Beautiful Camping at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

Camping at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is the best thing I have done in Minnesota. And I have done a lot of things I’ve loved in Minnesota.

In my very biased opinion, I think Minnesota is a hidden gem of the United States. I lived in the Twin Cities for 2+ years and fully enjoyed the bike/running trails, the Minnesota Nice, and the many state parks and lakes that this state has to offer.

If Minnesota is a hidden gem of the USA, the North Shore of Minnesota is a gem hidden even deeper. (Is that a thing?) The North Shore is the shoreline of Lake Superior. Minneapolis to Duluth is a 2 hour drive, and you can continue on up the coast to even prettier sights.

Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake in the world (by surface area), and it is stunning. It’s a beautiful blue, sparkles in the sun, and shows off with incredible sunrises. The tree-lined cliffs and bluffs that frame it just enhance the scenery.

I have been to the North Shore a handful of times, even running 26.2 miles of it during Grandma’s Marathon, but I have to say that camping at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is my new favorite thing to do up there.

About Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

This park’s website really doesn’t brag enough. It lists the things you can do – hike, take a tour of the lighthouse, camp, and picnic. If I’d made the website I would have typed things like THE VIEWS OF LAKE SUPERIOR ARE STUNNING, GET YOUR MIND BLOWN BY WATCHING A SUNRISE, HAVE A PICNIC NEXT TO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LAKE.

You get the idea. I love this park.

Typically, you can pay $12 and tour the lighthouse. We visited during coronavirus times, so this was closed. The lighthouse was built in 1910 after nearly 30 ships were wrecked on this shore in November 1905. It became a National Historic Site in 2011.

It is $7 to enter the park or you can buy a $35 yearly MN State Park Pass online or at the park. There is a visitors center and a decent amount of parking.

Camping at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

While having a picnic at this park is awesome, spending a night listening to the waves of Lake Superior is better. Our campsite was one of the best I’ve ever experienced anywhere.

This State Park has 20 cart-in sites (all less than 2,000 ft from the parking lot with carts provided), 2 wheelchair accessible sites, and 4 backpack sites (1/2 mile – 2 miles from the parking lot). It also has showers, bathrooms, and some vault toilets.

I love a campground that has backpacking sites. You feel more secluded, you get to use the backpack that you love/hate, and it just feels more like an adventure.

We passed a lot of the cart-in sites, though, and they were also very private. This is not a campground with sites right on top of each other. Many cart-in sites had excellent views of Lake Superior.

You will need to reserve your spot ahead of time, and campsites on the North Shore fill up fast. The reservation fee is $7 and the campsites are $24 per night. You’ll have better luck getting a campsite if you reserve early, you’re flexible with your dates, and can go during the week.

For a backpacking packing list, head here.

Our Backpacking Site

We booked backpacking site #1 for a Thursday night in June, and it ended up being such an incredible campsite. We hiked 0.7 miles with our packs and came to a secluded, flat campsite with a half-picnic table, fire pit, and pit toilet.

The best part was that it was 12 steps from a rocky bluff where we could sit in awe of Lake Superior. We had the entire area to ourselves. A 2 minute walk from our campsite also brought us to a little beach area. The sunrise was lovely.

If you rate your campsites higher when they include phenomenal views, then this one should get a 10/10.

Hiking and Views at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

I highly recommend stopping at Pebble Beach to view Ellingson Island. There’s a parking lot right there, so it’s a very short walk.

Trail Options:

Split Rock Loop River Trail – 4.5 mile loop that passes waterfalls and takes you along the Superior Hiking Trail.

Day Hill Trail – 1.5 mile loop that starts at the campground and provides a great view from the top of the hill.

Little Two Harbors Trail along Lake Superior – 0.75 miles one-way along the shore of Lake Superior.

Gitchi-Gami State Trail – a bike trail 8 miles to Gooseberry Falls State Park or 7 miles to the town of Beaver Bay.

Getting to camping at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

Everyone uses GPS now, so I’m not going to list what highways to take (I’m actually horrible at driving directions, so you should never listen to me on that). But anyways – it’s best if you fly into Minneapolis/St Paul MSP airport and drive up to the North Shore. It is a 3 hour drive to Split Rock Lighthouse State Park.

Once you arrive at the park, veer right and follow the signs to campground. The road in the park literally ends at the campground, so you can’t miss it. Park in that lot, use the nice bathroom right there, and hike or cart in to your campsite. Couldn’t be easier!

Food and Beer

I recommend stopping at Bent Paddle Brewing in Duluth. Their beer is fantastic, the brewery is cozy, they always have creative new beers, and when I visited during coronavirus times they were doing Buy One Get One crowlers for healthcare professionals. I got a lot of beer for really cheap, and I love supporting businesses that support good things!

Betty’s Pies is famous and is worth the stop. It’s in Two Harbors, closer to the park. They have an absurd amount of different pies, and they are delicious. My husband and I recommend the blueberry pie and peanut butter pie. Not sure there are any bad choices, though.

If you’re hungry after a night of camping, Rustin Inn Cafe is less than 10 minutes away and has awesome sandwiches on homemade bread. They have the best turkey reuben I have ever eaten.

I hope you enjoy this deeply hidden gem of the Midwest. Enjoy the calming view of Lake Superior while camping at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park.