to write this book?"

At Illgen City I checked my watch. The "Lake Superior region" in the subtitle of my book roughly means anywhere you can reach within one half hour of driving from Highway 61. It was 32 minutes up Highway One to Divide Lake. Phew!

Hiking (or skiing, or snowshoeing, which I've done with him for other articles) with Sam is a moving chat fest in the woods. Much of the conversation is off the record and only distantly related to the story at hand. But every few moments, Sam would either dash ahead to get photos of Chris and me, or lag behind to write in his notebook.

The hikes were scenic and a lot of fun. Divide Lake is more for anglers and naturalists, with interesting botany and (supposedly) trout in the lake. Eighteen Lake is great for hiking, with lovely pine forests and dramatic views up and down the wild lake.

After the hike around Eighteen Lake, Sam got "head shots" of Chris and me. We were into the heat of the day, so before we headed back to Duluth we went for a refreshing swim in the cool lake waters. Just what the reporter ordered.

Here's the article. There's some good related content, too. See you out there!

Duluth beyond Lake Superior

Park Point message says it all: "I LOVE DULUTH."

Newspaper readers in Minneapolis, Kansas City and even Miami recently got a great tour of our fair city, Duluth.

Star-Tribune reporter Curt Brown did a great job catching the charming back corners of the Zenith City. Maybe you'll find some pointers too!

Duluth beyond Lake Superior: Turn your back on the big water for a while - Travel Wires - MiamiHerald.com

White, waxy and weird wildflowers of the North

I had a great day of hiking this week up in the Isabella area. It's a 25-minute drive from Highway 61 through Finland along Highway 1 to Isabella, and we were still in the Lake Superior watershed, but it felt like arriving in another world. 

The forest changes from what you'd call "North Woods" to "Boreal." The main thing that was different was the wildflowers. In fact, I turned to an old book on my bookshelf, Plants of Quetico and the Ontario Shield, by Quetico park naturalist Shane Walshe.  

These flowers from the North were white, weird and waxy.

Along the Divide Lake trail (Hike 28 in my book Hiking the North Shore), we found clumps of Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora). Waxy and white, this flower has lives on decaying soil matter and needs no chlorophyll, thus it is white and not green at all. According to Plants of Quetico, "parboiled, boiled and roasted, this species tastes like asparagus."

Near the trailhead, I found clumps of baneberries. Yes, those white waxy "dolls eyes" are the berry of the baneberry plant (Actaea pachypoda). While you might confuse them with yogurt-covered raisins, they are quite poisonous to humans. Grouse and white-footed mice will eat them and, I presume, spread the seeds in ways I'd rather not visualize.

The last waxy weird wildflower we saw was the pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata). Shane Walsh wrote, "The leaves make a pleasant nibble." According to Wikipedia, the name means "it breaks into small pieces."

It was a lovely day up in the boreal north just inland from Lake Superior. But it's nice to be back where the plants are green and the berries are blue.

A gonzo take on Lake Superior

Did you know that Lake Superior is about a million feet deep? That the shipping lanes run so close to shore they could run over an inflatable raft? Watch Jim Richardson's Gonzo take on Lake Superior and the North Shore. The sounds of splashing water alone make this worth repeated viewing.

Get back into the wild at Tettegouche's High Falls

The State Parks are back! Take this weekend to reacquaint yourself with the deep pockets of scenery and nature in the North Shore parks. 

To the High Falls

High Falls of the Baptism, May 2011, from Flickr

Recent rains have lifted North Shore streams out of their summer slumber. With the shutdown over and the park gates open again, head deep into Tettegouche State Park for the short walk to the High Falls of the Baptism River.   

At approximately 70 feet tall, this the highest waterfall completely in Minnesota...the High Falls of the Pigeon River at Grand Portage are taller, but are shared with Ontario.

Reaching the falls
Enter Tettegouche State Park off Highway 61 at mile marker 85.6. Pick up your vehicle permit at the park office, then continue 1.5 miles on the park road to the trail center parking lot past the campground.

Signs lead all the way to the High Falls. You'll follow the big main trail up and out of the parking lot for about 500 yards, then turn right on the Superior Hiking Trail. It's another 500 yards or so on the Superior Hiking Trail to the falls, which should be raging pretty good after the rains. Spur trails lead off to viewing platforms and to the fun suspension bridge over the river. 

If this doesn't satisfy your want of waterfalls, you can continue downstream on trails either side of the river to scenic Two-Step Falls. 


