Split Rock Light House in late December
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An Iconic Lighthouse and the Best Place in MN to Skip Rocks
Split Rock Lighthouse is one of the MN State Parks that I can’t guess at how many times I’ve visited. It’s a favorite place of mine to rest. I’ve toured inside the lighthouse a couple of times, stayed in the campground multiple times, and I’ve hiked most of the park. My favorite place is simply Pebble Beach. It’s this huge beach full of small smooth flat stones, all perfect for skipping through the waters of Lake Superior as you stare at the beautiful Split Rock Lighthouse. In fact, when my youngest son turned two, we drove up from Minneapolis to spend his birthday day at Pebble Beach - throwing lots and lots of rocks in the water. If I’ve been out hiking at other State Parks along MN-61, I typically stop at Pebble Beach on my way back to Duluth to watch the sky turn color as the sun sets. Usually I have a list of recommended things to do or places to see in a park, but honestly, at Split Rock, the best spot is Pebble Beach. Spend as much time as you can there and simply enjoy it.
There are so many rocks to throw in the water
Location and Parking
Split Rock Lighthouse is the second Minnesota State Park as you drive north on MN-61 from Duluth. The park is a little less than an hour drive from Duluth. Gooseberry State Park is 10 minutes south. Tettegouche State Park is 15 minutes north.
There are four parking lots that can be used for hiking, depending on which part of the park you are visiting. All four lots are labeled on the below map with black stars. The first place to park is a small unmarked lot off of MN-61, about 2.5 miles south of the main park entrance. The parking lot will be on the west side of MN-61, away from Lake Superior. This parking lot is used as the trailhead for the Split Rock River Loop hiking trail and can also be used to access the southern part of the Corundum Mine Trail Loop. There is a pedestrian tunnel that goes under MN-61, so you don’t need to deal with crossing the busy highway.
The rest of the hiking trails are accessible by entering the main park entrance, exiting off MN-61 towards Lake Superior. You’ll go past the pay station. Keep to the right for day hiking. There are three parking lots. The southern-most lot is reserved for campers. The other two parking lots are close to each other, and both can be used to access Pebble Beach, Two Harbors Trail, Corundum Mine Trail, and Day Hill. If you need a bathroom, there is one open year round at the parking lot which is slightly further north.
The fourth parking lot is for the actual lighthouse. There is a formal visitor center. You can walk around the grounds and there are tour options depending on which day you visit. Check online for current prices and times. The lighthouse is operated by the MN Historical Society. To get to the lighthouse, you’ll enter along the same road as for the trails and campground. Follow the signs to the left for the lighthouse.
This post stands on its own, but it is a part of a larger network of posts I’ve written regarding things to do along Minnesota’s North Shore. This is a link to my full North Shore Guide for anyone interested. It’s an external link so you won’t lose your spot. I will also re-post this link at the end.
Hiking the Split Rock River Loop which includes several small waterfalls
Lodging Options
When you think of where you should get a hotel along the North Shore, Duluth might be your most obvious thought. Just keep in mind that Split Rock is almost an hour north of Duluth. If you plan to spend a few days and hike parks north of Split Rock, you are going to spend a lot of time driving up and down MN-61. Other options located closer to the State Park include Two Harbors and Tofte. Grand Marais is a fourth option, but this town is pretty far north (two hours north of Duluth), so same as picking Duluth, depending on which parks you intend to hike, you may spend a lot of time in the car. These towns are not big, so hotel rooms are limited. Consider booking early to pick your ideal location.
Camping is also a fantastic option, and Split Rock Lighthouse State Park has the best campground along the North Shore (in my opinion). It has a cart-in campground, which means you leave your car in the parking lot and each campsite has a large wooden cart that is assigned. You empty your car into the cart, and wheel it along the black top paved path to your campsite. Each campsite has a bear box where you will store your food and cooking utensils when you aren’t using them. There are only 20 campsites and each is completely secluded. You hardly notice other campers, except at night when you can see all of the campfires. Some of the sites along Lake Superior also include views of the shoreline. This campground includes bathrooms with showers. With only 20 sites, this is an extremely difficult park to stay in on a weekend. This isn’t just a “book early” scenario - this is a “have your computer ready and log in as soon as they release the campsites for reservation” situation. An easier option is to stay on a Sunday through Thursday. There is also a standard campground at Split Rock, Shipwreck Creek, that has drive-in campsites. I haven’t stayed here though, so I’m not sure what it’s like. Gooseberry, Tettegouche, and Cascade River State Parks also have drive-in campgrounds, all of which are nice. And Tettegouche has a cart-in campground option as well, though this campground has pit toilets. You have to drive to the main Tettegouche campground to find running water and showers.
