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The North Shore - Minnesota Itinerary
So you want to take a trip to the North Shore, but now you're wondering where exactly to go and what to do. No worries, we've listed our top picks of where to go and our plan for the best five day trip to the North Shore.
Depending on the length of your trip the following are our recommended priorities:
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​1-2 Days: Duluth
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5 Days: Add on Lutsen
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7 Days: Add on Grand Marais
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10 Days: Add on Grand Portage​
FNR's Best Five Day North Shore - Minnesota Trip (by car)
The following is the itinerary we followed for our July 2019 trip to the North Shore. We stayed one night at a hotel in Canal Park, then four nights in a VRBO cabin in Lutsen, MN. More time was spent in Duluth again on our way back to civilization. We made this trip with our extended family on Katie's side - 19 of us total. Planning a vacation for a group that size is ambitious to say the least, but I believe everyone had a wonderful experience. There was something for everyone. These were the main activities and sites we had planned, but every day also included playing games and chatting with each other at the cabin and every night ended with a bonfire. Use what you want from this example itinerary - copy it exactly or pick and choose what looks interesting to you.
With More Time
If we had one more day, we would have stayed one more night in Duluth and used the extra time to make a day trip up the coast to explore more of the trails and waterfalls at Gooseberry, Split Rock and/or Tettegouche State Parks. If we had even more time, we would have added on a stay near Grand Marais and/or Grand Portage.