 |
| Silver Creek Cliff Overlook. |
 |
| Topo map of Silver Creek Cliff Wayside Trail. |
A segment of the Gitchi-Gami State Trail, the hike runs about 0.6-miles round trip. It’s paved and wide the entire way with a gradual slope upward for the first half of the walk.
To reach the trailhead, from Two Harbors travel north on Minn. Hwy. 61. After passing through the Silver Creek Tunnel, turn right into the Silver Creek Cliff Wayside. The trail heads southwest from the wayside’s parking lot.
To the trail’s right/west is Silver Creek Cliff, which at 398 feet is the highest bluff rising out of Lake Superior. It’s an awesome sight. Dark rock called diabase formed when lava flowed through this area about 1.1 billion years ago. As new lava layered itself over the older and lower flows, the trapped magma cooled slowly, forming five-sided columns. The cliff’s flows sit at a 20 degree angle, typical of the rock formations surrounding Lake Superior.
A century ago, the first roads to appear in the area simply avoided this cliff by veering inland. By 1925, though, part of the cliff was cut away, and the road ran atop a sheer drop-off. With accidents due to deer that liked to stand in the middle of the road and rainstorms that often washed out the highway, a 1400-foot tunnel finally was blasted through the volcanic rock. The old road since has been converted to a biking and walking trail.
As the trail passes the tunnel entrance and climbs above it, the noise from Hwy. 61 quiets, and the impressive vista of blue Lake Superior dominates. The trail’s peak is the Silver Creek Cliff Overlook.
The hike can be extended by continuing down the cliff to Old Hwy. 61/Silver Creek Road. This adds 0.4-miles round-trip (and an uphill climb) to the hike.
Read more about day hiking Northeast Minnesota in my Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota guidebook.
