Gunflint Scenic Byway, Minnesota

At a cobblestone beach along Lake Superior on Minnesota's Scenic North Shore, we talk with some other visitors about the Gunflint Scenic Byway.  They insist that we "need" to do this.            

We consider the weather (today is sunny and tomorrow the forecast is for rain).  We decide to do the road today thinking the visibility might be reduced under rainy and foggy conditions.  We drive the eight miles back to Grand Marais (Mile 110.5) where the Gunflint Scenic Byway begins.  The 57 mile long road (aka CR- 12) has a couple of scenic overlooks, lots of forests, lakes, and hiking trails.

Gunflint Scenic Byway

Near the beginning is the first scenic overlook offering a view of Grand Marais and Lake Superior. 

Grand Marais Overlook

Around mile 32 is the second overlook - Laurentian Divide. The sign here says, “Water at this point flows northward into Canada's Hudson Bay and eastward into the Saint Lawrence Watershed.” We take the short but steep dirt trail (includes 51 steps) down to the lakeshore. It is good exercise coming back up the trail to the car.

Birch Lake at Laurentian Divide

We keep waiting for this "must see" scenery but (in our opinion) we never see anything special.  The road ends at a lake in the Trail's End Campground. We begin our return drive back to Grand Marais.

On our return to Highway 61, we see a red fox - three different times - running down the side of the road. Two deer are near the junction of County Road 12 and Highway 61 but no other wildlife. 

Maybe we expected too much from what we heard, but (and I hate to say this) if your time is limited, I would skip driving the Gunflint Scenic Byway.  It takes us four hours to drive it, do some hiking, and watch for wildlife along this Scenic Byway … time we felt would have been better spent elsewhere on the North Shore. 

For information on the Gunflint Trail, click on the following link:

Gunflint Scenic Byway