Great view on a clear day, and a nice amount of parking. This is not accessible with a trailer or…read moremotor home though! Terrain is rough, the road is strap and only one lane (watch for cars coming down!). They have designated motorcycle parking and some signage with I for about the area and hiking.

A short one mile hike for breathtaking views! My family and I did this hike during the end of March…read moreand I could only imagine how it would look during the fall! The road to drive up was closed for the winter so we hiked up the small mountain which took around 15 minutes. But during (not the winter season LOL) the road is open to drive up for gorgeous views of Lake Superior. Definitely a must stop you have to make while driving up the MN North Shore.

At an otherwise boring intersection on this roadway, this historical marker points out a "swing and…read morea miss" when a settlement was tried here that failed. There is a wide spot at the intersection. The marker reads, "Clifton, first townsite surveyed in the United States section of the North Shore, was platted west of the mouth of the French River in 1855. The river was known to early explorers as Riviere des Francais. Rumors of nearby copper deposits resulted in widespread prospecting and townsite planning in the 1850s. Like many of the projected towns, Clifton never developed. From 1864 to 1866, the French River Mining Company and the North Shore Mining Company dug several exploratory shafts, but failed to locate profitable copper deposits. Extensive lumbering operations were carried on here in the 1880s." The marker goes on to mention that it was erected by the St. Louis County Historical Society in cooperation with the Minnesota Highway Department in 1959. There is not much else here other than a sign that indicates this is a rest stop and you can park here for up to six hours. [Review 17886 overall - 106 in Minnesota - 1407 of 2022.]

On my way north to the Canadian border, I decided to make a quick return to Grand Portage to relive…read moreHigh Falls of the Pigeon River! Plus, lol, I have a new fascination with TikTok and needed to capture some noteworthy content for my next post, hehehe. Alright, so High Falls is the focal point. It's the main event. From the entrance, it's simply half a mile walk to two observation platforms. The 2nd overlook is better than the first, but still, they both offer fantastic opportunities to appreciate the 120 foot drop, which (I believe) makes High Falls the tallest waterfall in Minnesota! During both occasions I was here (once in early morning and the other in late afternoon) not many tourists were in attendance so it gave me a chance to snap some unforgettable photos without fighting for a prime spot at the viewing points. Also this 2nd time around for mid June, the mosquitoes were in aggressive attack mode. It was a race to the lookouts between myself and the mosquitoes. They were trying to eat me alive and I was destined to get pics and videos in and safely arrive back at my car without feeling significant torture. Not to fret though...if you're pressed for time, the entire visit takes a swift 30 minutes. In the end, the mosquitoes weren't the final memory. For traveling to such a remote part of the upper eastern corner of Minnesota, this High Falls is an absolute gem and deserves to be identified for having one of the best waterfall backdrops in the USA!

We moved to Minnesota nine years ago and I am still surprised how many Minnesotans have never been…read moreto our favorite state park. This was our fourth visit to Grand Portage. The High Falls is an easy hike for an unforgettable view. But on this visit we also included the Middle Falls. If your time is limited then be sure to visit the High Falls, but it you want to make Grand Portage a memorable hiking experience be sure to hike both the High Falls and Middle Falls both on Pigeon River. Middle Falls is a twenty feet high waterfall. We first climbed a steep ridge to a scenic overlook with a wonderful view of Lake Superior. The best part of this long steep hike were the trees- the winding paths through mature aspen, birch and spruce. The trail is very steep in places. You have to climb over 300 feet vertically each way. Beware of loose slippery rocks and tree roots- I slipped on these a few times. This is not a hike for young children, older people or faint of heart or those people in poor health. We measured our hike to be 5.5 miles RT if you include the High Falls. Is it worth it? Most definitely yes. Don't do this and Devils Kettle on the same day unless you are an avid hiker.

This is a great national monument that teaches about the history of fur trade and native American…read more(Ojibwe) relation in the area. The visitor center is two stories and according to the rangers there, has the highest rated park film of any in the parks. There's also a fort about a hundred yards outside the visitor center which has events and other info. It's all free to visit.

A charming natural area with a faithful recreation of the early North West Company trading post. We…read moreenjoyed a eyngaging presentation from an enthusiastic guide, in which he demonstrated how the early fur traders made fire. Our kids were enthralled (ok, I was too!).

Still great. This time we did the self-guided tour which uses your cell phone. Make sure you buy…read morethe complete ticket which includes all floors. One of the highlights is exploring the grounds. It was a beautiful fall day with lots of wind. We even saw 3 deer. There is a lot of history here. Everyone had a twin bed until marriage. Some features were innovations for the time. They even had an indoor milking room for the house. A great place to bring any history lover. Plus it is haunted.

What a beautiful mansion filled with decor from around the world. The historical background is very…read moreinteresting. The grounds are amazing with beautiful flowers and all types of plants. The employees are knowledgeable, but a bit on the not super friendly side - all business. I recommend the full tour and downloading the audio tour, as it really helps understand what you are seeing. This tour is well worth the time investment and price of admission. Make sure to spend as much time outside as you do inside.

I very much recommend paying to go through the lighthouse and gate keepers home. There is also a…read moreshort video that is quite informational. The views from the lighthouse are spectacular. After you see that, walk down to the shore and capture a beautiful picture of the lighthouse from there. It is worth mentioning that every staff member we interacted with was friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable.

I'll start by saying the cart-in sites at Split Rock are top notch and I'd highly recommend them to…read moreanyone. But the backpacking sites unfortunately, I can't say the same. We stayed at Backpack Site #3, and the trail getting there were awful! I was genuinely surprised by how poorly maintained they were. Our site had a beautiful, private beach access, which was a highlight, but in my opinion, it wasn't worth the difficult trek to get there. The campsite was pretty small. It had a decent tent spot, but overall felt cramped, and there was only a half-bench for seating. I'm glad I got to experience a backpacking site--but honestly, I'll never do it again.

This is a fantastic little museum/tourism stop! They have fun commemorative puzzles, clothes,…read morepuzzles, stickers, postcards, and such for sale! They also have some neat historical info on the area and the history of mining around Silver Bay. It's well put together and definitely a place to stop and read all the signs at for an hour! The gentlemen working there was very lovely to chat with! They had pamphlets on local things to do as well:)

Some interesting stuff here. Really cool museum. The caretakers of the area were really chill and…read moreoverall it was good.