Minnesota really does their state parks correctly - they sometimes double as rest stops for weary…read moretravelers. It's totally a win-win. The rest stop area of the state park visitor center was very nice. Picture windows let the outside sunlight in. Vending machines were well stocked, and the washrooms were spacious and clean. The visitor center was large, with an area with exhibits and displays about the history and the natural features of the park. The information desk abuts this area. There's a gift shop that sells souvenirs and last minute hiking/camping items. There's also ice cream and small snacks. If you want to spend significant time outside here during the summer and forgot mosquito repellent, I highly recommend picking up a canister of 40% DEET. You'll definitely need it!

This is my favorite state park in Minnesota (of the 75). It's about 3-1/2 hours from the Twin…read moreCities (northeast of Duluth). It has the most spectacular vistas and is a hiker's paradise. The cascading 60 foot High Falls waterfall into the Baptism River are beautiful, as are the view of Lake Superior. Palisade Head is not to be missed, either. The are ample bird watching opportunities in the park as well.

Small state park. Nice short hiking loops. The falls are very scenic. Nice covered bridge. The…read morestaff at the visitor center are very friendly. There is a campground. It was empty when I was there in early June.

Park in the Covered Bridge lot. Gorgeous view of the falls. No hiking needed! Well maintained…read more Bathroom facilities are cleaned weekly, not daily. Worth the stop!!

This place is always on our stopping list when we're up north…read more The falls being easily accessible are also a great place to put your feet in the water and throw rocks. The visitor center is also very nice and well equipped with the extra bonus of ice cream treats!

Because this state park has a rest area, the admission is free. You only need to pay entry if…read moreyou're going to the campground or driving down to the Lakeshore. You can see the Falls and hike the upper areas for free. Friendly staff, small nature, center, restrooms, vending. Ample free parking. The fall cells are pretty cool. It was fairly busy so there were a lot of people around. If you walk to the other side of the highway and hike up there, there are far fewer people.

Agate Bay Beach sits beside the waterfront town of Two Harbors, Minnesota…read more First off, the town of Two Harbors, MN is a worthwhile stop to make while driving along the popular 150-mile North Shore Scenic Drive up the northeastern part of Minnesota's coast. Here at Agate Bay, you can pause to appreciate the setting viewing onto the endless waters of Lake Superior. The big highlight is walking on a cement pathway that extends out to a remote lighthouse observation point. This pedestrian strip only takes 10 minutes to walk, but it affords you a picturesque overlook into the wide-open appearance of Lake Superior. You can breathe in the fresh air while making the stroll over to the lighthouse and ultimately, coming to Agate Bay allows for a casual rest from driving, if you're not in any hurry. While visiting back in early June, there were a couple of cars parked in the lot and just a few tourists checking out this cool little beachfront. Generally, it was quiet and not nearly as congested as I had anticipated it to be for peak summer visitations. The historic lighthouse at the end of the beach pier is a rewarding opportunity for a picture with Lake Superior in the background. Lol, it made me ponder...how many of the 5 Great Lakes had I been to??? But overall, it's a pleasant moment outside. And definitely, making the journey on North Shore Scenic Drive is the epitome of enjoying nature, with loads of beautiful state parks and gushing waterfalls. Lastly, located just before the walking pier, they have a few picnic tables set up which is a nice chance to enjoy lunch with a view. From here at Agate Bay, I'd suggest grabbing dessert 3 miles away at Betty's Pies before spending time at fantastic MUST DO - Gooseberry Falls State Park.

Located in the harbor near the Two Harbors lighthouse, Agate Bay Beach has a large parking lot and…read morea public boat ramp with dedicated parking for vehicles with trailers. There are also a lot of portable restrooms, I assume because there are regular festivals and other events here. None of that was today and it was quite peaceful. I sat here for a while hoping the wind would drop down but it didn't. So I braved up and walked out on the breakwater as far as I could to get close to the Two Harbors Light House on the breakwater. Thankfully, there's a railing and I know how to swim and there were a bunch of people over there on the beach watching Mister Stupid. So I'd probably have been okay if I took a tumble. The things I do for a picture! Once I returned to safe ground, I watched the Radcliffe R. Latimer (Sault Ste. Marie) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radcliffe_R._Latimer back out and set sail for points unknown. Very cool to watch. [Review 17892 overall - 112 in Minnesota - 1413 of 2022.]

Loved the park. Tower was much shorter than imagined. Beautiful grounds and the peace bell was neat…read moreto see

We found out about this tower from the hotel front desk and thought, why not--it's free! Parking…read morewas easy, and the views did not disappoint. From the top you get a full 360° view of Duluth, including the aerial lift bridge, which was super cool to see. The tower's only a few stories high and has rails to help with the climb, though it's not ADA accessible. Along the way, we also learned about Mr. Enger and his impact on the city, plus Duluth's special ties to Norway. Definitely a neat little stop! Not to mention there was a Japanese Zen garden and a few trails.