Picnic and swim at the mouth
After your hike, return down the park road, cross the old bridge over the Baptism and park on the right side. It's a short stroll down to the gravel beach at the mouth of the Baptism River, where you'll find excellent swimming (on the river side if the lake is too rough or too cold). This is a perfect spot to enjoy your rustic picnic lunch in a classic North Shore setting.

North Shore wipe out; bring your own TP

Open outhouse with all the toilet paper gone, Temperance 7/14

It looks like  Minnesota's finest state parks, the eight gems along the North Shore, will start to reopen this weekend. If you're headed up the shore and stopping at a park, you still might want to bring your own toilet paper.

While the parks were closed to vehicle traffic, plenty of park lovers walked into the parks from Highway 61. And while the fancy buildings with the flush toilets were locked up, most of the outhouses were left open. When these outhouse users were cleaning up, they cleaned out the toilet paper. 

I cringe to imagine what desperate measures might have been taken after the TP was gone at easy-to-reach outhouses like those at Temperance River State Park. Large-leafed aster, anyone?

A slow short walk to Palisade Head

Palisade Head. The very name sounds dramatic and romantic, like nearby Castle Danger. The sheer red rhyolite cliffs tower over Lake Superior and provide an amazing view across the lake. 1000-foot ore boats sail past looking as small as dollhouse figurines. Peregrine falcons and rock climbers dance about the crevices of the cliff, and on a busy summer day, dozens of cars crowd the cliff-edge viewing area. 

There are no crowds there today. With the Minnesota government shutdown still underway, now is the perfect time to take the slow short walk to the top of Palisade Head and have the North Shore's most dramatic shoreline all to yourself. 

Palisade Head is part of Tettegouche State Park, so the gates off of Highway 61 are closed. Fortunately, there is a large parking area right off the highway, put there for cars pulling trailers to leave their trailer behind. The road to the top is narrow, winding and often steep, and trailers are not allowed. Now cars are not allowed either, and it's perfect for walking.

It's a ten-minute walk from the roadside parking lot past the gate to the top of Palisade Head. Along the way, you can pick out northern forest wildflowers like meadow rue and pyrola.

As the road reaches the crest of the hill, the view opens up out onto Lake Superior. At the same time, you'll see your first blueberries. The berries are still green. While this year's crop doesn't look real promising, some years you can fill gallon buckets of berries up here. 

The view really is spectacular. Look east and you'll pick out Shovel Point; imagine the enormous flow of ashy rhyolite that once filled all the space between Palisade Head and Shovel Point before time, wind and water carried it away. Look past Shovel Point and you can pick out the triangular crests of the Sawtooth Mountains. 


I have my own sentimental reasons for liking Palisade Head, memories of a full moon glittering on the vast watery palette, a cold and starlit May sky and the company of a beautiful woman. 

Even after the shutdown ends, make your own slow short walk to Palisade Head. 

See it for yourself
Palisade Head is at mile marker 56, just two miles east of Silver Bay.

Hiking and herring: Celebrate Lake Superior Day

Happy Lake Superior Day! Time to head up the shore for a scenic hike, a dip in the lake, and some good fresh Lake Superior fish. 

For about 20 years now, fans of Lake Superior have taken the third Sunday of July as Lake Superior Day to celebrate the world's largest freshwater lake. Fun educational events are scheduled up and down the North Shore. Events are great, but be sure to have your own Superior celebration.

Make your own celebration with a Superior hike

 

Carlton Peak is a challenging, fun hike you can take all the way from the shore of Lake Superior to one of the highest points and biggest views on the North Shore. Drive to the Highway 61 parking lots of Temperance River State Park, between Schroeder and Tofte at mile marker 80.3. You'll follow the Superior Hiking Trail up the amazing gorge of the Temperance River and then a long steady climb up to the stony knob of the peak. It's 3.5 miles in to the peak with 900 vertical feet to gain. The big views up and down the shore from the summit are the perfect reward for the long hike up. 

You'll be hot when you get back to Highway 61, so finish your Lake Superior Day hike by dipping your toes...or even your whole body...in the lake itself. Although the park is closed to vehicles, you can still follow the trails down the west side of the river to the beach area. 

Hungry for herring

 

Feeling refreshed...and hungry, head for Satellite's Country Inn about eight miles west of Temperance. This is a true mom-and-pop restaurant, with home-made pies on the plate and local history artifacts on the walls. But what makes this THE spot in western Cook County for Lake Superior Day are the fishcakes, made with local, fresh-caught lake herring.

