North Shore drive with Minnesota car rental

Cure your cabin fever this winter by driving up the North Shore of Lake Superior with your discount Minnesota car rental from Auto Europe! The journey will begin by picking-up your rental car in Minneapolis and driving 2 hours and 16 minutes north to Duluth. This is where the five-hour USA car rental journey starts all the way to Grand Portage by the Canadian maritime border. In between are a variety of harbor villages and unincorporated townships with the immense Lake Superior on one side and dense forest on the other.

Before you plan your North Shore road trip with a short-term or long-term car lease from the Auto Europe booking engine, let’s learn more about this breathtaking part of the country!

What is the North Shore Scenic Drive?

Hop on Minnesota State Highway 61 for this 148-mile-long road trip along the icy blue Lake Superior. Specifically, the “All-American road” starts at a junction in Duluth where Interstate 35 meets 26th Avenue East. Stay on this road long enough and you will end up at the Canadian Border by Grand Portage where the Pigeon River Bridge connects to Ontario Highway 61!

Starting from the south and working our way north, below are some of the best towns and attractions to visit on your North Shore Scenic Drive. Whether you are driving an SUV rental or cruising in a luxury sports car, our platform has you covered!

Duluth

As far as elegant yet industrial cities go, there’s something really special about Duluth. The first thing you will probably notice while driving into town is the iconic Aerial Lift Bridge built for water traffic in 1905. At the same time there is the Glensheen Mansion that is 20 thousand square-feet of gorgeous sitting on 12-acres by Lake Superior, built in an opulent Jacobean architectural style with inspiration from the Beaux-Arts movement. More attractions include Jay Cooke State Park, the Great Lakes Aquarium, and the Old Depot with a train museum as well as a local arts group!

Silver Bay

Welcome to Silver Bay, Minnesota where snow sports and nature await newcomers! This little city of over 1,000 people will also bring travelers to the pristine Tettegouche State Park where the Baptism River winds through dense forests and feeds into Lake Superior. Others include Gooseberry Falls State Park with its waterfalls as well as Temperance State Park for some extreme wilderness. Don’t forget to bring your snowshoes if you’re coming up this way in the winter, especially if you plan on hiking around the nearby Finland State Forest and trails around Beaver Bay!

Grand Marais

There’s no shortage of charm in the fisherman town of Grand Marais among its thriving arts community and proximity to the Superior National Forest! You may want to park your Minnesota car rental for a while because Grand Marais is incredibly walkable, especially with its three-mile Gitchi Gami trail that circles the town with incredible views of the lake along the way. Local landmarks include Good Harbor Bay Seagull Rock, Thomsonite Beach, Cut Face Creek Wayside, among others. Local festivals include the Fisherman's Picnic, Moose Madness, Grand Marais Arts Festival, and more!

Grand Portage

The final destination on your North Shore Scenic Drive is Grand Portage, home to just over 500 people but full of wonders. Right off the bat, this unorganized territory serves as living proof to the area’s former fur trading days, having its own National Monument to prove it. All the while, Grand Portage offers stunning scenery to visitors, such as the roaring waters at Pigeon Falls as well as Mount Josephine for some unforgettable views.