We recently went on a weekend family trip to the North Shore of Lake Superior to see all the beautiful colors as the trees turn for the fall. We had a lovely time hiking, eating, exploring, eating, chatting, and eating some more! Here are a few highlights from the trip…
Stay
We rented a log cabin at the Lutsen Resort right off of the lake. The cabin was a great option since it had a full kitchen, several bedrooms and lots of extra space. The best part was that they offered free activities like kayaking, fishing, guided hikes and beach yoga. It’s also super close to Lutsen Mountains for winter skiing and snowboarding. We’ll definitely be back!
Visit
Not only are the Lutsen Mountains awesome in the winter for skiing and snowboarding but they have a few perks in the offseason too. We hopped on the gondola and rode up the mountain side to see the pretty colors of the changing trees.
Of course we couldn’t say no to a few rides on the alpine slide! We took turns racing each other down the track at what felt like warp speed! It also gave us a great view of Lake Superior from the top of the track and another excuse to enjoy at the pretty colors.
Artists’ Point in Grand Marais was our next stop. It’s a great area with lots of cute restaurants and shops. We hiked out to the end of the point to wander among the rocks and watch the waves come in.
Temperance River was a quick but nice stop, right off of the highway with beautiful views of the gorge and waterfalls surrounded by lots of (colorful!) trees and a rocky beach, perfect for stacking rocks.
Another must see is the Split Rock Lighthouse, a picturesque lighthouse sitting on top of some treacherous looking rocks. Interesting fact: all of the iron ore in that area made the compasses of passing ships go wonky which caused them to crash into the rocks. So, the Split Rock Lighthouse was the answer to all of the sunken ships.
Eat
Our first food stop was at the Angry Trout Cafe in Grand Marais. It’s a cute little restaurant right on the water with great outdoor seating. We enjoyed a few pints of local beer, fish and chips and the chowder. Totally worth a stop!
While in Grand Marais, we also popped into My Sister’s Place. It’s a super kitschy bar and restaurant with a bunch of burgers on the menu. We ordered a few odd balls to try, including a Goober Burger that was slathered with both peanut butter and mayo; as seen on Bizarre Foods. It was worth a try since we were in the area but I’m glad we shared it, because it was huge!
Betty’s Pies in Two Harbors is a must stop along the route. We stopped on our way home to try some of their famous pie. We noshed on blueberry, Great Lakes Crunch (apples, rhubarb, and berries with a crumb topping), 5 Layer Chocolate Cream, and Butterfinger pie. My favorite was the Bumbleberry Pie Shake. The shake was literally a slice of pie and ice cream blended together to make a magically delicious treat!
Our last stop on the drive home was the New Scenic Cafe in Duluth and boy was it worth it! We ordered all sorts of tasty things like Curried Blue Mussels, Green Tea Soba Noodles, Croque Provençal, and Seared Sea Scallops. They even have a lovely garden where we enjoyed a glass of wine in the sunshine before dinner. The perfect end to a great weekend!
Are you road tripping to see the fall colors?
