Minnesota State Highway 61

Minnesota State Highway 61 is a highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from the junction of Interstate Highway 35 and Minnesota 61 in Duluth (at 26th Avenue East) and continues northeast to its northern terminus at the U.S.-Canadian border near Grand Portage. The roadway becomes Ontario Highway 61 upon entering Canada at the Pigeon River Bridge, and terminates at the Trans-Canada Highway in Thunder Bay. Minnesota Highway 61 is 149 miles (240 km) in length.

The route is a scenic highway, following the North Shore of Lake Superior, and is part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour designation that runs through Minnesota, Ontario, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

This roadway was designated U.S. Highway 61 up until 1991. This highway (then U.S. 61) is the road that musician Bob Dylan referred to in the album and song Highway 61 Revisited.

The North Shore Scenic Drive is an All-American Road scenic byway designated route that follows Saint Louis County Road 61 / Lake County Road 61 / State Highway 61 (formerly U.S. 61) from the city of Duluth, Minnesota to the Canadian border near Grand Portage. The route stays close to the rocky North Shore of Lake Superior, offering spectacular vistas of the lake to the southeast as it skirts along the foothills of the Sawtooth Range to the northwest.

Route and features

Minnesota Highway 61 serves as a northeast–southwest route in northeast Minnesota between Duluth, Two Harbors, Silver Bay, Grand Marais, and the Canadian border.

21 miles (34 km) of Highway 61 from Duluth to Two Harbors is a four-lane expressway officially designated the Arthur Rohweder Memorial Highway. There are no markers on the highway showing this designation, but there is a plaque at a wayside.

The roadway is located close to and in many places next to Lake Superior. Sights include forests, wildlife, cliffs, state parks, and a national monument.

Forests

Highway 61 passes through the Superior National Forest and the Grand Portage State Forest in Cook County.

State Parks

The following state parks are located on Highway 61:

• Gooseberry Falls State Park is located 13 miles (21 km) northeast of Two Harbors in Lake County.^[2]
• Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is located in Lake County between Two Harbors and Silver Bay.^[3]
• Tettegouche State Park is located in Lake County at the base of the Baptism River. The park is located immediately northeast of Silver Bay.^[4]
• Temperance River State Park is located immediately northeast of Schroeder in Cook County.^[5]
• Cascade River State Park is located in Cook County between Lutsen and Grand Marais.^[6]
• Judge C. R. Magney State Park is located on the banks of the Brule River. The park is located 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Grand Marais in Cook County.^[7]
• Grand Portage State Park is located in Cook County on the banks of the Pigeon River. The town of Grand Portage is nearby.^[8]

Landmark

The Grand Portage National Monument is located adjacent to the town of Grand Portage on Highway 61.^[9]

Features

A listing of more attractions located on or near Highway 61 is at North Shore (Lake Superior).

Termini

The southern terminus for Minnesota 61 is its junction with Interstate Highway 35 in Duluth in northeast Minnesota.
(Located in Duluth at 26th Avenue East, this is also the national northern terminus for I-35.)

The northern terminus for Minnesota 61 is at the U.S.-Canadian border (near Grand Portage, Minn.), where it becomes Ontario Highway 61 upon entering Canada at the Pigeon River Bridge.

History

Minnesota Highway 61 was designated and signed in 1991. The roadway was originally part of U.S. Highway 61 from 1926 to 1991.

After construction of I-35 in the 1960s, U.S. 61 was co-signed with I-35 until 1991. During that year, U.S. 61 was decommissioned from the Canadian border south to its present day junction with I-35 at the city of Wyoming, Minn. (near Forest Lake). The section of U.S. 61 north of Duluth was re-designated Minnesota 61 that same year.

Minnesota 61 is one of three state marked highways to carry the same number as an existing U.S. marked highway within the state, the others being Highways 65 and 169.

Early History

Highway 61 (between Duluth and the Canadian border) was commissioned as part of U.S. Highway 61 in 1926, ready for use by 1929, and paved by 1940.

The section of Highway 61 from Hovland to the Pigeon River formerly ran inland, bypassing Grand Portage. The new highway alignment and border crossing were constructed in the early 1960s.

The Highway 61 expressway between Duluth and Two Harbors was constructed inland in the 1960s. The state then turned over management of the original U.S. 61 (between Duluth and Two Harbors) to Saint Louis and Lake counties. The two counties then re-designated this section as "County 61 / Scenic 61".

Major intersections

See also

• North Shore (Lake Superior)
• Saint Louis County Road 61 – Scenic 61
• Lake County Road 61 – Scenic 61

References