The Circle Tour by Motorcycle: My Ride Around Lake Superior

Early in the summer of 2011, my brother, Larry, and I began to plan a weeklong motorcycle loop around Lake Superior.

I’d done at least a partial circle of Lake Superior a few times – always by myself, always in a hurry and always skipping most of Michigan’s shore by short-circuiting the return straight from Sault Ste. Marie back to my home near St. Paul. If I take the shortest, quickest path possible, the whole tour amounts to less than 1,300 miles and can be ridden in one hard long day or a slightly more relaxed day-and-a-half.

Larry, the smarter of us two, wasn’t interested in a marathon blast around the Lake, so I promised to behave myself and loaded up my 250cc dual-purpose bike for the trip. (For non-bikers, the “cc” refers to cubic centimeters, or the engine size. A 600cc engine is about mid-size.)

With Larry on my larger 650cc road bike, I figured that he could set the pace, and we’d behave more like tourists than long-distance competitors.

The difference between my riding approach and Larry’s illustrates something fundamentally true about motorcycles and Lake Superior. For a biker, the Lake Superior Circle Tour (or as we call it, the “Lake Superior Loop”) can represent almost any kind of trip you want it to be.

No sane driver in a car or SUV would consider a one-day road trip around the Big Lake to be a great ride. Stressful maybe, but great? Not likely. But for someone on a motorcycle – who can fully experience the terrain traveled and the weather encountered while on the bike – combining the joy of riding with the wonder of Lake Superior’s fantastic scenery is exhilarating – even done in just one hard-riding day.

It’s no surprise, then, that motorcycle touring around Lake Superior is growing in popularity – thanks in part to the number of regional people in tourism-related work who are themselves avid riders.

“The word is getting out among bikers that this is a good place to go to,” says Lee Radzak, who’s been the historic site manager at Split Rock Lighthouse since 1982. He’s been a biker since his youth and the lighthouse has its own “biker” T-shirts and logos.

Lee speculates that the increase in motorcycles at the historic site near Two Harbors, Minnesota, has to do with Baby Boomers retiring and returning to the passions of their youth – like motorcycling. “As the population has aged, people like me all of a sudden want to get back into it.”

Frequently, Lee says, he sees folks in leathers at the lighthouse who are up to the Big Lake for weekend jaunts. “It surprises me – we’ll get a group from Fargo (North Dakota) or St. Cloud (Minnesota) for the day who ride up to the shore and ride back.”

Basically, there are two kinds of motorcyclists who come to the shores: those taking a leisurely ride (Larry) or those looking for more adventure (me).

Indeed, on the highways around this greatest of Great Lakes, you will see every brand or style of motorcycle and any type of motorcyclist. There are comfortable routes no more demanding than freeway travel, yet with the benefit of few cities to traverse, and there are roads and trails that test hard-core adventure riders. You can camp in remote wilderness sites or you can stay in historic four-star hotels so luxurious and formal that you feel you need a jacket and tie for dinner service (though this is never true around Lake Superior).

For the trip that Larry and I undertook last year, our more meandering approach meant we’d be taking advantage of a motorcycle’s best qualities.

A good bike can go practically anywhere. Those narrow, rough, out-of-the-way country roads that are always awkward and often practically painful in a car or an SUV are perfect for motorcycles. A motorcyclist sees opportunity and adventure in that narrow, badly maintained, maybe-goes-to-nowhere diversion; the same person driving a car worries about where to turn around if the road gets even worse.

“Cars are Point A to Point B devices, while motorcycles are certainly that but are fantastic for meandering. I’m more apt to explore on a bike than I am in a car,” says Mike Etlicher of Willmar, Minnesota, who’s ridden around Lake Superior three times alone and once as part of a “Team Strange” ride. Team Strange is a subgroup of the Iron Butt Association, a motorcycle organization billed as “The World’s Toughest Riders” that encourages hard-riding tours, like the ones I’d taken around Lake Superior. There is even a Lake Superior 1000 challenge for Iron Butt members who ride 1,000 miles or more around Lake Superior within 24 hours.

Deciding to travel with someone by motorcycle either around the whole lake or to a specific destination means making a decision about togetherness.

When you travel by motorcycle, you’re mostly by yourself, even if you are in a large group. I see my brother once every two to five years, so using that time for a motorcycle adventure meant that most of the trip we’re no more in contact with each other than if we were back home. But we both love motorcycles and, frankly, we’re both grumpy old guys, me more than Larry. Picking a destination to hang out when we stop along the way and for the night was a good compromise between togetherness and our hermit-like natural selves.

