All-American Road · Minnesota

North Shore Scenic Drive

154 miles of Highway 61 along Lake Superior from Duluth's Canal Park to the Canadian border, past waterfalls, cliffs and lighthouses.

Also known as Highway 61 along Lake Superior

North Shore Scenic Drive: Falls at Cross River

Photo: U.S. Department of Transportation, America's Byways collection (National Archives), Public domain, source

  • Length154 miles[1]
  • Drive timeAbout three hours of driving, or one to two days with stops[1]FHWA's "time to allow"
  • RoadsHighway 61 (County Highway 61 from Duluth to Two Harbors, then MN 61)[2]
  • Start and endCanal Park in Duluth to the Canadian border at Grand Portage[2]
  • Fees and passesNo fees on the byway; state parks and sites along it charge.[1]
  • Best seasonNot verified
  • SurfaceNot verified
  • Vehicle notesNot verified
  • Seasonal closuresNot verified

Before you go

Road status and weather can change quickly. Check the official road-conditions link before you go.

Facts last checked against the sources on October 22, 2026.

About the drive

The North Shore Scenic Drive follows Lake Superior's shore on Highway 61 from Canal Park in Duluth to the Canadian border at Grand Portage. It became an All-American Road in 2000, and the old shore road from Duluth to Two Harbors was added in 2002.

State parks line the route: Gooseberry Falls is just off the highway, and the cliff-top Split Rock Lighthouse lets you tour the light and the keeper's house. Near the border, Grand Portage National Monument has a reconstructed fur-trade post.

Allow about three hours of driving, or a weekend if you want to stop at the parks and harbor towns.

Stops along the way

  1. Two Harbors

    Harbor town where the expressway section begins.

    Official information · 47.02272, -91.67074 · about 0.0 mi from the route line

  2. Gooseberry Falls State Park

    Waterfalls just off the highway.

    Official information · 47.14512, -91.47476 · about 0.3 mi from the route line

  3. Split Rock Lighthouse

    Historic lighthouse and keeper's house on a cliff.

    Official information · 47.2001, -91.36702 · about 0.4 mi from the route line

  4. Grand Portage National Monument

    Reconstructed fur-trade depot from the late 1700s.

    Official information · 47.98946, -89.71465 · about 1.6 mi from the route line

Stops are listed in order along the route; the numbers match the map. Stop locations come from the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey place-names database, the stop's own official page or, where noted in the data, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

Food along the way

Farmers markets within about 25 miles

Markets keep their own seasons and hours, so check with the market before you go. Find more in the Farmers Market Finder.

Sources

  1. America's Byways: North Shore Scenic Drive (FHWA) (checked 2026-10-22)
  2. North Shore Scenic Drive Corridor Management Plan (Minnesota DOT) (checked 2026-10-22)
  3. 5 Days on the North Shore of Lake Superior (Explore Minnesota) (checked 2026-10-22)
  4. Grand Portage National Monument (NPS) (checked 2026-10-22)
  5. Route line: U.S. DOT scenic byways map service (geo.dot.gov), retrieved 2026-10-22.

Written by VanillaGoods from the cited official sources. This is a drive to know, not a ranking. Road status and weather can change quickly; check the official road-conditions link before you go.

Spot something out of date? Email help@vanillagoods.com (help@vanillagoods.com).

More drives in Minnesota · All scenic drives