Split Rock Lighthouse State Park-Two Harbors-Minnesota

We hiked Split Rock Lighthouse State Park on June 23rd, 2023.

Our hike began at the trail center. Immediately we had amazing views of the historic lighthouse and Lake Superior. The air by the lake was cool and a light fog danced on top of the water.

Many other visitors were enjoying the view with us. People were kayaking, kids were playing on the rocks, a bride and groom were getting their photos taken and others were just sitting taking in the impressive view.

As we began to hike away from the lighthouse, we had the trail to ourselves.

We made our way to Bob’s Stairs.

At the bottom, we found a small beach. Not much swimming happens in Lake Superior though, being the water temperature is usually below 55 degrees even on hot days.

Beautiful wildflowers lined the trail.

The trail led us across a bridge where a giant tree made itself a home.

The different overlooks of Lake Superior on the trail were breathtaking.

We diverted from the main trail we were on for a few minutes to take in the bay and cross under Highway 61. The second photo is the view from the other side of the highway. I was amazed how completely different the view was from what we have seen so far on the trail.

Back under Highway 61 and through the tunnel we went.

We hiked a small part of the Gitchi-Gami State Trail. The Gitchi-Gami State Trail is a wide paved trail that is over 34 miles long!

We reached the part of the trail where we exited the Gitchi-Gami State Trail and began the Day Hill Trail. There were two different trails at this point; one that went straight up the cliff and the other was a regular non paved trail. Up the cliff we went. And let me tell you, we were not disappointed in our decision. The view was AMAZING!

We found a stone fireplace at the top of the cliff. The sign nearby explained it was a mystery as to who built the fireplace. They think it was built in the early 1900’s. I included a photo of the sign as there is another explanation of the fireplace.

We followed the trail back down the cliff and began our hike back to our starting point. We took in a few more views of the lighthouse which was almost out of sight due to the fog.

Today’s hiking adventure was 6.6 miles.

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