Minnesota's Best Scenic Overlooks

Minnesota's finest overlooks are on the North Shore's basalt cliffs and the Mississippi River bluffs of southeastern Minnesota.

Shovel Point (Tettegouche SP)
The definitive Minnesota overlook — a 175-foot basalt escarpment above Lake Superior, accessible via a 2-mile round trip trail from the park entrance. The view along the North Shore (northeast toward Canada, southwest toward Duluth) and across the open lake is the finest in Minnesota. Peregrine falcons nest on the cliff face.

Palisade Head (North Shore, near Silver Bay)
A rhyolite escarpment accessible by car (a short paved road to a parking lot at the cliff edge) — the view from the 348-foot cliff encompasses the open lake, the North Shore mountains, and the Sawtooth Range. Climbers use the face; the overlook is immediately accessible from the car.

Great River Bluffs State Park (Winona)
On the Mississippi River bluffs above Winona — the King's Bluff and Queen's Bluff overlooks rise 500 feet above the Mississippi River valley, giving views of the braided river channel, the Wisconsin bluffs across the water, and Lock and Dam No. 5a. The Mississippi River valley from this elevation is extraordinary.

Sugarloaf Mountain Overlook (Winona)
A 500-foot limestone butte rising from the Mississippi River floodplain — the overlook from Sugarloaf (accessible by a short but steep trail from the Winona riverfront) gives views north and south along the river valley.

Iron Range Vista (Hull-Rust Mine Viewpoint, Hibbing)
The overlook above the Hull-Rust-Mahoning open pit mine — the mine is 4 miles long, 2 miles wide, and 600 feet deep. The viewpoint gives a scale-defying view into one of the largest excavations on Earth. The layered geological strata visible in the pit walls and the enormous equipment (shovels 200 feet high) make this an extraordinary industrial overlook.