Extending northeast of Duluth along the north shore of Lake Superior toward the Canadian border there is a long distance hiking trail (the Superior Hiking Trail) and a paved bike path (the Gitchi-Gami State Trail), and we sampled both in one day. The five-mile loop hike up one bank of the Split Rock River and down the other bank on the SHT is one we highly recommend, with many views of waterfalls, cliffs, and cascades.
The Gitchi-Gami trail is close to the L. Superior shore, with some nice lake views, as it passes through Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. The bike path is moderately hilly and curvy in this section and mostly out of sight of the nearby highway.
A short hike up to the top of Day Hill provided an excellent panorama of Lake Superior’s north shore.
