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NorthShoreVisitor.com
59.5
See the 18-foot chainsaw-
carved St. Urho statue. Look
on his hat to see what he
drove out of the vineyards;
drive north on Minnesota
Highway 1 to County Road
7 in Finland.
62.9
FISH OUT OF WATER
see ad on page 26
65.2
LITTLE MARAIS
LAKESIDE CABINS
see ad on page 26 and
listing on page 62
65.2+
FINLAND
MINNESOTA
HERITAGE SITE
see ad on page 25
65.2+
The other way to Finland;
drive 7 miles west on
County Road 6.
65.2+
[+14 miles] Plan a picnic
and day hike to the Manitou
River at Crosby Manitou
State Park.
65.2+
FOUR SEASONS
RESTAURANT & BAR
218-353-7371
Open daily at 11am, year
round. Full menu plus
homemade specials, salad
bar, char-grilled burgers,
desserts. Friday fish fry.
On & off sale liquor. On
ATV & snowmobile trail. A
short drive inland, just five
miles from Highway 61 on
Minnesota Highway 1.
TWO
TOWNS
TWO
PARKS
AND
A
NICE
DRIVE
You are now approaching the perfect spot to
tour the valleys and ridges that lie inland from
Lake Superior’s coast. From Silver Bay, you can
meander through the woodlands to Finland, then
choose side trips to one or two state parks and
return to scenic Highway 61.
Silver Bay is situated in a pretty little valley of the
Sawtooth Mountains, upcountry from the lake.
To begin your nice drive, follow Penn Boulevard
/ County Road 5 / Scenic Forest Highway 11
[whew! all the same road] north from Highway
61 through Silver Bay. The road merges with the
County Road 4 / Lax Lake Road / County Road
31 [again, all the same road] and heads north.
At the big curve west, you will need to make a
90-degree right hand turn on to stay County Road
31 / Lax Lake Road. Cruise along past Lax Lake
and the tranquil forests edging Tettegouche State
Park to Minnesota Highway 1.
A few miles north is Finland, nestled in the rugged
Baptism River Valley. Finnish and Scandinavian
farmers, enticed by topography reminiscent of
their homelands, settled in the 1890s. Turn of
the century brought logging and permanence
to the little hamlet. At the present, you will find
a handful of restaurants, a few lodging choices
and the local cooperative grocery and gas station
wrapped in a pine forest with the gentle Baptism
River flowing through.
Finland is the departure spot for the Crosby Manitou
State Park, seven miles east along County Road 7. Rugged
reliefs and overlooks, wildlife, Benson Lake, and the falls
and flow of the Manitou River are a fine backdrop for the
best backwoods hiking of all the parks. Or, choose the
seven-mile scenic drive south on Minnesota Highway 1 to
Highway 61 and Tettegouche State Park. Spread over 9,300
acres, you will find a mile of Superior coast, the Baptism
River with its cascades and falls, four lakes, an undisturbed
hardwood forest, the historic Tettegouche Camp [available
for lodging], a campground, trails galore and Palisade Head,
200-foot cliffs dropping into the big lake.
Another alternative from Finland is to drive the seven
picturesque miles along County Road 6 back to Highway
61. Your return point is Little Marais, a small cluster of mom-
and-pop shops and lodging. Stop in for a visit!
SILVERBAY,
LITTLE
MARAIS &
FINLAND