Trip builder

Lake Superior Circle Tour

14 days, 17 stops and about 23 h 10 min behind the wheel. Change anything below; the link always holds the latest version.

Total driving23 h 10 min
Distance1,225 mi (1,971 km)
Days14
Stops17
Longest dayDay 6, 6 h 25 min

Day 6 has more than 6 hours of driving, before any stops. Spread the driving over more days or move a stop.

Best order Even out the days
Add a day Add a place Directions & downloads

  1. Day 1

    Around Split Rock Lighthouse

    57 min driving48 mi (77 km)

    1. 01

      Trip starts here

      Duluth Town · MN · Lake Superior
      Later Remove
    2. 02

      32 min · 27 mi (44 km) from Duluth

      Two Harbors Town · MN · Lake Superior
      Earlier Later Remove
    3. 03

      25 min · 20 mi (33 km) from Two Harbors

      Split Rock Lighthouse Lighthouse · MN · Lake Superior
      Earlier Later Remove
    Directions in Google Maps Overnight in or near Split Rock Lighthouse Remove day 1 (stops join the next day)

  2. Day 2

    A free day

    No driving

    No stops planned: a day to linger, hike or wait out the weather. Add a place to this day with the form, or remove the day.

    Remove day 2

  3. Day 3

    Split Rock Lighthouse to Grand Marais

    1 h 26 min driving77 mi (125 km)

    1. 04

      9 min · 7.1 mi (11 km) from Split Rock Lighthouse

      Gooseberry Falls State Park Park & beach · MN · Lake Superior
      Earlier Later Remove
    2. 05

      22 min · 19 mi (31 km) from Gooseberry Falls State Park

      Tettegouche State Park Park & beach · MN · Lake Superior
      Earlier Later Remove
    3. 06

      55 min · 51 mi (82 km) from Tettegouche State Park

      Grand Marais Town · MN · Lake Superior
      Earlier Later Remove
    Directions in Google Maps Overnight in or near Grand Marais Remove day 3 (stops join the day before)

  4. Day 4

    Grand Marais to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

    2 h 40 min driving134 mi (216 km)

    1. 07

      1 h 22 min · 79 mi (128 km) from Grand Marais

      Thunder Bay Town · ON · Lake Superior
      Earlier Later Remove
    2. 08

      1 h 19 min · 55 mi (89 km) from Thunder Bay

      Sleeping Giant Provincial Park Park & beach · ON · Lake Superior
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    Directions in Google Maps Overnight in or near Sleeping Giant Provincial Park Remove day 4 (stops join the day before)

  5. Day 5

    A free day

    No driving

    No stops planned: a day to linger, hike or wait out the weather. Add a place to this day with the form, or remove the day.

    Remove day 5

  6. Day 6

    Sleeping Giant Provincial Park to Lake Superior Provincial Park

    6 h 25 min driving340 mi (548 km)

    1. 09

      6 h 25 min · 340 mi (548 km) from Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

      Lake Superior Provincial Park Park & beach · ON · Lake Superior
      Earlier Later Remove
    Directions in Google Maps Overnight in or near Lake Superior Provincial Park Remove day 6 (stops join the day before)

  7. Day 7

    A free day

    No driving

    No stops planned: a day to linger, hike or wait out the weather. Add a place to this day with the form, or remove the day.

    Remove day 7

  8. Day 8

    Lake Superior Provincial Park to Whitefish Point Light Station

    2 h 55 min driving160 mi (258 km)

    1. 10

      2 h 55 min · 160 mi (258 km) from Lake Superior Provincial Park

      Whitefish Point Light Station Lighthouse · MI · Lake Superior
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    Directions in Google Maps Overnight in or near Whitefish Point Light Station Remove day 8 (stops join the day before)

  9. Day 9

    Whitefish Point Light Station to Munising

    2 h 30 min driving129 mi (208 km)

    1. 11

      2 h 10 min · 119 mi (191 km) from Whitefish Point Light Station

      Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Park & beach · MI · Lake Superior
      Earlier Later Remove
    2. 12

      20 min · 11 mi (17 km) from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

      Munising Town · MI · Lake Superior
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    Directions in Google Maps Overnight in or near Munising Remove day 9 (stops join the day before)

  10. Day 10

    A free day

    No driving

    No stops planned: a day to linger, hike or wait out the weather. Add a place to this day with the form, or remove the day.

    Remove day 10

  11. Day 11

    Munising to Marquette

    45 min driving43 mi (69 km)

    1. 13

      45 min · 43 mi (69 km) from Munising

      Marquette Town · MI · Lake Superior
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    Directions in Google Maps Overnight in or near Marquette Remove day 11 (stops join the day before)

  12. Day 12

    Marquette to Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

    3 h 45 min driving206 mi (332 km)

    1. 14

      3 h 45 min · 206 mi (332 km) from Marquette

      Bayfield Town · WI · Lake Superior
      Earlier Later Remove
    2. 15

      1 min · 0.2 mi (0 km) from Bayfield

      Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Park & beach · WI · Lake Superior

      The islands are reached by cruise, water taxi or kayak from Bayfield; the Meyers Beach sea caves are about 40 minutes west by road.

      Earlier Later Remove
    Directions in Google Maps Overnight in or near Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Remove day 12 (stops join the day before)

  13. Day 13

    A free day

    No driving

    No stops planned: a day to linger, hike or wait out the weather. Add a place to this day with the form, or remove the day.

    Remove day 13

  14. Day 14

    Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to Duluth

    1 h 45 min driving86 mi (138 km)

    1. 16
      Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Park & beach · WI · Lake Superior

      The islands are reached by cruise, water taxi or kayak from Bayfield; the Meyers Beach sea caves are about 40 minutes west by road.

      Earlier Later Remove
    2. 17

      1 h 45 min · 86 mi (138 km) from Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

      Duluth Town · MN · Lake Superior
      Earlier Remove
    Directions in Google Maps Remove day 14 (stops join the day before)

Your route

Your trip on the map.

Loading the map. The links and itinerary below are always available.

Lines join your stops in visiting order; they are not roads. Use the directions links for turn-by-turn routes.

Black-and-white basemap by OpenStreetMap. Great Lakes highlighted in color. Hold Ctrl (or Command) while scrolling to zoom. Use two fingers on touch screens.

Lake outlines: Natural Earth (public domain). Town centers: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Not for navigation.

Good to know

How the trip builder works.

How are the drive times calculated?
Drive times and distances come from OpenStreetMap road data routed with OSRM, calibrated against typical published travel times. They assume ordinary traffic and include island ferry crossings where a stop needs one. Allow extra time for summer weekends, construction and border crossings.
Can I save or share my trip?
Yes. The whole trip lives in the page address, so bookmarking or sharing the link saves everything: stops, days, start date and starting point. Nothing is stored on our servers and no account is needed.
Can I take my trip into Google Maps or a GPS?
Every day has a Google Maps directions link (long days are split into parts, because Google Maps allows nine stops per link). You can also download a calendar file with one event per day, or a GPX file for GPS units and apps such as OsmAnd and Gaia GPS.
What does “Best order” do?
It reorders your stops to shorten the total drive, keeping your starting point fixed and finishing back home if you chose a round trip, then spreads the stops over the same number of days so each day's driving is as even as possible.

Drive times and distances: OSRM routing over OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), calibrated to typical travel times. Times are estimates for planning, not navigation. Check road, border and ferry conditions before you travel.

More planning tools: circle tour planner, ferry or drive calculator, northern lights forecast, water temperatures and the ship watcher.