Happy, happy Lake Superior Day!

The shutdown continues: Go to Twin Points

Your own personal deck at the Twin Points boat launch.

While Minnesota's governor and legislature play Chicken with each other over the state budget, the state parks remain closed. If you're on the North Shore and looking for an outdoor experience, head for one of the public boat landings. My personal favorite on the shore is Twin Points. 

Twin Points is just three miles past Gooseberry Falls State Park. It was the site of a family resort and has since been transferred to state ownership. Unlike the state parks, Twin Point remains open this month. 

Three great features make this a must-do North Shore experience.

Great Feature 1: Iona's Beach

Red shingles dominate Iona's Beach

Take a short, scenic walk through a pine forest to this unique red shingle beach. It's been set aside as a state scientific and natural area, to protect the beach and the wetland behind it. The beach is composed entirely of rhyolite shingles, which have been stacked up by northeast storms. Iona Lind was the matriarch of the family that owned and operated Twin Points resort. After exploring the beach, head along the shoreline clockwise around the "twin" points back to your car, and watch for a deep, awesome crack in the rock.

Great Feature 2: Scenic boat launch

Even if you don't have a boat on a trailer, you can still enjoy the deck at the launch with its dramatic view back down the shoreline. Bring your own folding chair and pretend that you're North Shore royalty. 

Great Feature 3: Gitchi Gami Trail

The Gitchi Gami bike trail heads through Twin Points pines

Bring your bike and explore the shore! Twin Points is in the middle of the longest contiguous section of the Gitchi Gami bike trail. From Twin Points, you can ride west into Gooseberry Falls State Park and check out the waterfalls, or ride east into Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. As far as I know, those parks are still open for access by bike or by foot. 

How to get there

The entrance to Twin Points is at mile marker 42, three miles east of the entrance to Gooseberry Falls State Park. Look for a small brown sign that indicates public water access, then notice two large parking lots on the lake side of the highway. That's your turn. You'll see the large sign for Iona's Beach at the left-hand parking lot. 

Note on necessities

While the entrance to Twin Points should be open, the outhouses may not be. Buy some gas and goodies in Beaver Bay or Two Harbors before you get to Twin Points and use the facilities at the store.

Heritage Days: A great North Shore festival this weekend

Some North Shore towns seem to have a festival every weekend from May to October. Not to name names, but I'm thinking of a certain town that rhymes with "Brand Hooray".

No such festival overload in Two Harbors. The city on Agate Bay saves all their festing for one big weekend in July. This weekend, head for the Two Harbors Heritage Days Festival.

The festival runs from today through Sunday, July 10. The Minnesota Old West Society has already set up their camp by the depot. Friday is music and dancing all day, including a vocal performance with Lake County natives Andrew Gangestad and Nathan Herfindahl. Oh, and there's a Lutefisk Toss at 4:00.

The big day is Saturday, with the parade at 1:00, music all day at the Heritage Days Stage, and a special concert with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra at the historic bandshell.

Take some time away from the festivities to walk around Lighthouse Point. Look for blooming butterwort in the open Lake Superior ledgerock. Head out the slender breakwater to the lighthouse. Make the most of this one great weekend in Two Harbors!

Book review: A View of the Lake

For every 100 people who dream of leaving the big city (or the big suburbs) behind and moving to the North Shore, one or two people actually do it. That ratio has brought enough people to populate the North Shore with quite a cast of characters who have chosen to make this rough land their home.

In A View of the Lake, Beryl Singleton Bissell chronicles the leap of faith she and her husband Bill took in 1999 when they landed in quiet Schroeder, Minnesota, surprised owners of a run-down home they bought only for the view of Lake Superior.

Beryl and Bill immersed themselves in the community right away. I first met them when they were about four years into their new North Shore lives and Beryl was already busy and respected. In this book, Beryl shares how their community connections gradually unfolded.

Contemplating this transition into the North Shore community, Beryl writes, "What was it, I wondered, that brought a sense of belonging to place? ... Was it something we can make happen, or was it more tenuous, a gift?"

Belonging to the North Shore comes to them through neighborly interactions at the Schroeder Post Office, repeated hikes on their closest stretch of the Superior Hiking Trail, quiet writing retreats and epic adventures. I have a bit part in the book myself, as the guy who led them out onto the ice of Lake Superior.

