Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the northernmost, westernmost and highest of the Great Lakes. It straddles the Canada–United States border, with Minnesota on its western shore. It is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, about 31,700 square miles. Its average depth is 483 feet and its maximum depth is 1,333 feet. The lake drains into Lake Huron through the St. Marys River, and from there through the lower Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence River. Minnesota's shoreline runs about 150 miles from St. Louis Bay in Duluth to the Pigeon River at the Canadian border, through St. Louis, Lake and Cook counties. Most of the North Shore's bedrock formed from lava flows about 1.1 billion years ago and was later scoured by glaciers.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources maintains a chain of small craft harbors and protected accesses along the shore. From southwest to northeast these include the McQuade safe harbor, a three-acre basin with four ramps near Duluth, and the Knife River Harbor & Marina. Further northeast are the Two Harbors access inside the commercial harbor, the Silver Bay Harbor marina in a seven-acre basin, the Grand Marais access, Horseshoe Bay Access, and a privately owned marina in Grand Portage Bay. The shoreline is also a state water trail for sea kayaks. The DNR describes the open water as unprotected and windswept and does not recommend canoes.

Lake trout is the most common game fish. Steelhead, chinook and pink salmon also run into the tributary streams. Since 1969 the DNR has surveyed North Shore anglers each year, with a focus on lake trout, chinook and coho salmon.