View from the top of the Split Rock River Loop Trail
Hiking at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
If you are looking for a short hike, take the Two Harbors Trail north from Pebble Beach. Switch to the paved Gitchi Gami Trail for the easiest way up to the lighthouse, and take the stairs closer to the shoreline on the way back, or vice versa if you are “blessed” with knees (like me) that are happier going up than down.
The best long hike is the Split Rock River Loop - Also known as Split Rock Ridge. There are several small unnamed waterfalls along the Split Rock River, and the trail ends with beautiful overlooks of the area, including Lake Superior and the lighthouse.
The third hiking option is the Corundum Mine Trail. This is a long trail as well, that follows along the shoreline for a portion of the hike. There is a spur to Day Hill, which leads to one of the best viewpoints in the park. (Note that if you are looking for a trail where you can simply walk along the Lake Superior shoreline, go north to Cascade River State Park. This park has a 1.5 mile section on the shore that can be hiked.)
Below is the map I will use in the rest of this post. I use colors for the trails to help me explain where in the park to find different things, but once you are in the park, these colors will not have any meaning to you while you hike. There are also hyperlinks below in the captions - if you click on the trail name, it will bring you to pictures and a trail description. There will also be a link back to this map.
Pebble Beach (purple) - No formal trail, just walk from the parking lot down to Pebble Beach and enjoy skipping rocks in Lake Superior while gazing at the lighthouse. The walkable beach extends about 1/3 mile. A purple star marks the beach location.
Little Two Harbors Trail (green) - 2.5 mile trail goes past Pebble Beach and climbs multiple steps up the cliff to the lighthouse. Can be an out-and-back or a loop hike if combined with the Gitchi Gami paved trail.
Day Hill Trail (yellow) - This is a 2.0 mile out-and-back trail up to a lookout and view of Lake Superior. The trail climbs approximately 300ft.
Corundum Mine Trail (red) - This is a 4.5 mile loop trail that goes through the cart-in campground, past several mining remnants, and goes along one of the bays. Adding spurs to Corundum Point and Day Hill adds another mile.
Split Rock River Trail (blue) - This is a 5 mile loop trail following Split Rock River past several small waterfalls and then goes up into the hills for wide views of the surrounding area including Lake Superior and the Lighthouse.
Parking lots for hikers are designated by black stars.
Pebble Beach
Distance / Elevation - This is a flat walk to and along the beach (marked in purple on the map). Expect to walk about a half mile as you explore the beach area.
So many rocks at Pebble Beach
I do love hiking, but I can’t quite tell you how much fun it is to just sit on this beach with young kids and watch them play. For the record, teenagers still love this beach too. There’s something about throwing rocks in the water and watching the resulting splash.
Playing with my older son when he was still very little
Yes, we were the family that drove back and forth from the Twin Cities to enjoy an entire day throwing rocks in the water when my younger son had his second birthday.
What better way to spend a birthday?
Ellingsen Island sits just across from Pebble Beach. You can swim or kayak there, but keep in mind that Lake Superior is incredibly cold.
Ellingsen Island across from Pebble Beach
One more family picture from Pebble Beach
Past pebble beach, going north along the lakeshore towards the lighthouse, the stone beach turns to one big rock. There are holes in this rock that are often filled with water from big waves. This is a fun area to go slow in and explore.
Walking towards the lighthouse the shoreline changes
By the time you get to about where we are in this below picture, the shoreline ends, as the land drops into the lake with impressive cliffs.
End of the walkable shoreline at Split Rock Lighthouse
This picture shows a bit more of the shoreline at the end. This is where you need to head into the forest and follow the formal Two Harbors Trail if you want to get up to the Lighthouse.
