Popular Minnesota Overlook On Lake Superior To Reopen To Traffic Soon

Back in August, the route to a very popular scenic overlook on the Lake Superior North Shore in Northern Minnesota was shut down to vehicular traffic, creating a significant limitation for people hoping to visit the destination.

As we shared a few weeks ago, the road leading from Minnesota Highway 61 up to the Palisade Head scenic overlook just north of Silver Bay has been closed to the public since August 12, with plans to reopen this fall.

Visitors could still get up to the overlook on foot by hiking from the parking area just off Highway 61 up to the popular viewpoint that offers panoramic views of Shovel Point, the North Shore, and Lake Superior.

The roughly 1-mile walk uphill, climbing over 100 feet to get to the viewpoint from the parking area, left a lot of people waiting for the road to reopen.

We now have an update on the situation.

Why was the road to Palisade Head overlook closed?

As the Minnesota DNR explained on the Tettegouche State Park website, the road was closed down in mid-August to allow painting crews to repaint the radio tower near the parking area at the top of Palisade Head.

The DNR said in this announcement that the road would be closed "through the end of September", but they haven't provided an update since then on their website.

Despite that, there has been a notice posted at the parking area with more information.

When will the road to Palisade Head Overlook reopen?

A sign attached to the gate by the DNR at the entrance to the road to get up to Palisade Head explains that the project, which started on August 12, is expected to conclude on Friday, September 27.

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This means that unless there is an unexpected delay, the road up to the popular viewpoint should be open for the weekend after being closed to vehicular traffic for over a month.

What to know if you're visiting Palisade Head for the first time

If you saw this story and thought it would be something neat to check out this fall, you're absolutely right!

The views are spectacular any time of year, but as fall colors continue to develop and get closer to peak in the upcoming days, seeing the fall colors dotting the shoreline from above is absolutely stunning.

If you want to visit this viewpoint, there are a couple of things to know.

First, the road to get up to the overlook is narrow and winding, heading uphill toward the viewpoint. The road is basically a one-way road, and you need to drive slowly and be prepared to move over to allow vehicles coming from the other direction to pass by. Driving with extra care around the many corners is very important due to this narrow road.

Especially large vehicles are a bad idea. If you're pulling a trailer or driving an RV, driving up is not a good idea.

Finally, parking is very limited. There are only a handful of parking spots and being the road is narrow, parking along the road's edge is not an option. That said, it is a good idea to be aware of how busy it is and don't stay for an exceedingly long time so the next vehicle can park after you leave.