A Solis 2nd Peak North Shore Excursion

True Minnesotans celebrate the changing seasons throughout the year, its kind of a “right of passage” to find joy in whatever our weather decides to throw at them. Hawaiian shirts & flip flops to arctic expedition gear can be found within the closet of every true Minnesotan. Fall…yep the time of the year to become “leaf peepers” (yes it is actually a thing) and hit the road to see the brilliance of the red, orange & yellow glow of the forested areas throughout the state. Now Leaf Peeping comes with a price, the growing crowds of EVERYONE else heading to the woods to take in the last bit of warmth and glow before the winter cold. Well, we have a Leaf Peeping Pro Tip - a savvy Minnesota fall traveler needs a few tricks to “beat the crowds”. Today’s trick is something North Shore, Minnesota locals refer to as the “2nd Peak”, which is an unofficial peak after the peak.

The 2nd Peak?

The first peak comes on or close to September 25th and includes many of the popular highland areas like Oberg Mountain & Lutsen ski area. Yes, literally a second secret fall color peak happens every season, which takes place about three weeks after the official fall color peak period reported by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This 2nd Peak can be found along a narrow band of land along the shores of Lake Superior called the North Shore. This year we hit it perfectly during the third weekend of October. This delayed fall color is due to a micro-climate caused by the large mass of water contained within Lake Superior. Micro-Climate!?! Yes, huge bodies of water throughout the world moderate the climate within the land areas near large masses of water. Scientifically the affect of this micro-climate can be basically understood by explaining a phenomenon called “specific heat”. All objects and surfaces throughout our planet have a specific heat, which is number indicating the amount of thermal energy needed to raise the temperature of materials. This can be easily experienced and understood at the beach during summer, it causes HOT sand and COOL water during the day and COOL Sand and WARM water during the evening. (Water = high specific heat & takes more time to gain and/or lose its temperature) Meaning, the waters of Lake Superior HOLD ON to its summer water temperatures & creates a micro climate of delayed weather for a 5ish mile wide band along the shoreline. OK - enough science nerd, but just remember that North Shore is “warmer” than the surrounding areas during colder seasons and “cooler” in the hotter months. By the way, this makes summer travel throughout the North Shore GLORIOUS when the southern areas of MN are being scotched by summer heat & humidity, but that is a entirely different story.

North Shore, Minnesota

The North Shore is a region of Minnesota situated on the western shoreline of the world’s largest freshwater lake by area, Lake Superior. Due to its massive size, a first time traveler to Lake Superior would surely believe they were on the shores of an ocean upon initial inspection, so it might be more fitting to refer to Lake Superior as an inland sea. Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes (there are 5 including Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario), stretching 350 miles from west to east, 160 miles from north to south, and boasts 2,800 miles of shoreline. Officially, the North Shore is narrow piece of land that hugs the lakes shoreline for 154 miles between the port city of Duluth and the Canadian border. The main artery for travelers is Highway 61, which literally has a lifetime of curiosities, scenic stops and adventures littered throughout. One can spend a lifetime exploring this shoreline, and yet can always find another unique experience.

A prospective North Shore traveler can find a treasure trove of “lists” and recommendations on what to do and see while traveling up and down the North Shore. We still pour over social media posts, online articles and printed media; plus listen to locals and fellow travelers every time we head up. Over the year we have made a list of locations that are not secrets, but more “Hidden in Plain sight”…meaning that these experiences are just overshadowed by the more popular destinations that, we feel, are over loved (aka crowded).

Out List of Hidden adventures/experiences…
The Pink Beach (Iona SNA)
Pellet Island
Illgen Falls
Palisade Head (YES you can drive a Solis up there)
Cedar Coffee Company
Hovland Dock
Kadunce River Wayside
Ely Peak/DWP Tunnel
Bean & Bear Lake Hike Loop SHT
Gunflint Trail (Late Fall 2nd Peak…zero people)
Poplar Haus Restaurant
Lockport Marketplace, Lutsen for Sour Dough Pancakes

Note: these are just a few of our hidden gems…and it is not a “how too”…come on, half the fun of new places is doing a bit of research and figuring out the “how to”! We guarantee that none of these will be hard to find with some basic research online & that the simple research process will make them feel more like your own because you guided yourself to them.

