Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

How to Get There

From Duluth, MN (47 mi): Take MN-61 E (North Shore Scenic Drive) northeast from Duluth approximately 47 miles, then turn right onto Split Rock Lighthouse Road to the state park and lighthouse entrance.

Overview

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is a state park of Minnesota on the North Shore of Lake Superior. It is best known for the picturesque Split Rock Lighthouse, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the United States. Built by the United States Lighthouse Service in 1910, the lighthouse and some adjacent buildings have been restored and the Minnesota Historical Society operates them as a museum. The 2,200-acre (890 ha) state park offers cart-in campground and scenic trails for hiking, cross-country skiing, and bicycling.

Things to Do

Visit One of America's Most Iconic Lighthouses

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is one of Minnesota's most celebrated landmarks and a centerpiece of the Lake Superior North Shore. The park is home to the historic Split Rock Lighthouse, perched dramatically atop a 130-foot cliff overlooking Lake Superior. Built in 1910 following a series of devastating shipwrecks, the lighthouse has become one of the most photographed and recognizable structures in the Midwest.

Tour the Historic Split Rock Lighthouse

Visitors can explore the restored lighthouse, keeper's house, fog signal building, and interpretive exhibits that tell the story of Great Lakes maritime history. Guided tours provide insight into lighthouse operations, shipwrecks, and the lives of the lighthouse keepers who served along this rugged coastline.

Enjoy Spectacular Lake Superior Views

The park offers breathtaking overlooks of Lake Superior, rocky shorelines, sea cliffs, and forested bluffs. Sunrise and sunset are especially popular times to visit, as the lighthouse and surrounding landscape create unforgettable photographic opportunities.

Explore Lake Superior's Shoreline

Visitors can hike to secluded coves, pebble beaches, and rocky shoreline areas where they can observe waves, search for agates, watch passing freighters, and experience the immense beauty of the largest Great Lake.

Experience Outdoor Recreation Year-Round

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is a popular destination for hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, wildlife viewing, and photography. The park's location along the North Shore makes it a favorite stop for travelers exploring northeastern Minnesota.

Top Trails

Day Hill Trail

Length: Approximately 3 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: Moderate
Difficulty: Moderate

This scenic trail climbs through forests and ridges before reaching overlooks that provide sweeping views of Lake Superior and the surrounding North Shore landscape. It is one of the park's most popular hiking routes.

Split Rock River Loop Trail

Length: Approximately 5 miles loop
Elevation Gain: Moderate
Difficulty: Moderate

The trail follows portions of the Split Rock River through forests, river valleys, and rocky terrain. Hikers enjoy waterfalls, river views, and access to some of the park's quieter natural areas.

Superior Hiking Trail

Length: Variable distances available
Elevation Gain: Moderate to Strenuous
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous

A segment of the renowned Superior Hiking Trail passes through the park and offers access to scenic overlooks, forested ridges, and dramatic views of Lake Superior. It is a favorite route for both day hikers and backpackers.

Shoreline Trail

Length: Approximately 2 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: Minimal to Moderate
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

This trail leads to the Lake Superior shoreline, where visitors can enjoy rocky beaches, wave action, panoramic lake views, and excellent opportunities for photography and wildlife observation.

Sources: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources official Split Rock Lighthouse State Park information, including details on hiking trails, camping, Lake Superior access, visitor facilities, and recreational opportunities. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00269
Additional information verified through Split Rock Lighthouse Historic Site resources and Minnesota DNR visitor information covering the lighthouse, maritime history, Day Hill Trail, Superior Hiking Trail access, shoreline recreation, and North Shore attractions. https://splitrocklighthouse.org

Geography

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park encompasses about four miles (6.4 km) of rocky shoreline on Lake Superior with several prominent headlands. Named features of the shore, from southwest to northeast, are the mouth of the Split Rock River, Split Rock Point, Crazy Bay, Corundum Point, the mouth of Split Rock Creek, Day Hill, Little Two Harbors, Stony Point (site of the lighthouse), and Gold Rock Point. The name Little Two Harbors comes from the division of the inlet by a small island, formerly a tombolo, and refers to the city of Two Harbors farther down the shore. There are two shallow sea caves at the base of Stony Point.

Mammals found in the park include white-tailed deer, moose, black bears, raccoons, snowshoe hares, red foxes, bobcats, and Canadian lynxes. A colony of beavers lives on the Split Rock River. Birds include herring gulls, common loons, and a variety of songbirds. Peregrine falcons nest on the lakeside cliffs.

The park contains 14.5 miles (23.3 km) of trails for hiking, bicycling, and cross-country skiing. There are several overlooks providing views of the lighthouse and Lake Superior. A paved section of the Gitchi-Gami State Trail runs through the park near the shore, while the Superior Hiking Trail runs inland and skirts both the Split Rock River and Split Rock Creek.

Water recreation includes boating, sea kayaking, and fishing for lake trout, salmon, and brown trout. The park also provides scuba diving access to the Madeira wreck, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Divers can also see parts of the Madeira in Little Two Harbors, where they were dumped in 1974 after an aborted salvage operation.

Split Rock Lighthouse

Split Rock Lighthouse is a lighthouse located southwest of Silver Bay, Minnesota, on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The structure was designed by lighthouse engineer Ralph Russell Tinkham and was completed in 1910 by the United States Lighthouse Service. It is considered one of the most picturesque lighthouses in the United States.

History

Split Rock Lighthouse was built in response to the great loss of ships during the famous Mataafa Storm of 1905, during which 29 ships were lost or damaged on Lake Superior. One of these shipwrecks, the Madeira, is located just north of the lighthouse.

The lighthouse stands on a 133-foot (41 m) sheer cliff eroded by wave action from a diabase sill containing inclusions of anorthosite. The octagonal building is a steel-framed brick structure with concrete trim on a concrete foundation set into the rock of the cliff. It is topped with a large, steel lantern which features a third order, bi-valve type Fresnel lens manufactured by Barbier, Bernard and Turenne Company in Paris, France.

The light was retired in 1969 by the U. S. Coast Guard. The lighthouse is now part of the Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and is operated by the Minnesota Historical Society. The site includes the original tower and lens, the fog signal building, the oil house, and the three keepers' houses. It is restored to appear as it did in the late 1920s. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. On June 30, 2011, the lighthouse was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Split Rock Lighthouse State Park", and "Split Rock Lighthouse", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0