Traveling by motorcycle, we’d get the best of both worlds; at the end of the day and during breaks, we get to hang out with each other, but during the bulk of the ride we get to be on our own. Many bikers find this to be a great way to travel, even in larger groups.

Stopping to talk about what you’ve seen is another advantage of motorcycle travel with another person. In a vehicle, I’m afraid people rarely take the opportunity to review what they’ve experienced.

Ian Ellis of Apple Valley, Minnesota, has done the Lake Superior Circle Tour with his son, Nathan, as a passenger or on a separate motorcycle. He said traveling long distances together in a car can be “absolute torture” for either you or your child. “On a bike, it’s an absolute joy. I don’t know how you explain that to someone whose experience is only in a car, but it’s intended to be a silent, parallel pursuit while you are riding. And then you stop and talk about all the cool things you’ve seen.

“For me, motorcycling is an adventure, and it’s not convenient. I’m not trying to make it as easy as possible, but I am trying to make it as much of an adventure as possible. I’m sure if I took a 10-day trip, and it didn’t rain at least once, I’d feel cheated. My son, Nathan, wrote a successful college entrance essay about getting wet on the motorcycle and how he turned what could have been a miserable day into a fun adventure.”

Molly Gilbert has been around the Lake Superior Circle Tour as a passenger, a long-distance competitor and as a solo rider. She finds riding adds interest – and responsibilities.

“Riding gives you the hyper-awareness that you don’t need in a car. The extreme alertness that you need on a motorbike allows you not only to feel the wind in your hair, but against your body. Nature is coming at you from all directions and you’re not protected by a big metal cage. You’re out in the open and that’s about as exposed as you can get.

“Most people have to fly to California and ride the Pacific Coast Highway to get the kind of feeling you get riding around Lake Superior.”

Liz Young went to college in Duluth and returns frequently with her husband, Brad Kopp, for motorcycle trips, which are quite different from car travel, she says.

“I can feel it. Even as a passenger, you can smell it, you can hear it. It’s so tactile. It’s so in your face. It’s almost exhausting.

“When we stop, we can’t even talk for a while because we’ve taken in so much. Then, we compare. We say ‘Oh, did you see that? Did you see this?’ I get goosebumps.”

Rules of the Road

For those wanting to motorcycle by or around Lake Superior, there are a few rules of the road that are good to know.

If you like to feel the wind in your hair, part of this trip means some adjustment. Minnesota and Wisconsin only require helmets for riders or passengers 17 years old and younger, and both states require eye protection. Michigan and all Canadian provinces require helmets for riders and passengers. Michigan requires eye protection.

There are a few other regulations to consider, too. For example, Minnesota and Wisconsin require daytime headlights and Canada prohibits radar detectors and in-helmet music.

Since 2007, crossing the U.S. border from Canada has required a passport or an enhanced drivers license, available in Michigan and Ontario and next year in Minnesota. Starting in 2009, Canada required passports from U.S. citizens. So, before you head to the border, get the paperwork sorted out.

If your driving record is less than spectacular, you need to do some checking before heading into Canada. In the past, if you had a drunken driving or other criminal conviction in the last 10 years, you would not be admitted into the country. The regulations are changing, though specific dates are not set. For now, it is possible to be “rehabilitated,” as little as 5 years after you’ve served your sentence. You can apply for this waiver through the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration offices, but allow 6-8 weeks for the paperwork. The fees can range from $200 to $1,000 depending on your conviction. While the United States does not prohibit visitors for a single DUI/DWI record, if you have multiple convictions or other misdemeanors, you may be denied entry.

The two main Lake Superior border crossings are open 24 hours, but getting through the checkpoints can be time-consuming. The International Bridge that separates the two countries at Sault Ste. Marie is a busy location, with lots of truck and commuter traffic. It’s not unusual to spend an hour or two watching ships unload while parked on the bridge. On a hot summer weekend, that can get uncomfortable in riding gear and a helmet. I recommend carrying a fair amount of water to stay hydrated. Traffic moves slowly enough to push the bike across the bridge, but if you can’t do that, be sure to fill up before you get into the border-crossing traffic. There are no fuel stops between the two national checkpoints.

There are also some natural rules of the road to which you should pay attention. Basically, you need to be well aware of the wildlife that you may encounter.

On the upside, I have never made a trip around the circle without a guide. At least once every trip, an eagle or hawk will swoop down in front of the bike no more than 20 feet above me. They always lead me down the highway for several hundred feet before they fly off. I don’t feel a trip around the lake is even started until I have found my flying escort.