If you've ever considered making a move like this, to the North Shore or Montana or Manhattan, this book is an important read. It reminded me of Rick Bass' Winter: Notes from Montana. In fact, Bissell's book would be strengthened with more of the chronological, narrative style of Bass' Winter. Bissell's short chapters are easy to read, but they keep the reader distant from the truly interesting underlying storylines.

The couple's move to the North Shore became complete when they purchased a family grave plot at the Schroeder cemetery (for the resident price of four dollars). It was final evidence of their determination "to make this our home 'till death do us part." The North Shore and its fans are better off now with these new "locals."

Sugarloaf: Despite the shutdown, your own North Shore state park

Margie Menzies, amazing summer naturalist at Sugarloaf Cove

Minnesota State Parks are closed this week. And probably next week, too. If you're on the North Shore and you need your state park fix, head for Sugarloaf Cove. You'll find a hiking trail, quiet Lake Superior beaches, interpretive programs, and one super summer naturalist at the heart of it all. 

Sugarloaf Cove is a state scientific and natural area; it's managed by a private nonprofit organization, so it's still open despite the state government shutdown.

Here are four reasons why you need to go to Sugarloaf Cove now:

1. It's open! You don't have to park along Highway 61 and climb over the barricades to reach Sugarloaf, just enter the parking lot at mile marker 73.3 west of Schroeder. 
2. It has a great one-mile interpretive trail. Learn about historic log rafting, ancient geology. and current ecological restoration, then hang out on a quiet cobblestone beach.
3. Margie Menzies. Margie is the summer naturalist on site, and brings decades of natural history and education experience. She can answer nearly any question you might have about the North Shore, from boulders and basalt to black-throated blue warblers. Check out the Sugarloaf website for her regularly scheduled interpretive programs.
4. New path! Follow the new trail straight from the parking lot to the "nature center." It leads right into the woods and across a fancy new bridge.

New bridge at Sugarloaf

We'll get Gooseberry, Tettegouche and Cascade back soon enough. For now, check out the wonders of Sugarloaf Cove.
 

Minnesota state parks are closed: alternate North Shore campgrounds

Yes, the terrific North Shore state parks are closed due to the Minnesota government shutdown. Even if you made reservations for that prime campsite a year ago for this holiday weekend, you can't use it. Plan A has gone down the drain.

Where else do you camp? You need a Plan B. For campsites right on Lake Superior, the only options left are private campgrounds and municipal campgrounds. They have already absorbed the overflow from the state parks and are full.

I recommend hitching up your sense of adventure and heading inland for a campsite in the Superior National Forest. To camp the North Shore this is the weekend you need a copy of my book, Camping the North Shore: A Guide to the 23 best campgrounds in Minnesota's spectacular Lake Superior region. You'll find detailed directions and descriptions for lovely campgrounds such as Crescent Lake, Two Island Lake, and Temperance River. If you're willing to go off the beaten path, you'll find free rustic campgrounds along trout streams, on the edge of the BWCA.

As you head through Duluth to the North Shore, pick up a copy of this book at Duluth Pack Store, the Bookstore at Fitgers, or any Holiday Store. 

Plan B: Head up the Cramer Road
The lucky folks already camped at lovely Ninemile Lake won't like me for telling you this, but I'd recommend heading to that campground first. From Finland, head east and north on the Cramer Road (County Road 7). The Ninemile Lake campground is about ten miles out of Finland. If all 24 sites are full there, keep heading inland on County Road 7 to check out the rustic campgrounds at Harriet Lake and Hogback Lake. You might end up all the way inland at Kawishiwi Lake, but it will be lovely, quiet, and free.

The best North Shore Fourth of July

Fourth of July in small-town America means parades and fireworks. If you're on the North Shore for the Fourth, head for Tofte for the best small-town celebration of all.

Sure, Two Harbors has fireworks and an ice cream social And Grand Marais will have fireworks and a parade. Even little Silver Bay and Grand Portage will have fireworks. But no one puts it all together like Tofte. 

Here's your schedule for a great North Shore Fourth of July at Tofte:

7:45 AM Tofte Trek registration 
Opens at Birch Grove for Tofte Trek 10K Wilderness Run (and hike)

9:30 AM Tofte Trek start
Run through the woods, get muddy, then jump in Lake Superior at the end. 


11:00-5:00 Festival of fish, fun
At the Tofte Town Hall: challenge the climbing wall, enjoy live local music, eat some fish burgers, and take on your family in a water balloon battle.

