3713 Split Rock Lighthouse Road
Two Harbors, MN 55616
218-226-6372
Cue up Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and drive north on a cold November day to Two Harbors' Split Rock Lighthouse, a Minnesota Historical Society site restored to its 1920s appearance. Shipwrecks from a mighty 1905 November gale prompted the construction of this lighthouse, perched precariously atop a 130-foot cliff overlooking Lake Superior. Completed by the U.S. Lighthouse Service five years later, the site today features tours and a museum offering a peek into the difficult conditions under which the lighthouse was built, and under which its workers over the years resided with limited access to the comforts of supplies and friends, living alone amid the brisk winds and solitude. Visit during the warmer months to explore the beautiful hiking paths that wind down toward the lake, or plan to stop by the annual November 10 beacon lighting commemorating the sinking of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald. A film about the Fitzgerald is shown continuously during the afternoon, with the lighthouse closing temporarily at 4:30 as the names of the 29 lost crew members are read to the tolling of a ship's bell before the lighting of the beacon. This is the one time each year visitors can climb to the top of the tower and see the beacon lit and revolving.
Just so that travelers to Split Rock Lighthouse do not get confused, Split Rock is actually located 20 miles northeast of Two Harbors, MN on Hwy. 61, or the North Shore Scenic Drive. There is another lighthouse, the Two Harbors Lighthouse, that does exist on the waterfront in downtown Two Harbors and is operated by the Lake County Historical Society, so confusion is understandable.
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