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Split Rock Lighthouse Lens (18267355674)📷 Sharon Mollerus, CC BY 2.0

Road trips in Minnesota

8 road trips and 21 hand-picked places in Minnesota, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping.

Trip guides
8
Places
21

Campsites in Minnesota 910

Trip guides

Road trips through Minnesota

Minnesota North Woods: iron mines to Voyageurs – 1927 White Greyhound bus at the Greyhound Bus Museum in Hibbing, Minnesota© Lorie Shaull · CC BY 2.0
169
Things to do in…

Minnesota North Woods: iron mines to Voyageurs

264 mi7 stops4 days
Minnesota’s North Shore: waterfalls and cliffs to Grand Portage – Gooseberry Falls State Park - Fall Colors (22287367439)© Tony Webster from San Francisco, California · CC BY-SA 2.0
61
Coast & island drives

Minnesota’s North Shore: waterfalls and cliffs to Grand Portage

180 mi9 stops3 days
Up the Mississippi to its source at Lake Itasca – 2 Behind the frozen falls© Lorie Shaull · CC BY-SA 4.0
371
Things to do in…

Up the Mississippi to its source at Lake Itasca

271 mi7 stops3 days
Waterfalls, lighthouses and northern forest – by camper along the Minnesota North Shore of Lake Superior – Split Rock Lighthouse Lens (18267355674)© Sharon Mollerus · CC BY 2.0
61
In-depth road trip guides

Waterfalls, lighthouses and northern forest – by camper along the Minnesota North Shore of Lake Superior

170 mi10 stops5 days
Lakes, loons and northern lights – by camper between the Boundary Waters, Lake Vermilion and Voyageurs National Park – green trees on island surrounded by water during daytimePhoto by Joe Pohle on Unsplash
53
In-depth road trip guides

Lakes, loons and northern lights – by camper between the Boundary Waters, Lake Vermilion and Voyageurs National Park

146 mi8 stops5 days
From headwater stream to mighty river: by camper along the upper Great River Road from Minnesota to Iowa – aerial photography of green trees beside body of waterPhoto by Runde Imaging on Unsplash
Great River Road
In-depth road trip guides

From headwater stream to mighty river: by camper along the upper Great River Road from Minnesota to Iowa

616 mi14 stops7 days
Lake Superior’s north and south shores – body of water near island with trees and lighthousePhoto by Luke Tanis on Unsplash
61
Scenic byways

Lake Superior’s north and south shores

495 mi7 stops4 days
Great River Road: the upper Mississippi – The India Gate war memorial in New Delhi under a vibrant pink skyPhoto by shalender kumar on Unsplash
GRR
Classic American drives

Great River Road: the upper Mississippi

642 mi6 stops5 days
RouteSuggested daysDistanceDrivingStops
Minnesota North Woods: iron mines to Voyageurs4264 mi4 h 43 min7
Minnesota’s North Shore: waterfalls and cliffs to Grand Portage3180 mi3 h 13 min9
Up the Mississippi to its source at Lake Itasca3271 mi4 h 50 min7
Waterfalls, lighthouses and northern forest – by camper along the Minnesota North Shore of Lake Superior5170 mi3 h 02 min10
Lakes, loons and northern lights – by camper between the Boundary Waters, Lake Vermilion and Voyageurs National Park5146 mi2 h 36 min8
From headwater stream to mighty river: by camper along the upper Great River Road from Minnesota to Iowa7616 mi10 h 60 min14
Lake Superior’s north and south shores4495 mi8 h 51 min7
Great River Road: the upper Mississippi5642 mi11 h 28 min6
Editor's picks

Places worth the detour in Minnesota

Split Rock Lighthouse Lens (18267355674)© Sharon Mollerus · CC BY 2.0
Editor's pick
Views

Split Rock Lighthouse

Two Harbors, MN
Voyageurs National Park, Rainy Lake – Lyle Mine© National Park Service · Public domain
Editor's pick
Nature

