It seems almost
impossible that some people reading this have never been to Minnesota’s “North
Shore,” and yet, sad experience tells me this is true. Living in the Twin
Cities and never visiting the North Shore is like living in Rapid City and
never seeing Mount Rushmore; or living in Baltimore and never going to DC; or
living in Denver and never spending any time in the mountains. People do it, I’m
sure, but why?
Minnesota’s North Shore is arguably the most spectacular stretch of natural beauty to be found for six hundred miles in any direction. Lake Superior in and of itself is one of the natural wonders of the world. It is the planet’s largest freshwater lake by surface area and the third-largest by volume. Almost ten percent of all of the static fresh water in the world lies up there, just beyond Duluth. It is also the cleanest of the Great Lakes, with an average visibility of twenty-seven feet, equal to or better than the Gulf of Mexico, and rivaling some of the top Caribbean destinations.
We know what you’re thinking. Of course it is colder than the Gulf of Mexico. It’s also closer, cleaner and more pristine. And while Lake Superior is not a premier swimming destination, it is an incredible location for all kinds of water sports, ranging from kayaking, pleasure cruising, sailing, deep-water game fishing, scuba diving and more. And it is not that you can’t swim in Superior. It’s just that the Scandinavian blood needs to flow thick and strong in you if you want to enjoy staying in the water without a wet suit for very long.
One of the more popular water sports consists of simply finding a beautiful spot on dry land and staring at the Lake. The sheer size of Superior makes Minnesota’s North Shore much more like an ocean coastline than a typical lake shore. Once you get north of Two Harbors and start to leave the narrow inland end of the lake behind, even on the clearest of days you will see only the blue horizon when you look out to sea.
On land, the rugged terrain is virtually unique in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The North shore boasts most of the only true mountains in Minnesota (to be a mountain, a rising point of land must be at least 1000 feet). Numerous streams and rivers flow from the hills and mountains down into the Lake. Running as they do over hard stone, most of these waters erupt frequently in spectacular cascades and waterfalls. Cliff-encircled bays, rocky beaches and stony islets are so frequent as to defy description.
The North shore runs roughly 160 miles from Duluth to the Canadian border. Recently a number of businesses in Lutsen and Tofte have begun to call the area from Tofte up to the Canadian Border, “America’s North Coast.” The point they are making, which is softly put, but well taken, is that if you confine your vi
sit to that small strip between Duluth and Two Harbors, you really have only seen about thirty miles of an area that stretches more than five times that length.
Highway 61 is the main artery of the Minnesota Coast, and along this road are eight State Parks and four State Waysides. In other words, on average, every thirteen miles you will encounter a beautiful park set aside for the enjoyment of the lake Superior Coastline. This does not include State and National Forests, of which there are several.
Running parallel to the coastline, back in the hills and mountains, is the Superior Hiking Trail. The SHT has been designated as one of the ten best hiking trails in the lower 48 states. It takes you through tall pines, past quiet inland lakes, and up to windswept rocks overlooking the endless blue carpet called Superior.
One of the great
things about the North Shore is that it really doesn’t matter what time of year
you go. In the fall, the colors are brilliant; in winter, the snow is deep and
powdery; in spring, the streams rush with life, and maybe even a few steelhead;
and in summer the cool lake takes the bite from the hot days, and the water is
so blue you think maybe you are looking down at the sky.
Lodging is not an issue on the North Shore. Although much of the coast is wild, pristine and undeveloped, you can find a place to stay almost any time of year. Four star hotels and resorts are dotted up and down the shore. Condos and town homes also have their place. Numerous resort cabins are available, as well as privately owned vacation homes managed by reputable companies. And there are a number of campgrounds in the state parks, state forests and national forests.
One of the great joys of the North Shore is discovery. Most of the towns are small and the chain stores and restaurants are not as ubiquitous as they are further south. So you can discover a new eclectic restaurant or coffee house, or discover a specialized art gallery or learning center like that of the North House Folk School. You might discover a spectacular view, or even that nirvana – a new fishing hole.
If you take only one vacation in Minnesota in your lifetime, it simply must be to the North Shore. On the other hand if you are a veteran of the Superior coast you already know all this. However, you might consider that now is a good time to invest some of your future into this beautiful and oft-forgotten north coast.
“This was a spectacular event,” says Johnson. “The idea is to introduce people to America’s North Coast, and make them aware of the unique opportunities there right now.”
The conference was
laid on by a group of North Coast businesses, led by developer/broker Mike
Larson. Apparently, although there are no free lunches, breakfasts and other
things can still be had. The participants stayed free for the weekend. Johnson reports he was in a cabin on
Lutsen Mountain, overlooking the lake. And he was given free breakfast each
day. Johnson mentions that the food was fabulous at Lutsen Resort and he
enjoyed watching the wind whip the lake up into a spectacular show of water
crashing into stone.
Let’s be honest – of course Mike Larson and his associates would like you to invest in the North Coast. The whole idea of the conference is to attract potential buyers. However, Johnson says that this was completely different from any sort of time-share presentation or other high-pressure sales event. “They left the doors open the entire time,” he says. “You could walk out of there whenever you wanted. There was no back room or upper floor or ‘let’s talk to my manager.’ It was just a very well done informational presentation. No one was putting pressure on you.”
Larson concurs. “This was about educating people on what the North Coast has to offer. We’re hearing about doom and gloom elsewhere in the country. But we want people to be able to come up here and actually see that on the North Coast, particularly with respect to real estate, things are good.”
The speakers were entertaining, factual and compelling. Johnson himself, as a real estate professional, was asked to speak. George and Patti Nelson, the founders of Lutsen resort were a part of the event, as was the current owner Scott Harrison. In addition to Mike Larson, Tom Dwyer, a local building contractor and Steve Surbaugh owner of Cascade Vacation Rentals, Mike Lavign, the President of Grand Marais State Bank also spoke. A smaller, local bank, Grand Marais State has avoided all the trouble that recently plagued the bigger players in the economy. In fact, they are still actively seeking to make real estate loans, and to do so at reasonable rates.
The real estate market on the North Coast has held its value, and will likely continue to do so, since only 8% of the land in all of Cook County is available for development. And as Neil Johnson points out, land/lot values nearly everywhere have performed better than the stock market over the past ten years. The fact is, the North Coast real estate market has simply not been affected much by the recently turmoil in the economy.
“It is a beautiful setting for some beautiful property, and for good, encouraging information,” says Johnson. “I highly recommend it to anyone seriously interested in the North Shore.” Larson has plans to repeat the event in the spring. Look for an announcement in March, right here with Lakeshore Dreams.com.
