Minnesota State Highway 61

Lake Superior Circle Tour North Shore Scenic Drive
Major junctions
South end	I-35 at Duluth
Major intersections	MN 1 at Illgen City
North end	Highway 61 near Grand Portage
Location
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Counties	St. Louis, Lake, Cook
Highway system
Minnesota Trunk Highway System Interstate US State Legislative Scenic
← US 61 → MN 62

Minnesota State Highway 61 (MN 61) is a 150.321-mile-long (241.918 km)

This roadway was designated U.S. Highway 61 (US 61) until 1991. US 61 ran from the Canadian border to New Orleans, and is the road to which musician and Duluth native Bob Dylan referred in the album and song Highway 61 Revisited.

The North Shore Scenic Drive is an

MN 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 MN 61 from Duluth to Two Harbors is a four-lane

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.

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

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]
• Pigeon River. The community of Grand Portage is nearby.^[8]

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History

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U.S. Highway 61
Location	Wyoming, MN—Canadian border
Existed	1926–1991

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

After construction of I-35 in the 1960s, US 61 was co-signed with I-35 until 1991. During that year, US 61 was decommissioned from the Canadian border south to its present-day junction with I-35 at the city of Wyoming near Forest Lake. The section of US 61 north of Duluth was redesignated MN 61 that same year.

MN 61 is one of three state marked highways to carry the same number as an existing U.S. Highway within the state; the others are MN 65 and MN 169.

From 1991 to 1997, MN 61 continued southwest on London Road beyond I-35 to 14th Avenue East, where southbound traffic then turned northwest to end at MN 23 which followed a one-way pair of 2nd Street East (eastbound) and 3rd Street East (westbound); northbound MN 61 began following 12th Avenue East south to London Road. Both routes were turned back to end at their respective I-35 junctions in Duluth in 1997.

Early history

MN 61, between Duluth and the Canadian border, was commissioned as part of US 61 in 1926, ready for use by 1929, and paved by 1940.

The section of MN 61 from

The MN 61 expressway between Duluth and Two Harbors was constructed inland in the 1960s. The state then turned over maintenance of the original US 61 between Duluth and Two Harbors to Saint Louis and Lake counties. The two counties then redesignated this section as CR 61 or Scenic 61.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
LSCT south / London Road / 26th Avenue	Southern terminus; I-35 exit 259; northern terminus of I-35; southern end of LSCT concurrency; road continues as London Rd. (former US 61 south)
	5.425	8.731	North Shore Scenic Drive (Scenic 61) / LSCT Spur to CSAH 61
LSCT Spur
	FFH 11 (Superior National Forest Scenic Byway )
	Illgen City	59.308	95.447	MN 1 west – Ely	Eastern terminus of MN 1
	Little Marais	65.271	105.043	Little Marais Road (CSAH 6)
CSAH 2 )
	CSAH 4 )
	Gunflint Trail (CSAH 12 )
	CSAH 16 )
Pigeon River		150.870	242.802	Grand Portage–Pigeon River Border Crossing
				LSCT north – Thunder Bay	Continuation into Canada; northern end of LSCT concurrency
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

See also

• Saint Louis County Road 61: Scenic 61
• Lake County Road 61: Scenic 61

Further reading

• Johnson, Nathan (2021). Highway 61 Through Minnesota.
  ISBN 9781467106931
  .

External links

• Media related to Minnesota State Highway 61 at Wikimedia Commons