Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

     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!