By the end of July my husband and I, like most Minnesotans, were starting to tire of the heat and humidity. A trip to the rocky cliffs and crashing waves of Lake Superior's North Shore was calling and, even though we had not made reservations for a campsite on a busy summer weekend, we headed north with our camping gear in tow to see what we could find.
Minnesota's scenic North Shore is a siren song to harried urbanites all year round but particularly in late summer when the cool breezes off the great lake mix with balsam, pine and campfire smoke and the warm sun helps you forget how cold that lake really is. The hot ticket item is a tent campsite right along the lakeshore. None are more in demand than the 20 cart-in sites at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, where each secluded site has its own share of Lake Superior.
We set our sights on Split Rock on a Sunday morning. Why not go for the most popular tent campground in the state during the high summer season without having made a reservation? In for a penny, in for a pound; shoot the moon; bet the farm ... what did we have to lose? We were prepared for, and open to anything.
"You are in luck," assistant park manager Lisa Angelos told us at the park office. "Hard to believe, but two sites opened up this morning."
Split Rock's cart-in campground is a hybrid of car camping and backpacking. You roll your gear to an assigned site using a cart provided for that site. The sites are spaced farther apart than at other campgrounds, giving them more of a backcountry feeling without having to sacrifice access to your car or amenities such as hot showers and flush toilets. The restrooms and showers are located at the parking area and cart corral and are within one to four city blocks of the campsites.
Each campsite is equipped with a leveled tent pad, a picnic table, a fire ring with a grill and a bear box for storing provisions. Water is available at the parking area, and firewood and ice can be purchased at the office.
We set up camp at our site above the lake with a view of the historic lighthouse through the birch trees and spent two glorious days exploring the park and the lighthouse. We hiked the park's 14.5 miles of trails along the lakeshore and inland along the Split Rock River, stopping to cool off in its many waterfalls. That first evening we enjoyed a beautiful full orange moon over the glassy lake at our campfire.
The next day we toured the lighthouse and visitor center (1-218-226-6372; $8 adults, $5 ages 6-17; free for ages 5 and under and Minnesota Historical Society Members). We biked along the Gitchi-Gami State Trail, a hilly and strenuous but paved segment that runs the length of the park along Hwy. 61.
