Choices for Cruising the Minnesota Shore

by

Sightseeing from Tour Boats to Sailing Adventures

Visitors to Minnesota’s North Shore this summer have great options for getting out onto Lake Superior – one of the best ways to know the Big Lake.

You can choose sightseeing tours, dinner cruises or even a sailing adventure, a two-hour trip or a full-day getaway.

Here are some on-the-water options from Duluth to Grand Portage.

Vista Fleet

In Duluth, the Vista Fleet’s most popular cruises are the Duluth Waterfront Tour (1 hour, 15 minutes) and Grand Sightseeing Tour (1 hour, 45 minutes), starting in May and running to mid-October.

Many special events are planned this summer, such as the Fourth of July Fireworks Cruise, the Paint on the Lake, a monthly series that pairs with On the Rocks Art Studio, and the various fall color tours. For more family fun, there’s the Princess and Pirates Adventure Cruise, Saturday, June 24, at 9:55 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. on the Vista Star (for which tickets are limited). It’s for ages 3 and older, and youngsters must be with an adult. Dress-up is encouraged on this adventure with Tinkerbell and her Mighty Pirates, the Little Mermaid and Snow Queen. You can expect singing, dancing and crafts.

The boats: The Vista Star has a maximum guest capacity of 220. Its three decks include an open-air observation deck and two enclosed lower decks. The smaller Vista Queen is a more intimate vessel with a guest capacity of 50 standing and 36 seated guests. It has an open-air observation deck on top and one enclosed deck.

Time Out Sailing

Time Out Sailing operates from Lakehead Boat Basin on Park Point, just across the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth. It offers half-day, full-day and sunset captained cruises, as well as overnight getaways (one night to two weeks), on Time Out, a 36-foot masthead sloop. How about a romantic private charter? And if you book a private sail tour, you can bring your dog along, too.

The 1985 vessel, designed by naval architect William Shaw, originally sailed on Lake Michigan. Jake and Kelly Ziemski, owners of Time Out Sailing, acquired the sloop in 2013. The sailing season for Time Out runs Memorial Day through fall colors.

Amicus Adventure Sailing

In Knife River, Amicus Adventure Sailing offers day sails on Amicus II from July 10 to August 28, and September 17 to late October. Try the popular two-hour cruises for up to six guests. Private charters are available, too, for up to six people.

Owners Mark and Katya Gordon can do group excursions, romantic sails, family overnights and Isle Royale circumnavigation. There’s even a multiday trip to the Apostle Islands as an option for those who want to learn how to cruise. Amicus II, a custom-built 40-foot steel cutter is docked in the “West Lagoon” at the Knife River Marina, 7 miles south of Two Harbors on Scenic North Shore Drive.

North Shore Scenic Cruises

At Silver Bay Marina, North Shore Scenic Cruises runs 2½-hour daily tours mid-May through October, with the full-time schedule from June 15 to Labor Day.  Weather is always the deciding factor for running a cruise. It’s best to call ahead and ask the status of a cruise before driving to Silver Bay,

You should note that all trips are first-come, first-served, but the boat has never filled up. (Only cash or checks are accepted, to allow for quicker loading times.)

The vessel is a custom passenger boat that formerly transported people to Isle Royale National Park from 1963 to 2011. The Wenonah is 64 feet long and 20 feet wide, and is certified for up to 97 passengers. Cruises average about 45 passengers.

The most popular cruise is the one that passes Split Rock Lighthouse, rugged cliffs and stunning shoreline. “That’s the one we do most often, but that’s only because a lot of visitors come here (the North Shore) specifically to see the lighthouse,” says Jay Hanson, one of the owners of North Shore Scenic Cruises. The northern cruise  features the coastline landmarks Palisade Head and Shovel Point.

Private charters are also available.

New this year are trips to Manitou Falls, as an extended cruise lasting 3½ hours. “We’ll also be trying to do more free Saturday morning dockside presentations about shipwrecks and commercial fishing,” Jay says.

North House Folk School

In Grand Marais, North House Folk School offers two-hour day sails on the 50-foot gaff-rigged steel schooner Hjørdis from June into September. The daily trips (when captains are available) run every two hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a sunset sail. One-hour sails are offered only during special events, and the most popular are those offered during the Wooden Boat Show and Summer Solstice Festival in June.

Reservations for day sails are required, and spaces fill up quickly.

North House also offers day-long sail training courses.

Grand Portage-Isle Royale Transportation Line

From Grand Portage, Grand Portage-Isle Royale Transportation Line sails daily to Isle Royale National Park, where you get four hours for hiking, park programs or relaxing before the return trip. It’s a full day of sailing and sightseeing.

The day trip gets under way when the Sea Hunter III departs Grand Portage at 8:30 a.m. One of the first things that guests will see is the iconic Spirit Little Cedar Tree, thought to have watched the Lake for hundreds of years. From there, the boat provides views of the Susie Islands. Off Isle Royale, passengers get to see the America shipwreck, part of which is near the surface.

“We’ll drift over it. People can get a real good view of that,” says Don Szczech, owner of the transportation line.

It takes about 1½ hours to get to Windigo at Isle Royale. There, people are on their own for four hours. They can join the park staff for guided hikes or programs, or go hiking on their own. They can check out the park’s visitor center, have a picnic lunch and relax. The Sea Hunter leaves at 2 p.m. and there’s a visit to the Rock of Ages Lighthouse, with the boat coming within 40 feet of it. “People can see that up close. It’s a neat place to see,” Don says.

The boat returns to Grand Portage at 3:30 p.m., after a day trip that’s becoming more and more popular. The day trip covers 50 miles by water. With the speed of the boat, passengers are able to stay on the island for four hours, which Don says has “really increased the popularity of the day trip to Isle Royale.”

The Sea Hunter’s season is June 7 to Sept. 2.

The company’s other vessel, the Voyageur II, runs May 6 through Oct. 5 and provides two-day service around Isle Royale, delivering passengers at various points for camping and canoeing.

“Overall, we’re still carrying more campers than we are day trips,” Don says. “But it’s rapidly narrowing the gap.”

Whichever trip you plan to make, reservations are strongly suggested.