An amazing gem for those looking for a more secluded experience with nature on the North Shore. The…read moreparks along the North Shore are all good, but this one really stands out as a way to escape the crowds and enjoy nature. Lots of cool hike-to camping sites.

This waterfall is gorgeous! The hike is very hard so be careful if doing this with kids. There is…read moreno pathway everything has been getting taken back by nature. There are two routes one 0.8 miles roundtrip and the other 1.5 miles round trip! They have a nice little parking lot as well! Highly recommend if you're adventures and love a good challenging hike!

We hiked the Lakeshore Trail from the Meyers Beach parking lot. (National Park Service. $5 parking…read morefee; $2.50 if you have a Senior Pass or Access Pass. May, 2023). As noted by others, this is a launch point for kayaks to launch for views of the sea caves and cliffs. We were at this location twice in late May, 2023, and national park Rangers were there on both days (Wednesday, Friday) ensuring that kayakers were prepared for the rough and cold waters, and to provide guidance to hikers. There are clean vault toilets at the location. Regarding the Lakeshore Hike, we did about 2.2 miles of the hike, returning on the same trail to make it about 4.4 miles roundtrip. The trail continues to a campground site (I believe NPS reservations are required) but we didn't go that far. The first 1.8 miles are largely inland, without views of Lake Superior. Of this segment, the first 0.7 miles are almost completely on a double plank boardwalk that goes over swampy land in parts. It requires some stepping up and down on planks, following terrain changes. After you cross a service road at 0.7 miles, the trail alternates between plank boards and regular trails. As you approach the crevasse at 1.8 miles, there are quite a few ascents and descents wherein you go down to a stream-bed and then back up. Some of these are steep but have logs to help with footing. The stream crossings all had sturdy boards or bridges to cross. At 1.8 miles, you reach the crevasse area with views of Lake Superior. Take a look on both sides to see sea caves and the deep crevasse. There are benches here too so it made a great lunch spot. Be careful not to get too close to the edges. It's a long way down! Beyond the crevasse, walk another 0.4 miles to the "basin". This stretch is relatively easy (flat) walking with spectacular views. My husband, who has been hiking in the Himalayas recently, found the entire trail to be easy. For me, I'd characterize it as moderately challenging. On the positive side, there is very little elevation change, so I wasn't huffing and puffing. However, I have balance issues, so I didn't particularly like the footing for the ascents/descents to the stream beds nor all of the roots on the trail. Some of the steps up and down, even on the boardwalk, were also a bit too high for my short legs! Having walked with hiking poles and an occasional hand from my husband helped. Finally, remember bug spray. The mosquitoes are active. 4-star rating overall instead of 5 due to distance required to walk to get views of the sea caves and mosquitoes. 5 stars for the Park Service.

You have to come check out the sea caves on the shoreline of Lake Superior. Meyers beach is the…read morelaunching point for kayaks. It's also the location for the hiking trail. The views from the water are beautiful! I highly recommend the water instead of the walking trail. There are multiple vendors you can rent kayaks and wet suits from. You can even take a guided tour. We personally, have our own kayaks and decided to do our own trip. The DNR do sit at the beach and give you the whole spiel on safety and risks. It is recommended to use sea kayaks due to the rough waters of Lake Superior. We have used normal lake kayaks and used good judgement on the water/ weather conditions. Both times were just fine on the normal kayaks. Just be careful. The waters are freezing all year-round and if you do go overboard near the caves there's no good spot to pull off. Check out my pics of the stunning caves!

This is an incredible (but very busy!) state park. We camped at walk-in site 83, which was hands…read moredown the best site in the park. The walk-in sites in general are all amazing, you're secluded from everyone else but still close to the amenities. Site 83 is about a 4-minute walk from where you park your car. There are two tent pads and plenty of space. It's a beautiful site--book it early! The amenities at the campground were great, plenty of places to recycle, fill up water, and throw out trash. The bathrooms are also very nice, but they are some of the busiest bathrooms I've ever seen! There are plenty of hiking trails as well, a great visitor center and gift shop, and it is an all around lovely state park.

We had an awesome camping weekend here - I'm so glad I got to see this state park! Here's the…read morebreakdown: CAMPSITES: 4/5 Lots of campsites here that we booked well in advance - I'd guess they fill up fast! I'm not super experienced at camping, but the campsites felt quite close together to me. Compared to other places we've been, the sites are much less private. AMENITIES: 5/5 The amount of water spickets and bathrooms around the site were great, and the showers/main bathroom facilities were nice! STATE PARK: 5/5 We loved walking a bit of the state park over the weekend! The suspension bridge is super cool, and it's really fun to walk on and explore the unique rock formations along the water.

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.

Pebble Beach is in the heart of Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. It's gorgeous! Walking down the…read morebeach, you will scramble up some rocks right into the iconic Lighthouse view. The beach itself is gorgeous. It does it crowded in the Summer but going in the Spring or Fall works too. I enjoy stopping by for pictures. It's really pretty!