The views of the North Shore are what brings in the people
to the state parks off the famous North 61 Highway and I doubt many people
regret all these roadside adventures – I wasn’t. Plus, Split Rock has a
lighthouse and a lot of stories to tell including sunken ships, mysterious
fireplaces, and mine pits.
Obviously, the main point of interest this state park has is
in its name – Split Rock Lighthouse, the beacon of hope and safely after many
ships struck the cliff’s high rocky shoreline Lake Superior has continuously worn
away with each passing year. Though the building has retired, its fame has not
as the historical society up-keeps the photogenic lighthouse and surrounding
buildings and landscape with tours and souvenirs. My particular favorite aspect
about this portion of my hike is still being able to see the hiding rocks under
the surface of the biggest freshwater in the world from the top of the
lighthouse. The $10 admission to explore the acres around the lighthouse was
worth it, but not my favorite part of the park itself.
Of course, the most enjoyable aspect were the hiking trails
themselves, which sadly had very few individuals on it besides my boyfriend and
I; a surprising feature since it was Labor Day weekend. The ruggedly, tree root tripping trails we traveled down led
us to not only magnificent scenic overviews but some more history too. For
example, one trail led to old mining pits, where cement structures and rusty,
scrap metals displayed themselves as we reached the top of a hill overlooking
the lake. It’s crazy to still see the parts and visualize the intense labor
that went about in this project, which we learned turned out to be a bust.
However, the view was not. As the thick tree canopy lessened, the higher we trekked,
the “coastal” breeze took over.
With the shining sun, Lake Superior glistened in all its
majesty, allowing us to see miles down the shoreline. The rocky top also
provided good seats, inviting us to wait a gazing moment – so we did, taking in
all the elements.
The second scenic overlook was probably my favorite, and a
closer hike. Up on the Day Hill Trail, we experienced similar trails as the
previous hike, grappling tree roots, hopping from rock to rock, climbing wooden
stairs; but, it also contained a brick fireplace and a distant view of the
lighthouse. As it turns out, a businessman built the fireplace as the marker of a
dream home. The weird part, it was entirely on gigantic rocks! Its honestly too
bad the house was not completed, I would have like to know what the final outcome
was intended to be. I can’t complain about the overlook either. The views
reached up both the left and right shorelines, extending for miles. Lake
Superior, with gulls and geese flying overhead, mirrored an ocean. And, the
distant lighthouse reminded us just how high we’ve climbed.
God transfixed us both on this hike, I believe. The crying
out to just sit and observe was overwhelming. Often, we would sit in silence
near one another, totally mesmerized by God’s creation, and the wonder of how
the landscape appeared while the crazy businessman was building his fireplace
on a pile of rocks. But then again, maybe he was smarter than us all, trying to
build a house upon a rock 😉.
Overall, I highly recommend hiking along/on Lake Superior.
Also, if you go to Split Rock, bring kayaks or canoes. There are opportunities
to kayak right over sunken ships since the water is so amazingly clear!