1:00 PM Petite parade 
This is a classic small-town parade. The route is short enough, sometimes they do it twice. Old cars, the classic fire truck, and lots of red, white and blue. Who knows what the Superior National Forest service will do this year? 



Dusk: Fireworks and fear
Head for Tofte Town Park for the best viewing. There's a lot of excitement every year, especially after the big explosion in 2009 when everything went off at once.  

A little bit about lupines

It's lupine season on the North Shore. The fields of blue flowers along Highway 61 rival the golds and yellows of fall for the best colors along the scenic drive. 

Many people I ask tell me that the lupines are their favorite North Shore flowers...even though the flowers aren't native. I guess that makes the lupine like a lot of us: outsiders who have tried to fit in and make the North Shore a little better for everyone.

As you enjoy these towers of flowers, here's a few fun facts to add to your enjoyment:

• "Lupine", as any decent fan of Harry Potter knows, is related to the Latin word for wolf (get it, Professor Lupin...the kind-hearted werewolf?). It was once thought that lupines "wolfed" the nutrients out of the soil, hence the name.
• The North Shore lupine are known scientifically as Lupinus polyphyllus. They are  native to the western US coastal mountains 
• The best stands on Highway 61 are between Two Harbors and Gooseberry. They are often found along the roadside near older homesteads. There are also amazing fields of them between the Pigeon River and Thunder Bay.
• Showing just how perfect they are for the North Shore, lupine do poorly in rich soil. Good thing we're mostly gravel, bedrock and clay up here!

Enjoy the display of colors...it's North Shore summer at its finest.

Lady's slippers and Larry Weber at Jay Cooke

Heavy rains this week have returned the North Shore rivers to flood stage. Rains also damaged the road construction underway near Split Rock Lighthouse, slowing the traffic there. This is the weekend to stay closer to Duluth and explore the seasonal wonders of Jay Cooke State Park.

Showy Lady's Slipper, from www.maine.gov

Lady's slippers near and far
Wildflower fans come to Jay Cooke in early summer for the displays of lady's slippers. This week, there are yellow and showy lady's slippers blooming in the park, including some that are found right near the park office. Hike #1 from my book Hiking the North Shore, the 3.6 mile Silver Creek Trail, goes right past a huge stand of yellow lady's slipper. Stop at the brand-new park office for directions to the park's fabulous orchids.

The Swinging Bridge over a raging St. Louis River, 2008

The St. Louis River is running high after heavy rains, and should be thundering underneath the park's iconic Swinging Bridge by this weekend. But the river won't be the only noise there: park naturalist Kristine Hiller says that gray tree frogs are hanging out on the bridge stone pilings and calling.

Learn to fish, camp and birdwatch
Three interesting...and free...programs are on tap for this weekend in the park: on Friday, join the "I Can Fish" program from 1:00 to 3:00. On Sunday, there's "Camping 101" , also from 1:00 to 3:0.

Larry Weber

Early-risers, birdwatchers and nature lovers are in for a special treat. At 7:00 am Sunday morning, meet renown local naturalist Larry Weber at the campground bathhouse for a bird song walk. No binoculars needed, just listening. 

How to get there
The park is located in Carlton, MN. If you're coming from the Twin Cities, take exit 235 off Interstate 35 and head through the towns of Carlton and Thompson on Hwy 210 to the park. From Duluth, take exit 239 and follow the signs to Carlton and the park.

Near collision in Duluth Ship Canal

BBC Orinoco headed for the wall of the Duluth Ship Canal South Pier

BBC Orinoco after evasive maneuvers

The BBC Orinoco came uncomfortably close today to a collision with the South Pier Lighthouse. At the time, a thick fog was on the lake, and a strong current was running out of the Duluth Ship Canal. Even as the announcer from the Marine Museum was announcing the arrival of the boat, the boat itself could barely be seen in the fog.

As the ship's bow came out of the fog at 2:00pm, the ship was headed directly for the edge of the South Pier rather than for the middle of the Canal as most ships align. The ship turned in to the Canal and away from the lighthouse and pier head at the last moment, appearing to miss by a few yards. 

BBC Orinoco in Duluth Ship Canal after narrowly missing South Pier

 The BBC Orinoco had left Thunder Bay yesterday and will load beet pulp pellets in Duluth, according to Duluth Shipping News.

The current at the mouth of the Duluth Ship Canal has been noted and feared by Great Lakes navigators for over a century. When the Mataafa collided with the piers in 1905, partial blame was placed on the currents. Lighthouses stand at the end of both the South and North piers to help ensure safe passage into the piers.