You must watch out for bear, deer, moose and other animals making sudden road crossings, especially if you are riding in remote areas and especially at night. Pay particular attention through Ontario, which has more rugged wilderness. There are 80 mammal species, 400 varieties of birds, and numerous reptiles, amphibians, insects and all sorts of specialized plants along this section. If you are riding at dawn or dusk, keep your eyes open for wildlife on the road. Connecting with a large animal like a moose at any speed could be a catastrophic end to your vacation plans.

Mike has had close calls with road-crossing critters in Minnesota and Ontario. “On the way to catching up to the guys, I was riding along in rain and fog in really crappy nighttime riding weather. My (Honda) Pacific Coast didn’t have the best headlights. Every once in a while, I’d barely miss a moose. I didn’t see it until it went past my elbow. Unless you really have a good reason to be out there, it’s probably not a good idea to be riding at night.”

The elements also need to be accounted for – including where you will be when. Molly has this story:

“On the way back, on my own, on my very first bike, an R65 BMW, I decided, ‘I don’t want to do the usual route’ and I ended up going off the main road and got lost. I ended up deep in some forest at dusk, worrying about deer, and I’m all alone, not an experienced rider. I have never felt such fear in my life.”

She explained why that experience made her want to go back: “I went back during the day and planned it out well. But that story describes how important the elements are when you’re on a bike. You don’t have to think about how dark it’s getting in a car, or how cold, or if it’s raining or if conditions are about to change.

“You have to be so in tune with nature. Nature is a big draw to the lake and that area, and it’s what draws a lot of us to motorcycles. You have to watch the skies, the patterns, the clouds and the wind direction. Who does that? No one does that in a car. All of a sudden you’re altering your route because you’re seeing a very large front come through and you’ll alter your route by a couple hundred miles to avoid that.”

Finally, another thing to be aware of while riding is where you’ll see the next gas pump. While it’s not a problem along most of the route, there are some “dry” spots. There is a particularly long stretch of highway between pumps on the eastern portion of the lake, between Wawa and Pancake Bay.

Personal Circle Tour Highlights

Reviewing my trips around the Big Lake, especially last year with Larry, I’ve developed my own good-to-know highlights for other motorcyclists. Here is my five-minute Lake Superior Circle Tour traveling counterclockwise from Duluth and back. These are very personal adventures – you will create your own favorites from your ride:

On the east end of the Bayfield Peninsula, Wisconsin Highway 13 takes you along the coastline into historic fishing villages and through some of the best views of Lake Superior from the Wisconsin side of the lake. For the dual-purpose rider, there is an assortment of dirt roads that take you into the forests and parks of the peninsula. For the rest of us, well-maintained two-lane highways – mainly 13 and 2 – loop the area, with the former sticking the closest to the lake. Bayfield is a great stopping place, including a variety of hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfast inns. The Madeline Island Ferry Line to Madeline Island is well worth a day trip. You can ferry your motorcycle across and explore Madeline Island and stay in the great campgrounds in Big Bay State Park.

The main road toward Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Highway 2, takes you through old mining, logging, industrial and railroad towns, several of which are now casino towns with low-cost lodging options. If you are more adventurous and can manage at least 150 miles between fuel stops, stick with the coastline following County Road 519 into Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, one of the favorite rides in the U.P., according to Brad Kolbus of U.P. Cruising.

This route sets you up nicely for a back roads route to the Great Sand Bay and some amazing scenery and isolated camping, cabin or motel accommodations along Michigan’s Highway 26 right to the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. In the Keweenaw, everyone stops at the Gay Bar in Gay (Brad was told it’s the most popular photographed landmark in the U.P.).

The roads are good, but fuel and food stops can be hard to come by.

One of the advantages to a motorcycle tour is that road condition is less important than when you are in a car (known as “cages” to motorcyclists). I worry about beating up my car and passengers; I look forward to an adventure on my motorcycle.

Marquette is a scenic city and if you have time for a luxury stop, the Landmark Inn is one of those top-notch hotels I spoke of earlier. The winding drive through Presque Isle Park is beautiful.

The 1940s and ’50s were economic boom years for many towns on the Lake Superior Circle Tour. A lot of the motels reflect the years when Americans first hit the road in the family station wagon, in that great tradition called “the family vacation.” Experienced motorcyclists value the added security of being able to park the bike close to the room, which is one sign of a “motorcycle-friendly” motel.

