The paved Gitchi-Gami State Trail and Split Rock Wilds singletrack
Biking the North Shore splits two ways: the paved Gitchi-Gami State Trail hugging Highway 61 with the lake on one side, and purpose-built mountain bike trails cut into the ridges just inland. You can ride both in the same weekend without moving your car far.
The Gitchi-Gami is family-friendly and mostly gentle, with completed segments totaling around 30 of a planned 89 miles. The mountain bike systems are machine-built flow and rock, best from June through October.
The Gitchi-Gami runs past Superior Shores Resort and The Harbors in Two Harbors at its southern end, and the Split Rock Wilds singletrack starts over the hill from North Shore Camping Co. and Cove Point Lodge in Beaver Bay.
Paved, car-free and right along the shore. The Gooseberry Falls to Beaver Bay segment is the longest continuous stretch and passes Split Rock Lighthouse; a northern segment links Silver Bay toward Tettegouche.
The North Shore’s marquee mountain bike system, climbing the ridge above Beaver Bay with flow lines, granite slabs and lake views. Trails start over the hill from North Shore Camping Co.
Silver Bay’s local system doubles as summer singletrack and winter ski trail, with quiet climbs into the hills behind town.
Tofte’s trail cluster is the classic North Shore ride — bermed flow down from the peak and long loops through the maples.
If you’re driving up from the Twin Cities, stop in Duluth for one of the country’s biggest urban trail networks, over 100 miles across the hillside.
The shoulder is wide in stretches but traffic is fast and heavy in summer. Stick to the Gitchi-Gami where it exists, and ride mornings if you have to link segments on the highway.
The paved Gitchi-Gami State Trail is the main route, running along Lake Superior between Gooseberry Falls and Beaver Bay with almost no car traffic. For mountain biking, Split Rock Wilds sits above Beaver Bay and Britton Peak / Jackpot are near Tofte.
Yes. It's paved, mostly gentle and separated from Highway 61, and the Gooseberry-to-Split Rock section is the most popular family ride on the shore.
Split Rock Wilds above Beaver Bay is the closest purpose-built singletrack to the lakeshore lodging, and the Britton Peak and Jackpot systems near Tofte are the bigger destination networks an hour north.