Looking back at Ellingsen Island
Summer might seem like the most obvious choice to visit the North Shore, but each of the seasons is beautiful in its own way, including winter. If you head to Bentleyville in December (the largest Christmas light display in the state of MN), take some time to explore a park or two in the snow.
Exploring the shoreline in late December.
The ice shapes and colors are truly beautiful
Even the plants along the shoreline are “decorated” in winter
You won’t see the sun setting at Pebble Beach, but I have caught the sky in some amazing colors on my way back to Minneapolis in the evenings.
From a more recent trip in Dec 2023
A sunset in Nov 2020
Little Two Harbors Trail
Distance / Elevation Gain - The loop up to the lighthouse and back is about 2.5 miles with an elevation gain of 120ft. This is the green trail marked on the map.
You can’t get to the lighthouse by walking along the lakeshore. You can either head back towards the trail from the shoreline, or if your goal is just the lighthouse, park in the northern lot. There is a bathroom, and the trailhead is just past.
The trail next crosses over a creek. There are two bridges. This is the smaller pedestrian-only bridge. There is also a larger bridge, slightly upstream, that can be used for park service vehicles. You can walk over that bridge as well. The below picture is from the pedestrian-only bridge.
Hiking is an awesome family activity
Just past the bridge, the trail splits. If you go to the right (towards) Lake Superior, the trail goes to a pumphouse and up a lot of steps. If you to to the left, this is the Gitchi Gami Trail, a paved trail with a gradual incline. It may be easier for you personally to go up or down stairs, so choose your direction and make it a loop. My knees hurt going down, so I’ll put in the extra effort and pick the option to climb up the steps.
The trail splits. If you want to go up the stairs, head right towards the lake to the boathouse and pumphouse. This is the trail with the stairs. If you want to walk up the paved trail, head left on Gitchi Gami.
Pump house - built in the 1950s to store a gasoline-powered pump which brought water up to the lighthouse.
And here are the steps - Yes, there are a lot of them. Due to the slippery hazards which occur when combining steps and snow, these steps are closed in the winter months.
You can get right up next to the lighthouse, and with tickets you can even go inside it if you are there on a day when it’s open.
Split Rock Light House
Day Hill
Distance / Elevation Gain This is a 2.0 mile out-and-back trail from the parking lot near Pebble Beach up to a lookout and view of Lake Superior. The trail climbs approximately 300ft and is marked in yellow on the map. Day Hill can also be combined with the Corundum Mine Trail, adding a half-mile.
A nice bench to sit on along the path through the Split Rock Cart-In Campground
To get to Day Hill, start walking down the path that leads to the campsites. I’m not sure why, but GAIA was showing me there is a shortcut past campsite C9. I checked it out, and there is not a trail. The path ends in the middle of campsite C9. Keep walking down the main path; don’t go to C9.
Looking north at Ellingsen Island
There is a nice obvious sign where you will turn right to leave the campground. Follow the Day Hill Trail.
Day Hill Trailhead
This is going to be a quiet part of the park. There is a small creek that runs near part of the trail. You will also lose sight of Lake Superior as you walk upwards. This part of the trail is not too steep.
Small creek running next to Day Hill
The trail is going to split. Take a hard left and follow the clearly marked sign for Day Hill. If you end up on the paved Gitchi Gami trail, you somehow missed the sign. The trail keeps ascending to the top. This part gets a little bit steeper, but it’s a moderately easy trail. Just take your time.
Second turn to get up to Day Hill
At the top there is an out-of-place chimney. The story is that a man built this chimney to start his home for a bride he never married. This makes me think of male wrens. They will build more than one nest out of sticks and show each of them to their favored female wren. She can pick the nest she likes, or if she doesn’t like any of them, she may move on to a different male. I thought it looked like a great spot for a home, but this wasn’t a nest being presented to me…
Chimney at the top of Day Hill
This is a nice view of the park and Lake Superior. My favorite views though are from the Split Rock River Trail (keep reading below).
Split Rock Lighthouse from Day Hill
Looking south on Lake Superior. The Corundum Mine Trail is visible below.
The snow shows the Corundum Mine Trail as it goes around the pier.
A MN thing? Yes, that’s a tent at one of the backpacking sites in the middle of January. Granted the weekend highs were in the 30s, but still… That’s dedication if you really want to snag one of those campsites, January should be a pretty open month.
