North Shore Scenic Drive
North Shore Scenic Drive is an All-American Road in Minnesota. Within Minnesota it covers roughly 150 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along North Shore Scenic Drive with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
MN-61 follows the rugged Lake Superior shore from Duluth northeast toward the Canadian border, past cliffs, waterfalls, and the largest lake on earth by surface area. Highlights include the cliff-top Split Rock Lighthouse, the cascades of Gooseberry Falls, and the agate beaches and state parks strung along the shore. The big-lake horizon and north-woods forest define the drive.
- Lake Superior shore
- Split Rock Lighthouse
- Gooseberry Falls
- north-woods state parks
- MN-61
Designated for its recreational qualities
Plan a drive on North Shore Scenic Drive → Drive this route in Road SortiesTurn-by-turn on iPhone · App Store
Places to stop along North Shore Scenic Drive
Aerial Lift Bridge
Duluth's landmark bridge, whose deck rises to let ore boats and ocean-going ships into the harbor, watched from Canal Park.
Gooseberry Falls State Park
A series of waterfalls dropping through rocky gorges to the lake, an easy walk from the visitor center.
WebsiteSplit Rock Lighthouse
A 1910 lighthouse on a 130-foot cliff, built after a 1905 storm wrecked a string of ships along this shore.
WebsitePalisade Head
A sheer cliff of volcanic rhyolite reached by a narrow road, with views up and down the shore.
Tettegouche State Park
Shoreline cliffs, a sea arch, and the High Falls of the Baptism River, with a visitor center right on the highway.
WebsiteGrand Marais
An artsy harbor town with a lighthouse breakwater, the start of the Gunflint Trail, and fresh smoked fish.
Grand Portage National Monument
A reconstructed fur trade depot on the Grand Portage Ojibwe reservation, at the start of the 8.5-mile portage around the Pigeon River falls.
WebsiteGrand Portage State Park
Home of the 120-foot High Falls of the Pigeon River, Minnesota's tallest waterfall, right on the Canadian border.
Website
Where to Stay along North Shore Scenic Drive
1 campground or RV park sits within about 5 miles of North Shore Scenic Drive.
Campsite, lodging, RV rental and membership links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.
Photos of North Shore Scenic Drive
What is an All-American Road?
All-American Roads are the top tier of America's National Scenic Byways. To earn the title a road has to be a destination in its own right — offering features so exceptional, across several intrinsic qualities (scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational), that they can't be found anywhere else.