Monday morning we packed up and drove to Split Rock State Park to see the lighthouse and neighboring Gooseberry Falls. From Bemidji it was a 3 and a half hour drive down US2 in cloudy misty weather which didn’t bode well for our visit to Lake Superior. However the skies cleared as we arrived and it turned out to be a wonderful 60 degree morning. Unfortunately the lighthouse was closed. So closed you can’t even get close to it for a picture. We did get some images from a distance. The one set of Peg and I from the overlook was taken by a nice lady from southern Illinois who was with a motorcycle tour.

The beach, picnic areas, and trails were open and in heavy use. Lots of families out with the kids enjoying siting on the beach watching the lake. As I remembered Lake Superior as very cold it did not disappoint yesterday. Brisk breeze blowing in off the lake with 1 to 2 foot waves that made for some chilly walking. Scout loved it. He rediscovered waves chasing them and biting at them before laying down in the water in complete bliss. A great time.

We moved on to Gooseberry Falls. This is a very popular spot with lots of people from all over the country stopping to walk the falls and enjoy the beauty of nature. The falls are actually three sets of falls starting just before the highway bridge and extending to Lake Superior. There are walking trails (with lots of stairs, lots of stair steps) that surround both sides of the falls and allow easy access to the water. Scout found the water fun and watching the people seemed to entertain him. This is a fun place with very nice facilities.

We ended our trip with a stop in downtown Duluth at the Duluth Trader store. Peg got her birthday present, a very nice jacket, and I picked up a couple of pairs of pants. There is a great deal of construction in downtown which made getting around challenging. We did drive on some of Bob Dylan Way and got a good whiff of weed from the car in front of us (lol it was some strong stuff).

Enjoy!

Sjh

Scout Lake Superior Split Rock Gooseberry Falls