Who are we?

Hi! My name is Christian Gilbert and I have been an avid road adventurer, world traveler and an 8th Grade World Geography teacher for the past 24 years. I am a lifelong Minnesotan and have a deep love for travel, geography and learning about our world. My fiance and travel partner,Valerie Youngblood, is also a tried and true Minnesotan and is the absolute master at adventure research and logistics. Valerie works remotely in digital media and in her spare obsesses over Van Life food prep, storage, and presentation.

Valerie and I are brand new to the Winnebago family and are loving our decision to take the plunge. This past year we purchased a Solis National Park Edition Class B, with the main objective to GET MORE OUT OF our travel experiences. We have owned a campervan for years, but it was on an east coast trip this past summer (18 states, 4,500+ miles) with our twin 11 year olds (very faithful road warriors) that we decided that our old van no longer fit our unique travel happy family. We are a blended family, so don’t have our kids all the time, therefore the Solis with the “Pop Top” penthouse was the final deciding factor in the purchase of our eexpedition vehicle. We spent months pouring over websites, test drives, reading and watching countless campervan resources and ultimately decided to join the Solis clan. There are so many Winnebago features that “had us hooked”, but ultimately the flexibility of the Solis makes this the BEST adventure vehicle, that can transform to our ever changing needs throughout the year. We love the change of seasons, we are not deterred by any single type of weather and we find great joy in experiencing the landscape of the Minnesota, Canada & United States, so the Solis seems to be the perfect fit. Winnebago will be a great travel companion and we are excited to put on some miles in the years to come.

2024 Solis Adventure Plans - Utah National Parks Christmas, Out West Mountain Skiing, Spring Break in the Arkansas Hill Country, 4 Week Pacific Northwest/Canadian Rocky Summer Epic, Multiple Weekend Travel Hockey Tournaments & of course many trips up to the North Shore…stay tuned!

Happy Trails
Gilbert,Valerie & Mearl (Mearl = every van needs a name)

PS - I do apologize to all the MN Leaf Peepers out there who already knew about the “2nd Peak”, but my job as a Geographer is to spread the gospel of place & to get people out into the world to explore and learn! - G

Excursion Extras

How well do you know the Great Lakes?
#1 - Name the 5 Great Lakes from West to East
#2 - T/F There is enough water in Lake Superior to submerge North & South America in 1 foot of water?
#3 - What percentage of the world’s surface freshwater is contained in the  Great Lakes? 
#4 - The Great Lakes border 8 U.S. states...Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
How many Canadian provinces?
#5 - T/F Lake Superior is the Largest Freshwater lake in volume on  earth?
#6 - Approximate Age of the Great Lakes?
*answers can be found below

Arm Chair Adventure:
Hudson Bay Bound: Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic by Natalie Warren (Paddle Sports)
Alone at the Top: Climbing Denali in the Dead of Winter by Lonnie Dupre (Grand Marais/North Shore Local)
Monkeys on the Road: One family's vanlife adventure south in search of a simpler life by Hollendoner, Mary (Van Life)

Featured Food:
Chile-Lime Skillet Fajitas (see link below)
Van Life Tips
#1 - PreTrip Prep marinade, chop veggies & protein (store each in separate container)
#2 - marinade protein before heading out on days adventure (15min - 12 hours)
Reward = returning back to van with a flavor packed meal ready to be cooked/assembled in minutes!

Props to Local MN Food Blog “Plays Well with Butter”: Chile-Lime Fajitas

Great Lakes Quiz Answers:
#1 Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario #2 True #3 20% #4 One - Ontario #5 False (Lake Baikal, Russia) #6 10,000 years