Corundum Mine Trail
Distance / Elevation Gain - The Corundum Mine Trail is a 4.5 mile loop hike with an elevation gain of 300ft. Adding the spur hike to Corundum Point adds a half mile and 50ft up. Adding the spur hike to Day Hill adds another half mile and 80ft in elevation. This is the red trail marked on the map.
If you follow the suggested directions by the hiking club signs, you will head south along the lake shore first. I’m going to take you around the other direction though, to start where we left off at Day Hill, since the trails are shared.
Immediately after returning from Day Hill, you turn left onto the paved Gitchi Gami Trail. And I’ll be honest, this section of the trail is wide, flat, and incredibly boring. You do have another option, and that is to just hike up to Day Hill and back, and then move your car south to the Split Rock River Trailhead. Walk under MN-61 through the tunnel, and simply hike the loop that goes around the bay. The only downside is you will miss Bob’s stairs, which is just south of the campground, granted, you could do that as an out-and-back spur when you return from Day Hill.
Bridge over Split Rock River as you walk from the Split Rock River Trailhead to the Corundum Mine Trail.
This bay has a cool beach, but MN-61 is just on the other side, so you’ll here a ton of traffic. Agate Beach (in Gooseberry), Iona’s each (between Gooseberry and Split Rock) Pebble Beach (here at Split Rock), and Black Beach (just south of Tettegouche) are better beaches.
Beach at the outlet of Split Rock River
This part of the Corundum Mine Trail I really like. It stays relatively close to the water, and it’s an easy and accessible trail.
Looking back at the bridge, and you can see the pedestrian tunnel under MN-61 (to the left of the bridge)
More pictures of the bay as the trail winds around the pennisula
About here the trail gets far enough away from Lake Superior that the views of water are no longer very impressive. If you are looking for a spot that you can stretch out a walk for awhile directly on the water’s edge, check out Cascade River State Park.
Walking around the other side of the peninsula, the trail moves further from Lake Superior.
There’s another long stretch next that I would not call very exciting. It’s not flat though, and it is heavily forested and not as wide as the Gitchi Gami Trail, but there are so many cooler places to visit along Lake Superior.
Eventually you will see a spur trail to the historic Corundum Mine. If you’ve stayed on this trail up to this point, take the spur, at least part way, to the interpretive signs and the mining structures. There’s a humorous story that this area was historically mined for “corundum” - a hard rock that is used as grit in grinding wheels and sandpaper. But it was later determined to be anorthosite, a softer material, and the mine closed just seven years later… Oops. It’s funny to me that the trail still carries the name Corundum, even though that was never actually found here. There are a few structures remaining from the mine that you can see along the trail.
Remnants of Corundum Mine
If you keep going past the building and the signs, it kind of looks like there’s a trail, although it isn’t near as defined as the trail leading to the building. Keep going, it is a real trail that leads up to a viewpoint.
If you are short on time and can only pick Corundum Point or Day Hill, pick Day Hill as the view from Corundum Point is starting to be covered up by trees. But if you have the time, hike all the way up to Corundum Point. Lake Superior is inspiring at all views, even if there are a few trees in the way.
View looking south from Corundum Point
View from Corundum Point looking north isn’t as impressive
Eventually the trail returns back to the water’s edge. (I should have stopped to take a few more pictures, but I was running against the sun setting, and I’d already slipped and fallen three times on the ice - Iforget both the YakTrax and poles on this particular day - and I didn’t think a headlamp would help my ability to walk on the ice.) I did like this part of the trail, and wished I had more time to explore a spur option out to Lake Superior.
The last interesting part of this trail before returning to the cart-in campground path is Bob’s Stairs, a truly awesome engineered set of staircases. Wish I knew a little more about who Bob was though…
Bob’s Stairs along the Corundum Mine Trail
Split Rock River Trail
Distance / Elevation Gain - This loop hike is 5 miles with an elevation gain of 425ft. This is the blue trail marked on the map.
I think the Split Rock River Trail is the best hike in Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. The views constantly change. The trail follows the Split Rock River for about 2/3 of the hike. The river flows through a canyon, past the namesake “split rock”, and there are several small waterfalls. Then the trail goes up into bluffs for beautiful overlooks of the park, Lake Superior, and the lighthouse.
