The route
This is a suggested first route along Minnesota's North Shore, built from the places already in the Old Route Retro atlas. It follows Highway 61 north from Duluth, through the lake towns and state parks of the Superior shore, to Grand Portage at the far end — the drive the atlas files simply as North Shore Drive. Every stop below links to its own place page, where the postcards filed for that location are gathered together.
The Minnesota route shows the whole state, and holds every design currently filed under it.
Start in Duluth
The shore begins at Duluth, the port city at the western tip of Lake Superior. Many travelers reach it from the Twin Cities to the south — Minneapolis has its own place page — and from Duluth the lake runs north beside the road.
The drive north
Just up the shore, Two Harbors is the first town on the lake. Beyond it the highway reaches Gooseberry Falls, where the river drops over rock ledges on its way to the water.
The middle of the drive is the shore's most photographed stretch. Split Rock Lighthouse stands on its cliff above the lake, and the dark basalt palisades at Palisade Head look straight out over the water. Tettegouche State Park gathers the same cliff country, while the rivers at Temperance River and Cascade River State Park cut short gorges to the shore.
The coastal road reaches its natural pause at Grand Marais, the harbor town of the upper shore — and the gateway to the Superior Hiking Trail, which follows the ridge above the lake for mile after mile.
Grand Portage and the far end
Past Grand Marais the drive continues to Grand Portage, near the shore's northern edge, where the fur-trade portage and its national monument mark the end of the lake road. From here the atlas's inland places — Boundary Waters, Voyageurs National Park, and the headwaters at Itasca State Park — lie a separate journey away.
Planning the route
This is a suggested route from the Old Route Retro atlas, not an official itinerary. The drive north spreads easily over two or three relaxed days: one for the stretch from Duluth to Grand Marais, and a day or two at the far end for Grand Portage and the trail country. Fall is the season the shore is known for, when the hardwood ridges turn; summer brings the crowds to the lake towns.
Every stop in this guide is a real page in the atlas. Open the Minnesota route to browse every design currently filed under it.
How long does this route take?
As a suggested route it has no fixed length. A relaxed version fits in two or three days — one for the drive from Duluth to Grand Marais, and a day or two for the far end and the trails. Each place page stands alone, so you can follow any single stop on its own.
Where does the North Shore drive start and end?
The drive follows Highway 61 north from Duluth, along the lake past Two Harbors, Split Rock, and Grand Marais, and ends near Grand Portage at the shore's northern edge. In the atlas the route is filed simply as North Shore Drive.
What are the must-stop towns?
Three towns anchor the route: Duluth at the start, Two Harbors just up the shore, and Grand Marais at the upper end. The state parks between them — Gooseberry Falls, Tettegouche, and Cascade River — are where the shore shows its best.