Highways US 41 and M-28 across the U.P. toward Sault Ste. Marie is a scenic route past the Hiawatha National Forest, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Newberry State Forest and the Sault Ste. Marie State Forest areas. Each of those amazing parks connects to the main highway via side roads that offer adventure and camping. There are more fun side trips on this route than you can explore, but don’t let that stop you from going off the main road into parks and small towns.

One particularly sweet U.P. ride, so I’m told, is the recently paved section of Alger County Road H-58 through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore from Grand Marais to Munising. “It’s almost like they built it for motorcycles. … It is a great ride,” Brad says.

Jim Northup, superintendent of the lakeshore, says of the road, “It was designed to be a scenic, first-class ride,” but cautioned it is not for high-speed, racing travel. The road is heavily traveled by touring families and campers, as well as by wildlife.

Unfortunately, last year a vandal threw nails on the road on several occasions, causing some flat tires to cars, trucks and motorcycles. Investigations continue.

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, is a motorcyclists’ hometown. The city is home to Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Harley-Davidson dealers. There is no shortage of motorcycle service shops, either. The motorcycle-friendly attitude of the city’s commercial and state-owned facility employees make it possible to leave fully loaded motorcycles and explore the parks and businesses.

As much as there is to see in Sault Ste. Marie, one reason for circling the Big Lake is the road out of town – Highway 17. North of the city, the Trans Canada Highway hugs the lake and provides some of the trip’s best views. The cities along the coast of Pancake Bay Provincial Park are picturesque and inviting. One of the Loop’s many highlights is Lake Superior Provincial Park. From either direction, the park is an exceptional experience. It’s Ian Ellis’ favorite memory from his ride with his son: “When you come down that hill and you first see that massive Old Woman Bay, it’s just an amazing view from a motorcycle. I love that park for the waterfalls, geology and white sand beach.”

This section of Highway 17 provides an excellent combination of mountainlike riding with a coastline on the south shoulder of the road. Every rest stop and every scenic view turnoff is an opportunity for spectacular views and accessible adventure. The road pulls away from the lake near Wawa, Ontario, but that doesn’t diminish the ride or the scenery. There are hundreds of lakes, marshes and wetlands along this section.

This was where my brother, Larry, got his strongest memory of the trip, when he pulled off of the road near Gravel River Provincial Nature Preserve. “I went up on a road, way up high. There was a parking space and a bench at a scenic view. I sat on top of the hillside waiting for you for a while. It was a great view in both directions.”

There are an easy half dozen off-highway excursions worth exploring between Rossport and Nipigon – including the amazing Ruby Lake just east of Nipigon – and then many side trips, again between Nipigon and Thunder Bay. Minnesota rider Tony Kellen recommends a stop at Rainbow Falls Provincial Park. “You ride uphill a short distance on a twisty road and park in the lot. You can walk a short distance to view the falls from multiple positions.”

Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is also high on that list. The road to the well-named Silver Islet is an off-the-beaten-path gem. Silver Islet was home to one of Ontario’s first silver mines, and today it is as quiet as a ghost town, but with private summer cottages and a general store and tea room worthy of pausing for a visit and some shopping.

Thunder Bay is another motorcycle-friendly Ontario city. It’s early in the “Ride Lake Superior” promotion, but there are already several businesses sporting “Ride Lake Superior motorcycle parking only” spots and many places had marked motorcycle spaces from before this promotion began. The city is home to several motorcycle dealerships, including Moto Guzzi, KTM, Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha and Harley-Davidson, and a bike repair shop.

Forty-five miles south of Thunder Bay and 10 miles south of the U.S. border, historic Highway 61 leads the rider to Grand Portage, Minnesota, and the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino, a motorcycle-friendly stop if there ever was one. The trading post has gas and a nice gift shop for quick souvenir purchases.

Another 35 miles south and Highway 61 passes through Grand Marais, a quaint small town with a great waterfront and a good rest stop for souvenirs, food and views. The North House Folk School’s red-sailed schooner Hjordis can often be seen in the harbor in summer and commercial fishermen leave early.

From there, all 110 miles south to Duluth the highway hugs the lake and passes through many small towns – your choice of stopping places. The idea, Ian reminds us, is to make time to explore. “I stop more spontaneously on a bike than in a car. Whether it’s a photograph, or a bite to eat at a bakery, it just seems more like it’s meant to happen that way. The Naniboujou Lodge, for example (northeast of Grand Marais). It’s a hotel from the 1920s and the interior is amazing. It is a time capsule. We saw the place and thought, ‘Let’s go there for lunch.’ A couple of years later, I took my wife there.”

Larry also thrilled to this shore. “It was more mountainous, hilly, and it feels like riding in the Rockies with an ocean on one side. There was a lot to see in that area. It was so overwhelming that it’s hard to pick out a highlight.”