Voyageurs National Park, Rainy Lake

International Falls, MN
Gooseberry Falls State Park - Fall Colors (22287367439)© Tony Webster from San Francisco, California · CC BY-SA 2.0
Editor's pick
Nature

Gooseberry Falls State Park

Two Harbors, MN
Mississippi Headwaters, Itasca State Park – Mississippi Headwaters at Itasca State Park, Minnesota (35241005551)© Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Editor's pick
Nature

Mississippi Headwaters, Itasca State Park

Park Rapids, MN
Canal Park and Aerial Lift Bridge – Gichi-gami Gathering to Stop Line 3 (48822589381)© Fibonacci Blue from Minnesota, USA · CC BY 2.0
Editor's pick
History

Canal Park and Aerial Lift Bridge

Duluth, MN
Paul Bunyan & Babe the Blue Ox – Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox© Kubber333 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Oddities

Paul Bunyan & Babe the Blue Ox

Bemidji, MN
Hull-Rust-Mahoning Mine View – 1927 White Greyhound bus at the Greyhound Bus Museum in Hibbing, Minnesota© Lorie Shaull · CC BY 2.0
History

Hull-Rust-Mahoning Mine View

Hibbing, MN
If you are injured, no matter how little, tell your foreman right away Soudan Underground Mine State Park Minnesota (36201678176)© Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
History

Soudan Underground Mine State Park

Soudan, MN
International Wolf Center, Ely (18783399600)© Sharon Mollerus · CC BY 2.0
Nature

International Wolf Center

Ely, MN
Radio Antenna on Palisade Head, Minnesota - North Shore (30901819097)© Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY 2.0
Views

Palisade Head

Silver Bay, MN
Icy Shores of Lake Superior - Tettegouche State Park, Minnesota (33524208458)© Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY 2.0
Nature

Tettegouche State Park

Silver Bay, MN
Temperance River State Park – Temperance River falls upstream© Thesavagenorwegian · CC BY 4.0
Nature

Temperance River State Park

Schroeder, MN
Grand Portage State Park (High Falls) – Grand Portage State Park High Falls Boardwalk - Northern Minnesota (37085760274)© Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Nature

Grand Portage State Park (High Falls)

Grand Portage, MN
Minnehaha Falls – 2 Behind the frozen falls© Lorie Shaull · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nature

Minnehaha Falls

Minneapolis, MN
Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site – Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum© McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site

Little Falls, MN
Mill City Museum 21 view of Saint Anthony Falls, Lock, and Dam© Runner1928 · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Mill City Museum

Minneapolis, MN
Forest Trail at Jay Cooke State Park, Minnesota (44100813921)© Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY 2.0
Nature

Jay Cooke State Park

Carlton, MN
Pipestone Carving at Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota (22a548c3-2613-4ece-a809-bb5752052494)© NPS staff · Public domain
History

Pipestone National Monument

Pipestone, MN
Mississippi River in Lanesboro, MN© Be Here Main Street · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Lanesboro

Lanesboro, MN
Historic Downtown Stillwater – Downtown Stillwater Main St N 100 block© McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Historic Downtown Stillwater

Stillwater, MN
Display at the Spam Museum, Austin, Minnesota© Myotus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Oddities

SPAM Museum

Austin, MN

FAQs

What are the best road trips in Minnesota?

Popular routes include Minnesota North Woods: iron mines to Voyageurs, Minnesota’s North Shore: waterfalls and cliffs to Grand Portage, Up the Mississippi to its source at Lake Itasca and Waterfalls, lighthouses and northern forest – by camper along the Minnesota North Shore of Lake Superior. CampingSpirit has 8 trip guides that pass through Minnesota, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map.

Which places in Minnesota are worth a detour?

Our editors recommend Split Rock Lighthouse, Voyageurs National Park, Rainy Lake, Gooseberry Falls State Park, Mississippi Headwaters, Itasca State Park and Canal Park and Aerial Lift Bridge.

Nearby

Wisconsin 7Iowa 6Michigan 7Manitoba 3North Dakota 3Illinois 10South Dakota 5Nebraska 5