Two months ago, we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary in Northern Minnesota enjoying the North Shore of Lake Superior. I gave a brief rundown in this recap post, but I wanted to share some additional photos and favorites.

We spent lots of time dreaming of ideal locations for our anniversary celebration. We decided to return to Lake Superior and enjoy some quiet and peaceful time outside. Minnesota has so many amazing state parks and beautiful places to enjoy nature. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. We split up our trip with a few nights camping and a few nights staying in a hotel on the lake shore.

It was a perfect way to celebrate our time together. There were no TV’s or cell service for a huge chunk of the trip. There were thousands of steps taken through the woods and along lake shores. We had good beer, good food and good scenery.

We have a couple favorite hikes in the Boundary Waters. The look out below is called Honeymoon Bluff. My family has been going up there as long as I can remember, so it’s fun to have a familiar place.

I loved the sunrises from our deck at the hotel in Grand Marais while sipping on a hot coffee wrapped up in a blanket. Grand Marais is a perfect little town about 5 hours north of Minneapolis and just an hour south of the Canadian border. It was recently voted as one of CNN’s “Best Small Towns” and it’s easy to see why.

The sunsets over the harbor aren’t too bad either. During the Summer, you get a pretty good sunset over the harbor. There is a spot called Artist’s Point that is perfect to just sit and enjoy the gorgeous view.

We saw as many waterfalls as possible on the North Shore. There are a ton. Some favorites were at Grand Portage State Park, the Devil’s Kettle and the falls at Temperance River. You just really can’t go wrong with any of the parks along Highway 61.

We also finally saw Split Rock Lighthouse. We didn’t pay to get in and see it up close. But you can drive down to the campground and enjoy the rocky beach and get some amazing views of the historic lighthouse.

We had one long hike day on the Superior Hiking Trail near the Lutsen Ski Area. We put away a couple of sweaty miles and caught some of the first glimpses of fall color.

We got to enjoy all of our favorites up the North Shore and a couple of new ones. Here are my recommendations if you find yourself driving up there.

  • Naniboujou Lodge
  • Voyageur Brewery
  • Sven & Ole’s Pizza
  • World’s Best Donuts
  • Gunflint Tavern
  • North Shore Winery
  • Russ Kendell’s Smoke House
  • Fitger’s Tap House

Just looking at these pictures makes me want to plan a winter getaway back up there. We’ve spent so much time in the last year planning weekend trips and traveling for work that it’s nice to enjoy places that are a quick drive away in our own state. I would recommend this part of the country to anyone. The small towns and beautiful scenery is worth the trip to Minnesota.

Where is your favorite place close to where you live? Have you been to the Boundary Waters or the surrounding area?