Riding Minnesota’s North Shore is indeed like riding near an ocean, the smell and feel of the water is inescapable on a bike. A breeze from the lake is the best air conditioning possible. In the early spring or late fall, the Silver Creek Cliff Tunnel marks a thermal boundary. It is often several degrees cooler north of the tunnel and passing through that landmark is often an occasion for a brief pit stop to add layers of insulation or fire up the electric vest. I usually try to hold off until Gooseberry Falls or Split Rock Lighthouse State Park to take advantage of the heated restrooms. If I’m southbound, the place to warm up is Betty’s Pies a few miles south of the tunnel.

Two favorite stretches of Highway 61 are the scenic road between Two Harbors and Duluth and the section of road between Cascade River State Park and Illgen City. Those two bits of highway are loaded with scenery. Stay tight to the lake and have no shortage of places to stop and explore the shoreline. At Palisade Head, motorcyclists can take their bikes almost to the cliffs.

Finally, no real motorcyclist making the Loop can avoid stopping at RiderWearhouse in Duluth, home of Aerostich, the original all-weather motorcyclist gear. Stop in, meet Mr. Subjective (Andy Goldfine) and tell him “the Geezer sent me.” Andy is one of two motorcyclists to cross frozen Lake Superior from Minnesota to Wisconsin. He and his company are motorcycling legends. Duluth’s Canal Park and Park Point can make a good visit. Duluth has Harley-Davidson, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki dealers.

That is my quick tour, but once you’ve done the Loop, it becomes a regular destination. After circling the lake three times – the slow way and the fast way – I still discover places I’ve missed. That just means a good excuse to do it all again.

A Biker-friendly Big Lake

The growing popularity of Lake Superior as a motorcycle destination has spawned a number of tourism-related organizations directed toward bikers. There’s also a growing awareness by local business owners, such as at restaurants and lodging spots, about what motorcyclists need. Many lake region lodgings now provide towels to wipe down bikes and many have special parking arrangements. Canal Park Lodge in Duluth, for example, has covered motorcycle parking while the Days Inn in Munising, Michigan, recently opened a full garage for bikers.

Tourism interests in Ontario, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin are uniting to create an even better riding experience for motorcycles.

This year will be the full launch of “Ride Lake Superior,” an initiative started last spring to capitalize on the growing popularity of motorcycle touring and to capture what has already been a growing market for communities around the lake.

Paul Pepe, manager of Tourism Thunder Bay and one of the Ride Lake Superior organizers, sees the region as a perfect match for motorcyclists.

“Lake Superior is simply an epic ride destination,” says Paul (who keeps a motorcycle helmet in his office with hopes of getting a bike … don’t tell his wife).

“It’s a unique international ride right in the heart of the continent. The popularity of it is that it’s mainly two-lane blacktop that weaves along spectacular coastline that changes regularly. It’s also peppered with a plethora of unique, authentic and eclectic communities, attractions, events and some amazing pristine parks and protected areas.”

Visit Duluth President and CEO Terry Mattson, himself an avid rider, thinks marketing the Big Lake to motorcyclists is a perfect marriage.

“I’ve spent a lifetime on everything two-wheeled, from dirt bikes to tourers and sport bikes, riding all over the country. This is a world-class riding destination by any measure. … For international enthusiasts, this will be on every bucket list.”

Ride Lake Superior has developed a website with pertinent information for motorcyclists planning a loop of the lake.

Another initiative geared toward motorcycles was organized by bikers for bikers in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Brad and Kathy Kolbus bought the 6-year-old enterprise, U.P. Cruising, two years ago. It costs $10 to be a life-time member of U.P. Cruising and with that you get an electronic newsletter and a card with discounts from about 120 U.P. restaurants, lodgings and shops specifically for bikers. They produce a biker guide to the U.P. with a map.

Motorcycle riding by Lake Superior has become increasingly popular, Brad says. “It’s definitely growing, especially here in the U.P. Among the main attractions – great blacktopped roads without much traffic and with few larger cities to traverse.

Here are additional resources to plan your “Loop of the Lake.”

• Lake Superior Magazine's two full-lake travel guides: the annual Lake Superior Travel Guide ($9.95) and the book, Lake Superior: The Ultimate Guide to the Region ($19.95).
• At-a-glance references for motorcycle regulations for all the states and Canada.

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Thomas Day has been on two wheels since 1963, is a motorcycle instructor, a columnist for the Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly magazine, and a freelance writer who lives in Little Canada, Minnesota.