Incidentally, it appears that the fog horn located in the South Pier lighthouse was not operating at the time.

A super solstice weekend in Grand Marais

Grand Marais is the place to be this weekend. Northern evenings are long and the nights are short. Duluth and Two Harbors will be packed with marathon runners, so head farther up the shore for a classic North Shore experience with elbow room 

This weekend is the 14th Annual Wooden Boat Show at North House Folk School. The show celebrates the romance and history of wooden boats. From noon on Friday to 3:00 pm on Sunday, a fleet of wooden kayaks, canoes, scows, and more will be on display at the Folk School campus. There's a Community of Crafters, a contra dance, and a Lake Superior Chowder Experience. Some of the coolest courses have already started, like "Handcrafting a Northwoods Paddle," but you can still learn the games of kubb, lacrosse, and deadfish polo. For more information, visit the North House website.

Fire Dragon, from http://www.oldwadenasociety.blogspot.com/

Also at North House this weekend is the Summer Solstice Pageant, with the Good Harbor Hill Players. Every solstice, both summer and winter, creative Grand Marais folks put on a great show mixing North Shore culture with current events and local inside jokes.

For the full weekend experience, grab a campsite at the Grand Marais municipal campground right next door to the North House campus. This campground is featured in my book Camping the North Shore as one of the area's best. As of this morning, they still have tent and RV sites open for the weekend. Call them at (800) 998-0959 or (218) 387-1712 to reserve your spot.

Insider's guide to Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

Split Rock Lighthouse, November 10, 2009

Split Rock Lighthouse is a towering beacon over Lake Superior and an icon for the state of Minnesota. For many people, the lighthouse is the North Shore. The state park that surrounds the lighthouse, however, is a hidden gem that only some visitors enter and only very few truly explore.

The view from Split Rock Lighthouse

If you stand with the crowds around the base of Split Rock Lighthouse, you can't help but notice and enjoy the view down the shore. One rugged cove leads to a steep rocky point, and then another and another, as far as you can see. That entire landscape is within the boundaries of Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, and you can hike, camp or even bike through the heart of it. 

THE BEST CAMPING ON THE NORTH SHORE
This is my personal opinion, though I've heard from many people who feel the same way: the best place to camp on the North Shore if you want real quiet, real privacy and real adventure is the cart-in campground at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. Twenty campsites are scattered through the woods and along the shoreline. Each site comes with its own cart, which you can use to roll your camping equipment from the parking lot to your private campsite. 

Fourteen of the sites can be reserved in advance through the Minnesota DNR's reservation system. Virtually the entire summer of 2011 is already reserved. 

Insider's tip: Six sites are available first-come, first served. I've found that if you arrive before 10:00 am on a Tuesday or Wednesday, you should be able to get one of those sites; stop at the park office to get on a waiting list. 

Since sites can be reserved 365 days in advance, now is the time to reserve your top pick for the summer of 2012.

SECLUDED LAKE SUPERIOR BEACHES
Hanging out on your own rocky beach, feeling the splash of cool waves, enjoying a private picnic by the lake shore...that's quintessential North Shore. And you can have it in Split Rock. There are at least eight separate beaches in the park, ranging from the broad, steep beach at Little Two Harbors next to the Picnic Area to the remote beach in Crazy Bay. 

Unnamed beach below Day Hill

Insider's tip: I just discovered a new beach this weekend, a small cobblestone beach with a great view of the lighthouse. Head out the back door of the Trail Center building in the park, and walk out across the main Little Two Harbors Trail. Follow a little unmarked trail that seems to lead to a cliff edge. This opens up to a great ledge rock shoreline full of splash pools. Head up the shore toward the lighthouse, which looms above. You'll find a gravel beach that's about 100 yards long and 10 yards wide. 

GITCHI GAMI BIKE TRAIL
Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is at the midpoint of the longest stretch of completed trail of the Gitchi Gami State Trail. You can ride west about seven miles to Gooseberry Falls State Park or seven miles east to the quaint town of Beaver Bay. 

Iona's Beach

Insider's tip: This is not an easy bike trail. There are steep hills and sharp curves. You may have to leave your toddlers on training wheels at home. I recommend going west to Gooseberry State Park and planning to stop at Iona's Beach about halfway there. Iona's Beach is a state Scientific and Natural Area and was set aside to protect its unique red shingle beach. 

Next time you're on the Shore, take the time to explore this hidden gem of a state park. You'll be glad you stopped by.