Gitchi-Gami State Trail

The Gitchi-Gami State Trail is a paved multi-use trail following the Lake Superior shoreline through Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, providing the most accessible lakeside experience on the North Shore and the best lower-elevation view of the Split Rock Lighthouse perched on its basalt cliff 130 feet above the water. Gitchi-Gami is the Ojibwe name for Lake Superior, meaning great sea, and the trail lives up to it, running within sight of the lake for most of its length beneath the dramatic basalt cliff that supports the lighthouse. The lighthouse itself, completed in 1910 in response to a deadly 1905 storm that wrecked 29 ships, stands at the cliff edge against the sky in a composition that has made it the most photographed lighthouse in Minnesota and one of the most recognized in the United States. From the trail below, the lighthouse, fog signal building, and keeper's dwellings appear as a compact historic district balanced on the cliff rim, their brick and concrete construction remarkably intact after more than a century. The trail surface is smooth paved asphalt, making it accessible for cyclists, strollers, and users with mobility limitations as well as hikers. Several informal access points to the Lake Superior cobblestone beach allow detours to the water's edge. The Minnesota Historical Society operates the lighthouse as a historic site with tours available from the upper parking area.