NORTH SHORE
In the past Lake Superior’s North Shore was often feared by early mariners for its remote and rocky shores where surviving a shipwreck meant slow starvation. Lake Superior’s November storms carved the rugged north shore and toyed with early ships. During one turn-of-the-(20th)-century storm 17 vessels went down in a single storm. Improved ships and navigation slowly reduced that threat while on land a continuous, but not always reliable, road could be followed along the North Shore, considerably reducing the isolation of the small communities along those once inaccessible shores.
For visitors, stops at Gooseberry and Split Rock Lighthouse State Parks are a good way to begin a venture up the North Shore. Note the rather regular spacing of small communities; Castle Danger, Beaver Bay, Little Marais, etc. These and others further up the shore were based on water access and fishing. The biggest town up the shore is Two Harbors followed in size by Silver Bay and Grand Marais with larger assortments of stores and facilities. But the smaller villages often contain wonderful surprises too, like Little Marais’ handmade shops, Schroeder’s coffee house, Hovland’s wonderful diner, or Ryden's store at the border. Along the way and beyond there is plenty to discover. You might run out of time, but why not discover and then return again and again?
