I love where I live. I love the huge steady cycle of contrasts that occur throughout a year on the North Shore. It leaves me breathless and energized. Winter's deep, dark onset presses us indoors before afternoon is complete, motivating us to light loads of candles and build comfort-giving fires each evening. But snow changes it all. We crawl out from our twelve-hour stints under blankets to play in the brilliant white snow. We build complex forts and sledding runs, ski, snowshoe, dig holes in the ice, then pull fish out of them. We can’t help but comment daily on...

People have been heading up the shore for more than twelve thousand years. When they began writing back home about it, more folks were enticed to come explore. One of the first to make mention of his travels was Etienne Brule, who is reputed to have noted and named Lake Superior during his travels in 1623. He chose the name because the translation of the Ojibwe name for the lake, Kitchigumi, means Great Water, and because the lake is the largest and highest of the five lakes tributary to the St. Lawrence River. Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, a French...

It was a dark and stormy night. Waves crashed. The wind howled. All over the Great Lakes, wooden schooners were colliding, breaking away, and sinking. Others were destroyed by fire. Actually, it wasn’t usually the dark, stormy night but an inexperienced crew that caused most of the shipping accidents in the late 1800s.

Shipping on Lake Superior began in the mid-1800s. The original brick lighthouse on Minnesota Point marking the Superior entry was built in 1858. In 1861 the first dredging of the Duluth harbor took place, and plans were under way for rail transportation to St. Paul. The original...

Duluth flaunts the best that it has through distinctive parks and attractions. With the harbor as its hub, the Port City evolved up the hill, along the lake, and down the river. Attractions focus on these natural highlights.

Winding its way along the ridgeline, Skyline Parkway showcases impressive views of waterfalls, forest preserves, the meandering stretch of the city, and, of course, Lake Superior. It is the greatness of this lake that draws hundreds of thousands of people each year to Duluth. Concentrated around the famed Duluth Ship Canal and Aerial Lift Bridge, Canal Park hosts an abundance of attractions....

Glacial grooves scratched into whalebacks, penetrating river gorges, stubborn basalt outcrops - this is the genius of the North Shore. The beauty of the land is striking. Our semirugged topography climbs to Minnesota’s highest peak, Eagle Mountain at 2,301 feet, and plunges to the cold depths 1,333 feet below Lake Superior. This work in progress began 4,500 million years ago during the early Precambrian age.

You don’t need a geology degree to appreciate the view. But as I learn about this land (with a little help from my husband, who does have a geology degree), it becomes vastly more intriguing....

Interspersed along the 26-mile stretch of Duluth are more than 129 parks, playgrounds, and public areas. Described here are the major city parks. More details on parks can be found in other relevant chapters. I first describe two central parks, Park Point and Enger Tower, then three west Duluth parks and five east Duluth parks. Additional information can be obtained from the City of Duluth, Department of Parks and Recreation, 12 East 4th Street, (218) 723-3337 or (218) 733-3612.

Cross the Aerial Lift Bridge to Duluth’s favorite summer getaway. At the end of the six-mile sandbar, you will find a...

The back of your neck may feel hot and gritty in the city, but here it’s sunny, 70°, and the fish are biting from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The hiking trails are being brushed and cleared. The outfitters are preparing the canoes. The shop owners are adding new inventory weekly. The restaurateurs are receiving fresh food daily. The bike shop is spinning tires. The kayak shop is floating boats. The crews are mowing the golf courses. The ships are sailing under the bridge. The road construction crews are blasting and hauling and grading and surfacing. Yep, it’s summer on...

Up north, we have winter like nobody else has winter. We warm up with a Halloween snow squall and conclude with an Easter ski date. We like winter. It is a season of stunning coastal ice formations, piercing blue skies on blinding sunlit days, shimmering star-strewn heavens on subzero nights, and piles and piles of downy white snow.

We have found every conceivable way to play in that snow. We pile it high and carve it. We glide over it, race down it, ride over it, make tracks through it, and roll around in it. Sometimes we even drill holes...

Choosing where to stay can be the most important part of your travels. Your lodging must have the desired amenities, fit within your budget, and be a place you want to go back to at the end of a great day or, more important, at the end of an awful day. Check out Web sites to get a better sense of the lodging establishment, or call and ask to have a brochure sent.

Whenever you are planning a stay in Duluth or on the North Shore, it is always best to make a reservation. Weekends from Memorial Day through fall...

Where should you eat? That all depends. What do you like to eat? Are you looking for good food, or good food and an experience? I’ve got suggestions for both. Let’s begin with my favorite dining stops in Duluth.

Menu selections feature delicious charcoal-broiled meats and seafoods, including their famous pepper cheeseburger. This place really hops, so be prepared to tip back a frothy, dark draft beer while you wait, or make a reservation, not accepted Friday or Saturday night. Their only downfall is they are wise enough to take a day off – Sundays.

Bennett’s produces distinctive handmade entrees using...