Area Lighthouses

The Great Lakes support a very high volume of shipping traffic. Because of this, several lighthouses have been built around the lakes to help prevent ships from becoming shipwrecked. We saw lighthouses at three different locations along Lake Superior. There are 3 lighthouses at Canal Park - two pretty cool ones, then a little one by the bridge. We also saw very cool lighthouses at Two Harbors and Split Rock.

Canal Park/Duluth Harbor

The lighthouses at the entrance to Duluth Harbor were the first ones we saw.  There is one at the end of each pier from Aerial Lift Bridge and one by the bridge. The north breakwater light is the taller of the two and was constructed in 1910.  There are two lighthouses on the south breakwater.  Both were first lit in 1901.  The outer light contains the foghorns.  The inner light sits at the base of the Aerial Lift Bridge.  Pictures: Right: North Breakwater  Bottom-left: South Breakwater Outer Bottom-right: South Breakwater Inner

For more information, visit:

• National Park Service: North Breakwater Light 
• National Park Service: South Breakwater Lights 
• Midwest Connection: Duluth Lighthouses 

Two Harbors

Two Harbors, located approximately 20 miles north of Duluth, is an active port with regular ship traffic. The lighthouse has been turned into a bed and breakfast. There is a gift shop on the premises and the pilothouse from a ship that had sailed the Great Lakes. If you go during business hours, you can go to the top of the lighthouse and go into the pilothouse for only $2. There is a pier that extends out into the harbor here that has the operational lighthouse on it. The pier is free to walk out onto and can be done any time of day.

For more information, visit: Two Harbors Chamber of Commerce  Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast  National Park Service: Two Harbors  Midwest Connection: Two Harbors

Split Rock

The lighthouse at Split Rock was constructed in the early 1900s after a shipwreck in the area. The lighthouse is now part of a state park that is 35 miles north of Duluth. You can see the lighthouse from a couple of miles away from an observation point along the road. If you go to the State Park, you have to pay $6.50 per person go up to the lighthouse and around the grounds. You can have a guided tour or take self-guided tour for the same price. In addition to going up the lighthouse, you can tour one of the light keeper's residences, as it would have been in the 1920s. You can also walk down were the old tram system had been built to carry supplies from the lake to the top of the hill. From here, you get some of the best views of the lighthouse sitting on the cliff.

There are many other activities available at the State Park. There are many trails for hiking and cross country skiing and campgrounds including showers and electric hookups. 

For more information, visit:

• Minnesota State Historical Society 
• Minnesota DNR 
• National Park Service: Split Rock 
• Midwest Connection: Split Rock 

Thoughts/Recommendations

• The lighthouses were among our favorite activities on the trip. We went to Two Harbors and Split Rock in the same day driving up the North Shore scenic route on the way up. It was a beautiful drive. We also stopped at Gooseberry Falls State Park on this day. This is a great day to have a picnic lunch!
• All of the lighthouses are easy to get to. For pretty minimal fees, you can go up the Two Harbors and Split Rock lighthouses. They are not handicap accessible to get to the top. You have to climb some steps to get to the top. Neither have a lot of steps though.
• Split Rock is very popular and can be very busy on the weekends. The day we were there, they were expecting around 2000 people.