Last updated August 3, 2026
Everything south of Tettegouche is a commitment. The itineraries put it plainly: the southbound classics are an hour-plus each way, so this is a half day at minimum and more likely a full one. The good news is that they all sit on the same stretch of Highway 61, in a neat line, so one drive south collects the lot. Here is how to stack it.
How to think about the day
One direction, several stops
Pick your farthest point first, then work back. If Duluth is the goal, the lighthouse and the pie stop become pauses on the way. If Split Rock is the goal, you have time for Palisade Head and Gooseberry too and can still be back for dinner at the lodge. What does not work is treating each of these as its own outing; the driving would eat the trip.
Split Rock Lighthouse
The 1910 icon on its cliff
Split Rock is the North Shore's most photographed building for a reason: a 1910 lighthouse standing on a cliff about 130 feet above the lake, built after a single storm in 1905 wrecked ships up and down this coast. The lighthouse itself is run by the Minnesota Historical Society, with a visitor center and tours, seasonal hours and paid admission; check mnhs.org for current hours and prices before you plan around them.
The classic view, the lighthouse seen from the cobble shoreline below, is inside the surrounding state park, which takes the ordinary state-park vehicle permit, about $7 for the day or $35 for the year, as the waterfalls guide explains. From the lodge it is a bit under an hour, between Tettegouche and Gooseberry on Highway 61.
Palisade Head and Tettegouche
The cliff top on the way
Just south of Silver Bay, a short spur road climbs off Highway 61 to Palisade Head, a unit of Tettegouche State Park: a sheer rhyolite cliff top hundreds of feet above the water, with the shore curving away in both directions. It takes fifteen minutes and pairs naturally with Tettegouche itself, where Shovel Point and the Baptism River High Falls are covered in the waterfalls guide and the walking in the trail guide. Mind the edge; there are no railings up there.
Gooseberry Falls, the easy tiered falls right off the highway, sits a few minutes past Split Rock, about an hour from the lodge. It is in the waterfalls guide too, and its wayside lot is free.
Two Harbors and the pie stop
The working harbor
Two Harbors is the first real town heading south, around an hour and a quarter from the lodge, roughly. It is a working port: the ore docks still load taconite boats you can watch from shore, and the Two Harbors Light Station sits above the harbor. The reason most travelers know the town, though, is Betty's Pies, on Highway 61 just north of it, the North Shore's famous pie stop since the 1950s. Check current hours, and do not fight the instinct to buy a whole pie for the lodge.
Duluth, the full day
The anchor at the end of the shore
Duluth is about 1 hour 45 minutes from the lodge, and it deserves the whole day rather than a tacked-on hour. The core of a visit is Canal Park and the Aerial Lift Bridge, where thousand-foot lakers slide past close enough to read the hull markings; ship-watching schedules are posted around the canal. The Lakewalk runs along the water from there, and Glensheen, the 1908 Congdon estate on the lakeshore, offers tours of the mansion and grounds; check current hours at glensheen.org. Groups often fold the Duluth day into arrival or departure, since it is on the way; see getting here for the full drive picture.
Drive times, heading south
| Stop | Drive from the lodge | | --- | --- | | Tettegouche / Palisade Head | ~45 min | | Split Rock Lighthouse | a bit under an hour | | Gooseberry Falls | ~1 hr | | Two Harbors / Betty's Pies | around an hour and a quarter, roughly | | Duluth (Canal Park) | ~1 hr 45 min |
✓ Times from the lodge's verified Highway 61 anchors, with the in-between stops derived and hedged. Winter and fog can stretch all of them; build in a buffer.
Common questions
How far is Split Rock Lighthouse from Lutsen?
A bit under an hour south of Nordhus Lodge on Highway 61, between Tettegouche and Gooseberry Falls. Most groups fold it into a southbound day with Palisade Head and Gooseberry rather than driving down for the lighthouse alone.
Do you need a ticket for Split Rock Lighthouse?
The lighthouse and visitor center are run by the Minnesota Historical Society, with paid admission and seasonal hours; check mnhs.org for current details. The surrounding state park, including the classic view of the lighthouse from the cobble shoreline below, takes a Minnesota state-park vehicle permit instead, about $7 for the day or $35 for the year.
What is Palisade Head?
Palisade Head is a sheer rhyolite cliff top hundreds of feet above Lake Superior, reached by a short spur road off Highway 61 just south of Silver Bay. It is a unit of Tettegouche State Park and takes about fifteen minutes to visit, which makes it an easy add to any southbound day. There are no railings, so keep children close.
Is Duluth worth a day trip from Lutsen?
Yes, if you give it the whole day. It is about 1 hour 45 minutes each way, and Canal Park, the Aerial Lift Bridge with its ship traffic, the Lakewalk and Glensheen fill the hours easily. Many groups visit on the drive up or the drive home instead, since Duluth is on the way.
Where is Betty's Pies?
On Highway 61 just north of Two Harbors, around an hour and a quarter south of the lodge, roughly. It has been the North Shore's pie stop since the 1950s and marks the natural break on any southbound day. Check current hours before you count on it.