Beaver Bay, Silver Bay: Travel, Hiking & Waterfalls along the Lake Superior Circle Tour

beaver bay minnesota
A resort hotel near Beaver Bay, Minnesota

The community of Beaver Bay was founded in 1856 with docking facilities for steamships that traveled on Lake Superior. In its early days, it was one of the more active harbors along the North Shore. Today recreational vessels dock about 2 miles northeast at the Marina in Little Beaver Bay. Perhaps its most famous resident was Ojibwe mail carrier and fur trader John Beargrease the man honored by the annual John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, the longest sled dog race in the lower 48 states.

Scenic Highway 61 Waterfalls & Hiking

Two Harbors - Beaver Bay Page
Beaver Bay - Silver Bay Page
Silver Bay - Lutsen Page
Lutsen - Grand Portage Page
Shovel Point-Palisades Head

Silver Bay, in the heart of the North Shore, came to life in the 1950s as a planned community, a company mining town built by the Reserve Mining Company, now doing business as the Northshore Mining Company. Travelers rushing by on Highway 61 can easily miss the town because it is built away from the lake shore. The taconite processing plant dominates the lakeshore but if you turn left at the stop light, you'll discover a fairly sizable town with shopping, lodging, and dining facilities. A trail head connects to a scenic portion of the popular Superior Hiking Trail. Day hikers can go north to Bean and Bear Lakes and Round Mountain. The Silver Bay Country Club offers an attractive, well-maintained 9 hole golf course open to the public.

~~~"Click" on smaller images for a larger picture~~~

Beaver Bay, Mn

< < < Beaver Bay has a quilt shop which makes it a frequent stop for us (Jo's passion) and a nice rock picking beach
(how I kill time while she shops).

Go here for a listing of more Quilt Shops around Lake Superior.

Beaver Falls
is only a short walk from "downtown" Beaver Bay. > > >

< < < The Memorial Day Weekend 2004 rainstorm turned Beaver Falls into a raging giant!

photo courtesy of
George Pope

Day Hike Trip Note: A nice 2 mile round trip day hike to the cascades (pictured at the right) above Beaver Falls can be had by taking Cty Rd. 4 north 1 mile to the Superior Hiking Trail Parking Lot.

Silver Bay, Mn

The scenic overlook above Silver Bay, Minnesota.

View of Palisade Head from the Silver Bay Lookout.
Palisades Head Scenic Lookout.

The Silver Bay Golf Course is attractive, well-maintained, and fun to play.

photo courtesy of
George Pope

A view from the Superior Hiking Trail over looking Silver Bay, Minnesota. The Penn Ave trail head in Silver Bay is one of the more popular access points to the SHT trail system. Silver Bay also offers shopping, lodging, a fine public golf course, and a modern Marina with over 100 boat slips.

Go here for more info about the Beaver Bay-Silver Bay tourism area

Black Beach Campground & RV Park
Silver Bay, Minnesota

Hiking the North Shore: 50 Fabulous Day Hikes in Minnesota's Spectacular Lake Superior Region

A Scenic Fall Color Hike

Andrew Slade, author of 50 Fabulous Day Hikes along Minnesota's Lake Superior Region, recommends the Twin Lakes Loop from Silver Bay for outstanding fall color and scenic views. The trailhead is near the Bay Area Historical Society Information Center in Silver Bay.

For scenic fall color hikes further up the North Shore, see our articles and pictures from our North Shore Fall Color Tour.

Tettegouche State Park

The western edge of Tettegouche State Park (more info here) borders Silver Bay but the entrance to the park is several miles down Highway 61. There is a nice visitor center there, hiking trails along the lakeshore with scenic lookouts, a full service campground, several interior hiking trails and some attractive waterfalls and cascades on the Baptism River.