ノースショアヘッドランズハウス-スペリオル湖の隠れ家

The 30 mile stretch of Lake Superior headlands near Beaver and Silver Bay hosts not just the dramatic Palisade Head, Split Rock Lighthouse, and the coastal cliffs of Tettegouche State Park, but also the hidden islets, bays, and headlands outside our windows that been visited by photographers and artists capturing what is unique about the wilds of the 'sculpted' North Shore.

This immediate stretch of land went on the market in the 1970s after its owner ran into financial headwinds that stopped its plan to build a major condominium - night club resort here. From that risky purchase in 1976 until finally having the resources to build on it starting 2005, the property was a magnificent campsite that never lost its magic for us. It was special enough to be an inspiring and renewing retreat regardless of where in the world we lived.

Two years of building from 2005-2007 was a construction marvel of cliffside construction on bedrock with the challenges of capturing the views, strict environmental guidelines, keeping it accessible to those with disabilities, and putting in our deep well, state of the art septic and other utilities. The result is a combination of location and function well worth the 30 years of planning.

The functional layout came about after I had to find rental houses for my own extended family reunions. Priorities became clear: make each bedroom delightful and functional with its own bathroom, have great gathering spaces including a kitchen where people want to be and can cook together, have multiple conversation 'corners' inside and out, keep it accessible for all abilities, invest in windows and mechanicals to keep it comfortable year-round, and scale it all to work well for uses ranging from a two-person weekend get-away to a weeks long retreat for ten.

Just 3.5 hours from the Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport and 1.5 hours from the Duluth airport, many of our guests fly in from afar and find it easy to drive up to the door year-round.

One frequent comment is how amazing it is to come for our magnificent shoreline, and then find that there are also dozens of world class waterfalls and ridgeline hiking trails in the area. I've hiked all 300+ miles of the Superior Hiking Trail and explored all the shore's state parks, but there is always a new mountain to climb, lake to discover, or waterfall to admire.

Even with our sense of north woods isolation, we are easy to reach year-round and we have the convenience of nearby stores and restaurants.

While summer and fall are well known as peak seasons on the North Shore, from late October to mid December, guests look forward to the drama of 20' waves crashing into the cliffs and the amazement of watching surfers catch the big ones in their wet suits. Our location right on the water, makes winter a surprising retreat from the frozen cold of much of the Midwest, as the blue water heats the air, and the blazing sun shines through blue skies into our south-facing windows. Winter sports are big on the North Shore, as is reading a good book by the fireplace. As the lake tries to freeze in February and March, the rapidly changing ice patterns take center stage for out toasty front row seats.