As I mentioned above, this trail starts at a small unmarked parking lot about 2.5 miles before the formal Split Rock Lighthouse Park entrance.
Trailhead is marked with an extremely large cairn.
Start of the Split Rock River Loop Trail
One of several waterfalls - we were here in November of a colder winter.
There are several beautiful bridges and boardwalks along the trail
This was one of the bigger waterfalls along the river
The river flows through a beautiful canyon with red and black rocks
If you’ve ever wondered where the name “Split Rock” comes from, this is the “Split Rock” the park is named after.
The Split Rock River is simply stunning with its winter ice
More small waterfalls along the river
The trail crosses the river and you see it from the other side as well
Another one of the larger waterfalls
This was a harder waterfall to get a good picture of from the angle the trail passes by
Eventually, the trail falls away from the river and ascends up into the hills. You can see we were hiking as the sun was setting, and it was a gorgeous time to be up here.
Watching the sun set over the park
There is a pedestrian tunnel that goes under MN-61. Use this instead of crossing over the highway.
Other Outdoor Things to Do within an Hour Drive
Below are hyperlinks to other posts I’ve written about things to do that are located within an hour’s drive from Jay Cooke State Park.
Iona’s Beach
(south) This is a free beach on the Lake Superior shoreline, full of beautiful pink rocks.
Gooseberry Falls State Park
(south) Hike to three amazing waterfalls in 1.3 miles. Additional hikes included within the link.
Two Harbors, MN
(south) Not a hiking recommendation, but Betty’s Pies really is a fantastic place to stop for pie!
Canal Park
(south) Watch ships come in and out of the Duluth harbor while enjoying the aerial lift bridge raise and lower. There is also a light house to wander to.
Park Point Beach
(south) This is the only sandy beach I am aware of along Minnesota’s Lake Superior Shoreline.
Black Beach
(north) This is a free beach on Lake Superior’s shoreline, lined with black rocks. There is an island that can be explored by foot. There are also tables right on the beach, making this my top recommendation for a picnic location.
Bear and Bean Lake Loop
(north) Part of both the Superior Hiking Trail and Tettegouche State Park, the Bear and Bean Lake Loop is one of the most popular trails along the North Shore. The views are amazing, and the trail is fun to hike. Be warned though this is a 7-mile loop trail with an elevation gain of 900ft.
Tettegouche State Park
(north) This is my favorite MN State Park. There are four waterfall hikes within the park, amazing views of Lake Superior along the cliffs above the water, secret beaches with sea caves, and more inland there are some incredible views from above of smaller lakes (especially gorgeous in the fall colors).
George Crosby Manitou State Park
(northwest) This is a rustic, quiet, and less travelled MN State Park with one of the more impressive waterfalls in Minnesota.
Caribou Falls State Wayside
(north) An easy hike to large but quiet waterfall.
Sugarloaf Cove
(north) A privately owned section of Lake Superior with an interesting bay protected by rock formations. This park has a small fee and includes its own visitor center.
Temperance River State Park
(north) This is the most unique State Park along MN-61 where seven waterfalls can be seen in a hike less than 2 miles. Several of these waterfalls occur in dramatic pothole formations. The official MN State Park map undersells this state park, as does the size of the parking lot off of MN-61.
Oberg Mountain
(north) This is overlook hike is part of the Superior Hiking Trail, and therefore parking is free. This is a busier trail, especially in the fall.
Lutsen Ski Resort
(north) Lutsen is the best ski resort in Minnesota. During the summer months, the gondola continues to run. There are hiking trails and a half-mile Alpine Slide.
Cascade River State Park
(north) This park has multiple waterfalls that cascade, making it difficult to provide an actual waterfall count. Similar to Temperance, most of the waterfalls are within a hike less than a mile long. This is also the only MN State Park with a true hike along the Lake Superior Shoreline.
Link to Full North Shore Guide from NatureImpactsUs.com
For more ideas of things to do up and down MN-61 along Lake Superior, visit my North Shore Guide.
More from www.NatureImpactsUs.com
If you are looking for more hiking suggestions, please check out my below map which has additional posts linked to each pin.