14 Unexpectedly Beautiful Places in Minnesota You Didn’t Know Existed
When I first took a road trip to Minnesota, it wasn’t for the scenery. I was specifically chasing a Fargo TV show detour and the bucket list-worthy ice caves you can walk out onto.
While I didn’t get to see the ice caves (as I learned they only form under very specific weather conditions), I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of Minnesota. I left knowing what getting hypothermia at -26°F really feels like, fat biking trails through snow-covered woods and seeing an incredible Christmas light display.
The land of 10,000 lakes may often get overlooked, but these most beautiful places in Minnesota prove just how much wonder hides between the lakes, forests, and frozen skies.
1. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Ely
This wilderness area is the place to drop off the grid with a paddle and a map. The Boundary Waters cover over a million acres of interconnected lakes and forests, making it one of the most untouched places in the lower 48.
Backpacker named it one of the best places in America for true solitude, including more than 1,100 lakes and hundreds of miles of canoe routes.
Due to its protected status, permits are required, and motorized access is limited or prohibited in many areas. Wildlife sightings are common, and the night skies are among the darkest in the United States.
2. Voyageurs National Park, International Falls
Not many national parks let you access entire regions only by boat, but Voyageurs is one of the most remote in the nation. Voyageurs is a water-based national park located near the Canadian border, encompassing 218,000 acres of lakes, rivers, and boreal forest.
The park preserves a landscape shaped by glacial activity and is known for occasional northern lights visibility.
3. Eagle Mountain, near Grand Marais
At 2,301 feet, Eagle Mountain might not wow folks from the Colorado mountains, but this is as high as it gets in Minnesota. You won’t need crampons, but you will get to say you summited the state’s tallest point.
The summit is accessible via a 7-mile round-trip hike through the Boundary Waters region and the Misquah Hills.
4. Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Two Harbors
Built after a series of brutal shipwrecks during a storm in 1905, Split Rock Lighthouse was constructed in 1910 on a cliff 130 feet above Lake Superior. Every November, they light the beacon in memory of the Edmund Fitzgerald’s crew.
The lighthouse is now a preserved structure open for public tours as part of the Minnesota Historical Society.
5. Palisade Head, near Silver Bay
Palisade Head is a dramatic rock formation of ancient volcanic basalt that rises 300 feet above Lake Superior. The headland was formed more than a billion years ago during the Midcontinent Rift.
It is located within Tettegouche State Park and is accessible by a short drive from Highway 61. On a clear day, you can see for miles over Lake Superior. On a foggy one, you’ll probably see not much.
6. Oberg Mountain, near Lutsen
Oberg is not the tallest hike around, but this loop hiking trail provides multiple overlooks of Lake Superior, Oberg Lake, Moose Mountain, and the striking vistas forest canopy.
The Oberg Mountain loop is about 2.25 miles long and relatively easy. It is part of the Superior Hiking Trail system and is especially popular during fall foliage season.
7. Grand Portage State Park, Grand Portage
Minnesota’s tallest waterfall is tucked away just shy of the Canadian border. High Falls drops 120 feet on the Pigeon River and has year-round views. The hiking trail to the falls is only a short 1 mile round trip.
This park is located on the ancestral land of the Grand Portage Ojibwe Tribe. In the late 17th century, the area was a major fur trading post where French voyageurs traded with Native Americans for valuable furs.
8. Hollow Rock Nature Preserve, Grand Portage
Hollow Rock is a striking natural sea arch just off the shoreline of Lake Superior in Grand Portage, Minnesota. This small, rocky island has a distinctive archway carved by centuries of waves.
To visit Hollow Rock, get off Minnesota Highway 61 and follow your GPS to Hollow Rock Resort. The rock formation is easily accessible from the resort’s shoreline, and visitors are welcome to enjoy the view even if they’re not staying there.
9. Gooseberry Falls State Park, Two Harbors
Gooseberry Falls State Park is a popular stop along the North Shore Scenic Drive. Its tiered waterfall system on the Gooseberry River is stacked from the upper, middle, and lower falls.
The Civilian Conservation Corps built most of the structures here back in the 1930s, and somehow they still hold up.
10. Black Sand Beach, Silver Bay
There aren’t many black sand beaches in the Midwest, which is why this one is worth noting. It’s tucked in between jagged cliffs and calm coves, and the sand gets its color from taconite tailings, a byproduct of iron mining, not an underground volcano.
Black Sand Beach is located within Silver Bay’s Black Beach Park and may be unofficially known as Onyx Beach.
11. Minnehaha Falls, Minneapolis
Minnehaha Falls sits smack in the middle of Minneapolis, and it drops 53 feet into a limestone gorge in Minnehaha Regional Park. Prince filmed scenes nearby, and Bob Dylan name-dropped the place in his memoir.
The park is part of the Minneapolis Parks system with trails and river access. The falls are fed by Minnehaha Creek, which flows from Lake Minnetonka to the Mississippi River.
12. Lake Pepin, Lake City
Minnesota has a lake with sailboats and bluffs that could pass for Northern California on the right day. Technically, it’s a wide spot in the Mississippi River, between Minnesota and Wisconsin, opening approximately 21 miles long and up to 2 miles wide.
Lake Pepin is also known as the birthplace of waterskiing, an activity first demonstrated here in the 1920s.
13. Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul
The Cathedral of St. Paul is as close to a European basilica as Minnesota gets. Completed in 1915, the cathedral’s architects modeled it after the Beaux-Arts style but built it to weather the harsh winters. The dome rises 175 feet, and the interior is filled with marble and mosaics.
It stands on Cathedral Hill and serves as the mother church for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It is open to the public and functions both as a house of worship and an architectural landmark.
14. Bentleyville Tour of Lights Christmas Display, Duluth
What started as one guy decorating his house became America’s largest free walk-through holiday light display. Over five million lights cover Duluth’s Bayfront Park every winter, making it the most impressive Christmas light display I’ve ever gone to.
Bentleyville runs from late November through December and includes complimentary hot beverages and visits with Santa Claus. It is considered one of the largest free holiday light events in the United States.
Catherine, a seasoned travel writer, has lived in 4 different states and explored 36 states and 28 national parks. After spending two years embracing van life, she's now dedicated to sharing her vast knowledge of day trips across America. Catherine's other works has been referenced in major publications like MSN, Self, and TripSavvy.
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