I’m going to show you my personal 8 best spots to see the fall foliage in Minnesota. It’s no secret that so many people love the fall season, especially me. This autumn season, I chased down the best views with largest variety of vibrant colors, lets get started on our autumn foliage journey!
1. Skyline Parkway
This scenic byway begins just outside of the city of Duluth, Minnesota. It drives along the scenic North Shore which is a beautiful view of foliage. There are many pull outs along the way, overlooking all of the leaves, city, and Lake Superior. My favorite is the view of the Lift Bridge!
2. Hawks Ridge
This park is beautiful with a full 180 degree views of Lake Superior and the City of Duluth. It has dedicated bird watching stands with benches and informative staff. They have many hiking and biking trails. This road has seven bridges that you cross over as you venture throughout the entire park.
3. Palisade Head
This is such an amazing view, the parking lot is right behind this incredible view. This can be a tricky spot to find, you must be on the lookout for the sign signal “palisade head” near Silver Bay. Follow the steep road at the back of the parking lot up, and it’ll take you right to this view! The road up here is closed in the winter, but you can walk up!
4. Jay Cooke State Park
This state park has become one of Minnesota’s top state parks. It has plenty of overlooks of the Saint Louis River, and it’s rocky bed. This park has a beautiful swing bridge, and plenty of hiking trails. This is a really good dog hiking park, too!
5. Fort Snelling State Park
This is a very versatile park, with two entrances! I personally prefer the entrance off of Post Road, near the airport. There’s so many trails that go right by the Mississippi and Minnesota River, and even a lake that the airplanes take off and land right over!
6. Split Rock Lighthouse
This is a different type of state park located within Minnesota. You can tour the lighthouse and see the views of Lake Superior. This view in this photo was taken at the Rest Stop right before the park. Beautiful views of the lake, and tall rock formation walls.
7. Lake Bde Maka Ska (Calhoun)
This is one of the lakes that are considered part of the chain of lakes that are near Minneapolis. You can get views of downtown Minneapolis along the lake shore, with beautiful fall foliage.
8. Tettegouche State Park
This state park has a wide range of scenery. You can walk along the shore of Lake Superior and it’s rocky shore, while being near the Baptism River which leads to the Cascade waterfall.
