Let me start by saying, the North Shore of Minnesota was not part of my travel challenge. It wasn’t because I go there at least once a year. I go there annually because in my opinion, the North Shore is one of, if not the, best place in MN. These 145 miles along the northwest side of Lake Superior are home to many of MN’s most beautiful hikes and waterfalls. Many folks in MN think of the North Shore as Duluth. And while I love Duluth and it’s certainly a city worth spending some time in, I believe you have to go farther north to get to the best parts of the North Shore. I could write a whole post about the MN North Shore, and probably will at some point, but for this post, my focus will be on Isle Royale Michigan with a few nuggets about the North Shore sprinkled in. It was my gateway to the island after all.
If you’ve been keeping up with this blog you already read that though the name may give the impression of laying on a beach under a cabana at some fancy resort, fruity drink in hand, Isle Royale is actually 99% designated wilderness. Located in the northwest portion of Lake Superior, the main island covers 206.7 square miles and is one of 450 islands making up Isle Royale National Park. There are two major access points on the island, Windigo and Rock Harbor. Transported via seaplane or ferry boat, most people leave for the island from one of the following four cities: Grand Marais or Grand Portage, MN or Houghton or Copper Harbor, MI. While we chose to visit the island for the day, there is one resort on the Rock Harbor side of the island. Other lodging options include staying in a camper cabin in Windigo, setting up camp, or tying up to a dock for the night and staying on a boat. The destination of Isle Royale became the third stop of my travel challenge because of my desire to see a moose. Now, there ARE moose in northern MN. They aren’t jumping out at you at dusk on every county highway like the deer, but they’re around. In my 30 some year time spent in MN I had never seen one though. And I wanted to. And apparently, I had mentioned it a time or two because one of the doctors I work with regularly helped fund this Isle Royale adventure as a Christmas gift. Supposedly Isle Royale is a hot spot for moose sitings. So, after rescheduling twice for Covid related reasons, my husband Matt and I headed north to Isle Royale, or to go “moose hunting” as I was calling it.
We entered the gateway to the North Shore (Duluth) on September 2nd, 2021, and started the trip off by drinking mimosas and shopping for books in the Fitger’s building. If you’ve never been to Duluth, Fitgers Historic Brewery Complex is worth a stop for sure. We had the whole day to make our way up to Grand Marais, where we were staying during the trip, and wouldn’t be heading to the island until the next morning. We tried to get pizza in a smaller town 1/2 hour north of Duluth. After striking out at two different pizza places (the pandemic still had some smaller joints using wonky business hours) we elected to get our Basic B on and stop at Castle Danger Brewery to have a Dominos pizza delivered. Bellies full, we continued north just over an hour to a small town called Lutsen. Without derailing the topic too much, allow me to put a plug in for what is probably my favorite town along the North Shore. Lutsen has some of the most amazing views I’ve seen in my home state. MN’s oldest lodge (temporarily closed due to recent fire damage) is nestled along the shoreline where the Poplar River meets Lake Superior. A five-minute drive will take you up the Lutsen Mountains to other lodging options, a ski resort with a year-round gondola, and to the North Shore Winery. There are unlimited hiking options, but if you’re not into that sort of thing, be sure to take the gondola up for a breathtaking view of the big lake and a beautiful golf course. I highly recommend going in the fall for some leaf peepin’ but the view is spectacular any time of year. On this trip, our only stop in Lutsen was to the winery. The North Shore Winery is home to delicious wine and ciders and often some live music. We traveled the last 20 minutes north to the harbor town of Grand Marais and spent the rest of the evening walking along the rocky lakeshore, enjoying the view from a rooftop restaurant (the Gunflint Tavern), and swinging into Dairy Queen to share a chicken strip basket. A hot tub soak at the hotel was the perfect way to call it a night on the early side in preparation to hunt for a moose the next day!
We set out on our 45 minute drive to Grand Portage the next morning, excited to board the Seahunter III. It was a chilly fall morning, but the sun was shining as we spent the next 1.5 hours ferrying in and out of Canadian/United States waters to get to the island. As we started passing the smaller islands that make up Isle Royale National Park, the views became more and more breathtaking. The pine trees were so dense and green on the islands, and the contrast from the water was beautiful. After docking, we met Ranger Seth who told us that the island was his favorite place in the world and cautioned us to respect the wilderness and not try to take selfies with any moose. With Ranger Seth’s words in mind, we set off. Our first hike was about 1.5 miles along a creek near some of the campsites because we heard moose liked to hang around the water. Occasionally, we passed other people, and they always had the same question, “You see a moose yet?” Apparently I wasn’t the only one on a moose mission. One guy told us he had been camping on the island for a few days at that point, and that he had in fact seen a moose, but that it was a bit too close for comfort! After grabbing a quick snack at the pier, we set out on a second trail that we were told led to an amazing view. Whoever told us that wasn’t wrong! Unfortunately, time was limited so we had to pick up the pace on our walk back. Having hiked seven miles total during our time on the island, we made it back with 10 minutes to spare before the ferry was set to take off for the mainland. The ship captain took a little different route on the way back so that we could see a lighthouse up close that we had only been able to see in the distance on the way to the island. We were told that many years ago a shipwreck took place near the lighthouse and that 100 people took turns going in and out of it all night until they could be rescued from the frigid waters the next day.
We got back to Grand Portage with some daylight left. So, even though we had hiked it once before, we decided to drive the short distance to the border of Canada where the tallest waterfall in Minnesota, The High Falls of Pigeon River, is located. Then, being famished between the fresh air and the hiking, we indulged in dinner at Hungry Hippie Tacos back in Grand Marais. More details on both of these places in my inevitable North Shore post to come! Despite not seeing my moose, it was a great adventure! And little did I know, I’d spot that moose later on in my travel challenge. Sometimes, the best things come around when we aren’t looking for them!
