North Shore Scenic Drive

Minnesota

All-American Road

Map

Byway Details

Designation
All-American Road
Length
148 mi in Minnesota

About North Shore Scenic Drive

North Shore Scenic Drive is a 147.8-mile All-American Road in Minnesota, carrying additional designations as a Minnesota State Scenic Byway and a National Forest Scenic Byway. Part of the route passes through national forest land, and it links a string of towns along the way: Knife River, Two Harbors, Beaver Bay, Silver Bay and Grand Marais. Summer is the most comfortable time to drive it, with July and August typically reaching highs around 75°F and lows near 60°F, based on long-term averages from a nearby weather station in Duluth. Winters are cold by comparison, with typical January highs of about 21°F. The drive makes an easy base for other outings. Gooseberry Falls State Park Campground sits within a fraction of a mile of the road, as do the Gitchi-Gami State Trail and Cascade River, while climbers can head to Silver Creek Tunnel Rock just off the route.

Scenic byway data: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration

Facts about this place

When to go

Best time to go: Jun–Sep. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 66–75°F and lows of 49–60°F.

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Duluth Harbor Stn, MN weather station, 0.8 mi away. High / low in °F.

  1. Jan21° high4° low
  2. Feb26° high8° low
  3. Mar35° high19° low
  4. Apr45° high31° low
  5. May56° high41° low
  6. Jun66° high49° low
  7. Jul75° high58° low
  8. Aug74° high60° low
  9. Sep66° high51° low
  10. Oct52° high39° low
  11. Nov39° high26° low
  12. Dec27° high13° low

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Towns along the route
Knife River · Two Harbors · Beaver Bay · Silver Bay · Grand Marais

Source: USGS GNIS populated places

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 2 miles of the route, PostGIS distance)

    North Shore Scenic Drive — Scenic drive in Minnesota | Roamze