Split Rock Lighthouse – Two Harbors, Minnesota

Even if you’re not from Minnesota/Wisconsin, you’ve probably seen photos of the Split Rock lighthouse, as it’s one of the most famous lighthouses in the world. Isn’t that crazy? One of the most recognized lighthouses in the world is surprisingly located in a landlocked Midwestern state.

Details:

Location:
Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
3755 Split Rock Lighthouse Road
Two Harbors, MN 55616

Getting here is a relatively quick drive from Duluth and the state park in which it’s located is right off of Highway 61. I’ve visited this lighthouse several times, including on holiday weekends and never had any issues finding parking.

One quick note: This “Split Rock Lighthouse” area is actually two separate entities – the Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and the Split Rock Lighthouse Historical Site. If you want to go right up to the lighthouse and explore its surrounding grounds/museum, you will have to pay the admission fee at the gift shop, which, because it’s operated by the Minnesota Historical Society, is not covered by an annual State Park Pass. Note: If you are doing the Minnesota North Shore road trip up Highway 61 up to the Canadian border, the MN State Park pass is a great investment – the best, most scenic & unique state parks in the state are located along this stretch of road – there are eight of them, so you’ll get your money’s worth!

If you just want to snap photos of the lighthouse/don’t care to visit the museum (and I don’t blame you because, frankly, it’s a rip off!) and you have a MN state park pass, it is accepted – you just need to follow the signs for the campground and hiking trail access when you enter.

Admission for the museum/lighthouse grounds is a whopping $9 per adult, which I felt was really steep, but I have a “thing” for lighthouses, so I paid. After you pay your fee, you’re given a wee little orange button (without a pin) that you have to somehow attach to your clothing to prove to everyone that you paid. Once you’re all buttoned up, you can proceed through the doors to get to the lighthouse. Don’t even try pulling a fast one, Frank Abagnale — there’s a bouncer at the door who checks for buttons, so don’t think you can pull the wool over their eyes and sneak in for free.

Time commitment:
Depends. If you want the full experience – tour, movie, walking the steps down to Lake Superior, you’ll need about 2 hours.

If you’re just taking photos on state park grounds, 30 minutes.

If you want a FREE quick roadside pullout photo, 5-10 minutes. Roadside pullout location is at the bottom of this article.

Visiting the Split Rock Lighthouse

A guided tour and a movie are both included in your admission fee, but we opted out of both. I’m not a fan of movies (I like lighthouses but a movie on the history of a lighthouse would likely put me to sleep) and I really didn’t want a guided tour, so we opted to explore on our own

The staff members manning the lighthouse are all dressed in (what I assumed to be) traditional lighthouse keeper clothing. I mean, it looked like something a lighthouse keeper would wear — think Downton Abbey butler meets train conductor. You can climb the stairs to the top of the lighthouse and get a great view of Lake Superior. Additionally, you can explore the lighthouse keeper’s quarters to get a glimpse of what life was like when someone manned this place. I have to be honest here; I didn’t find it very compelling. I really just wanted to take pictures of the lighthouse and get on with my day.

The best part of this state park is the view you get when you take the steps down to the beach. This is a workout – it’s a steep, 170+ stairs down to Lake Superior, but the payoff is worth it. This is where you, too, can get that postcard-worthy traditional Split Rock Lighthouse photo.

Visit Split Rock Lighthouse – for free

If you’re interested in just taking photos of the Split Rock Lighthouse from afar, you can do so for free at a specific pullout on Highway 61. “Split Rock Lighthouse Scenic Overlook.” The view you can get looks like this:

This photo (above) is taken with a 400mm lens. If you’re taking photos with your phone, you’re going to get something more like below:

If you’re just coming here for photography, and don’t mind being constrained to one composition, the scenic overlook might be all you need. If you are interested in learning the history of the Split Rock Lighthouse and all its nuances, then you’ll want to hit up the historical site.

For me, personally, I’ve seen the inside of tons of lighthouses and they’re all basically the same – so this overlook is good enough. I don’t feel the need to pay admission to the historical site again – been there, done that, but if you want to frame your photos with the Lake Superior shoreline in the foreground, you’ll have to enter the either the state park or pay for admission at the historical site.

Split Rock Lighthouse Pros and Cons

Pros:
It’s a gorgeous lighthouse – a photographer’s dream
You can photograph it for free from a nearby scenic overlook
If you have a MN state park pass, it’s accepted at the trail parking spots and campgrounds. (Follow signs – go to the right when the road splits at the entrance)
You can visit the gift shop without paying admission
Easy to visit location, right off of

Cons:
At $9/per person, admission gets expensive
Museum/tours will put you to sleep. zzzz.

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