Park Point (Minnesota Point)
Minnesota Ave, Duluth, Minnesota
Go beyond Duluth’s buzzing Canal Park, and you’ll soon find yourself at Park Point, a long spit of land jutting out into Lake Superior. While this green space is especially popular in the summer for nature walks, swimming, and simply lazing on the beach, other seasons offer a more serene (and equally beautiful) scene, plus you can admire the lighthouse ruins year-round.
Venturing to Park Point means checking off some of Duluth’s biggest icons. Start in Canal Park, where you can grab a bite or a drink at one of the city’s best breweries and restaurants. Then head over the landmark Aerial Lift Bridge and down the spit to Park Point. From there, the adventure is up to you. Go swimming, chill on the beach, hike the Park Point Trail (to those lighthouse ruins), watch for birds, play volleyball, and more.
Grills, picnic tables, a boat launch, and restrooms are all on-site.
If you’re planning to swim, know that water temperatures hover around 60-70ºF (15-21ºC) in summer.
Pack plenty of sunscreen and bug spray if you’re heading here during the warmer months.
If you’re driving, there’s ample free parking on-site near Park Point Beach and Beach House, plus limited parking at the trailhead for the Park Point Trail. To get there you’ll cross the Aerial Lift Bridge, which is itself an only-in-Duluth experience. Taxis and rideshares are additional options.
Park Point is most popular from May to September, when the water is warmer and the evenings are long. That said, this is a great spot for sunrise—venture here in any other season, when the days are shorter, and you’ll be able to get some more shut-eye before catching the view.
To find the ruins of Minnesota Point Lighthouse, take a hike along the 5.2-mile (8.3-kilometer) out-and-back Park Point Trail. You’ll get both forest views and beach access, with considerably smaller crowds than those that hover near the parking lot. Just be sure to stay on the trail, as the forest is known for a particularly troublesome plant: poison ivy.
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