Your easiest solution is o take a hike on the Duluth’s Lakewalk. There are 2.5 miles of paved trail right on the shoreline. This makes it one of the easiest trails to reach and guaranteed smooth hiking. Be sure to allow time to explore off trail the boulders or streams as they open up to Lake Superior.

There are so many options for where to start your Lakewalk hike. Park in Canal Park and take in the Lift Bridge sights, this is a very popular option.

Another quieter option is the newly added Lakewalk section called the The Ledges. This gravel walkway was added summer of 2010 near Lakeside. The easiest way to access, this section of the trail is to park in the lot below Perkins, on London Road. Cross I-35 on the pedestrian bridge. The new trail starts right at the base of the pedestrian bridge. To get to The Ledges, watch for informal trails breaking off toward the lake.

This park is situated on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The Split Rock Lighthouse celebrated its 100th birthday in 2010. Of Minnesota’s 73 state parks and recreation acres, Split Rock Lighthouse State Park was the sixth most visited in 2010. Perhaps best known for its historic lighthouse, this park offers numerous recreational opportunities.

The grounds are very clean and well kept. The main entrance area has a nice little gift shop area, a small theatre displaying a movie that tells the lighthouses history and many other informative displays and information. The lighthouse itself is an absolute marvel. It is easy to imagine what it was like in its day.

Take the tour of the lighthouse and buildings surrounding it. The guide and reenactors are very informative. Guides are in early 1900s clothing. The innkeeper’s house is just as interesting and you can feel how much has happened within its walls.

Scenic trails along the lake link up to the spectacular Superior Hiking Trail. If you have the opportunity to follow the trail down to the water do it. But be aware, lots of stairs on the paths to the lake. At the bottom of the 170 wooden steps, offers great photo opportunities. From the shore, you see the lighthouse from another angle.

Come for a day of hiking. The trails are very well maintained and scenic. The 2,000-acre park contains 12 miles of hiking trails, both along the rocky shoreline and through the numerous rolling hills. They are a real mixture of easy to moderate difficulty. About 500 yards of a trail near the lakefront is handicapped accessible. There is an asphalt bike path, extending the full length of the park. It is not as scenic as the lakeshore trails, but it is nice. Much of it seems to be on old Highway 61 roadbed.

One nice spot for hiking is Little Two Harbors, a short walk from the trail center, and just south of the lighthouse. This little bay is one of the more picturesque spots. Lined by a beach of basalt pebbles and rock outcrops, it is fronted by a rocky, wooded island, and if you walk out to the edge of the bay, you get a great view of the lighthouse perched atop its massive cliff. The bay is backed by a nice stand of tall birches.

I would especially recommend taking the Day Hill Trail. It leads to the highest point in the park, and the view is awesome. The top of Day Hill contains a stone fireplace, supposedly built by a wealthy Duluth man about a century ago as the beginning of a house for his fiancée. The view from the hill encompasses many miles of coastline, including the lighthouse. One can continue onto Corundum Point, see the remains of a small old mine, and explore that rocky point and its overlooks over the sea. The trail continues to more beautiful coastline at Crazy Bay and to Split Rock Point, where you get a cool view of Corundum Point to the north and miles of coastline to the south. This part of the trail is not quite as scenic, as it spends time away from the coast. Check out the scenic backpack sites, so long as they are not occupied.

Split Rock State Park is truly a beautiful piece of history and a great way to explore the beautiful Lake Superior.

Photo Opportunities:
Find great places to take photos of the lighthouse. (Minnesota Historical Society)

Birders:
Bird Checklist at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park.

Admission
$8 adults, $6 seniors and college students, $5 children ages 6-17;
free for children age 5 and under and MHS members.

Hours (tours of the lighthouse do not go year-round; they start on May 15.)

Summer Hours: May 14 through Oct. 19, 2011: daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Visitor Center until 6:30 p.m.
Winter Hours: Oct. 24 through Dec. 31, 2011, daily 11 a.m-4 p.m.
(Visitor Center and grounds only; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day).
Jan. 2 through May 14, 2012, Thursday through Monday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (Visitor Center and Museum Store only). No admission fee is charged, but a State Park vehicle permit is required.

Contact
3755 Split Rock Lighthouse Road
Two Harbors, MN 55616
tel: 218-226-6377
email: SplitRockLthouse.StatePark@state.mn.us
http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/srl/index.htm
Located about 20 miles northeast of Two Harbors on MN Highway 61.

Great Lakes Aquarium is one of few aquariums in the United States that focuses on freshwater exhibits. The aquarium builds awareness for the precious resource of freshwater. A variety of exhibits house freshwater otters, ducks & fish like sturgeon, trout & herring. If you are going here to see coral reefs and such you will be disappointed, but if you are interested in the Great Lakes area in terms of fish and geography of the lakes then you will be quite pleased. There are many hands on exhibits at the Great Lakes Aquarium, making this great family fun. There are areas for the kids to play including “water tables” modeled after the lakes and lift bridges, along with other hands on exhibits that youngsters will enjoy. While offering plenty of learning opportunities for us older folks interested in expanding our minds. There are presentations every hour or so put on by the staff and/or volunteers that are quite entertaining.

After visiting the Aquarium there are plenty of other fun activities close by.

Across the parking lot is the new Bayfront playground, built-in 2010.

You can also walk the paved paths along the lake.

If you are looking to stay inside with the kids, The Depot is just on the other side of 35W. The Depot houses the Duluth Children’s Museum, Lake Superior Museum of Transportation (including old locomotives), Duluth Art Institute and St. Louis Country Historical Society, 218-727-8025.

Great Lakes Aquarium

353 Harbor Drive Duluth, MN 55802 (Map)

From I-35, take exit 256B – located on the waterfront
Phone: 218-740-FISH (3474)

Allow 1-hour minimum. Open 10am to 6pm daily throughout the year. Admission $14.50; over 62, $11.50; ages 3-16, $8.50; ages 2 and under, FREE! Parking $4

You can park free in the lot, less than a block away, in front of the playground.

The Twin Ports Entertainment book offers the best deal, with 2-for-1 coupons for admission to the Great Lakes Aquarium, Glensheen and the Depot. List price is $35 when it comes out in fall, but the price drops as the year goes on. Walgreens usually sells it at the checkout counters.