- Road trips from Minneapolis at a glance
- 1. Minneapolis to the Great River Road
- 2. Minneapolis to Duluth and the North Shore
- 3. Minneapolis to Itasca State Park
- 4. Minneapolis to the Apostle Islands
- 5. Minneapolis to Ely and the Boundary Waters
- 6. Minneapolis to Door County
- 7. Minneapolis to Voyageurs National Park
- 8. Minneapolis to the Black Hills and Badlands
- How to choose between them
- Planning notes for driving out of Minneapolis
- Related planning
- Road trips from Minneapolis: FAQ
- What this page does not claim to know
Minneapolis has the shortest usable road-trip season of any large American city and one of the best payoffs inside it. Lake Superior's north shore, the Boundary Waters and a national park reachable only by boat all sit within five hours, and most of them work properly for about four months.
The organising fact here is the calendar. From roughly June to early October these routes are excellent; outside that, several stop making sense entirely, and winter turns the northern ones into a different and more serious kind of trip. Each entry below leads with that window, then with the nights it needs.
Road trips from Minneapolis at a glance
| # | Where you end up | One-way distance | Typical drive | Nights | Best window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Great River Road and the Driftless bluffs | About 120-160 miles | About 2-3 hours | 2 nights | October, and May to June |
| 2 | Duluth and the North Shore | About 155-260 miles | About 2.5-4.5 hours | 2-3 nights | June to early October |
| 3 | Itasca State Park and the Mississippi headwaters | About 210 miles | About 3.5 hours | 2 nights | June to September |
| 4 | Bayfield and the Apostle Islands | About 240 miles | About 4-4.5 hours | 2-3 nights | June to September |
| 5 | Ely and the Boundary Waters | About 230 miles | About 4 hours | 3 nights | June to September |
| 6 | Door County, Wisconsin | About 350 miles | About 5.5-6 hours | 3 nights | June to October |
| 7 | Voyageurs National Park | About 280 miles | About 4.5-5 hours | 3 nights | June to September |
| 8 | The Black Hills and Badlands | About 490-600 miles | About 8-9.5 hours | 4-5 nights | Late May to September |
Distances and drive times are approximate. They are door-to-door estimates for the most direct sensible route, rounded, and they exclude traffic, construction, weather and stops. Treat them as planning figures for deciding how many nights you need, not as a schedule.
1. Minneapolis to the Great River Road
South-east of the city the Mississippi enters a valley of wooded bluffs several hundred feet high, land the last glaciation missed. The road along it through Red Wing, Wabasha and Winona to La Crosse is one of the best short scenic drives in the Midwest, and in October the bluffs colour from the top down.
The route: US-61 south-east through Red Wing and Wabasha to Winona, then on to La Crosse, crossing to the Wisconsin side for the return via WI-35. Great River Bluffs State Park and Barn Bluff at Red Wing are the two best viewpoints.
The honest warning: the towns along the route are small with limited dining outside summer, and the October colour weekends fill their modest accommodation stock quickly. Best suited to autumn colour trips, and travellers wanting scenery without a long drive.
2. Minneapolis to Duluth and the North Shore
The single best drive out of Minneapolis. MN-61 runs along Lake Superior for 150 miles, past a string of state parks with waterfalls dropping to the lake, Split Rock Lighthouse on its cliff, and the Sawtooth hills rising inland. Duluth at the start is a working port with a lift bridge and a genuine sense of scale.
The route: I-35 north to Duluth, then MN-61 along the shore through Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock, Tettegouche and Temperance River to Grand Marais. Add the Gunflint Trail inland, and Palisade Head for the best cliff viewpoint.
The honest warning: late September and early October colour weekends book out the entire shore months ahead, and Lake Superior stays cold enough year-round that swimming is a brief novelty rather than an activity. Best suited to almost everyone, at any trip length from two nights upwards, which is why it is the default.
3. Minneapolis to Itasca State Park
You can step across the Mississippi at Itasca, where it leaves Lake Itasca as a stream a few feet wide, which is a genuinely satisfying thing to do given what it becomes. The park is Minnesota's oldest, with old-growth pine, a wilderness drive and a lodge, and it works well as a self-contained family base.
The route: I-94 west to St Cloud then US-71 north through Park Rapids to Itasca. Add the Paul Bunyan State Trail for cycling, and Bemidji half an hour north for the lakefront and a second night if wanted.
The honest warning: this is a single-park destination with limited variety and it is heavily oriented towards families, while the mosquitoes and black flies in June can be genuinely bad in the old-growth sections. Best suited to families with young children, cyclists, and travellers who like a lodge-based park stay.
4. Minneapolis to the Apostle Islands
Twenty-one islands off Wisconsin's northern tip, with sandstone sea caves that are the reason to come. In summer they are reached by kayak or tour boat from Bayfield, and the water is clear enough to see the rock shelves below. Madeline Island, the only inhabited one, takes a car ferry and makes a good overnight.
The route: I-35 north towards Duluth then WI-13 east to Bayfield. Take the Madeline Island ferry, and book a kayak trip or the Apostle Islands cruise for the mainland sea caves near Meyers Beach.
The honest warning: the famous ice caves require a hard freeze and safe lake ice, which happens only in occasional winters and cannot be planned for, while summer kayak trips are weather-dependent and cancel often. Best suited to kayakers and boat-trip travellers in summer, and anyone wanting islands rather than shoreline.
5. Minneapolis to Ely and the Boundary Waters
A million acres of interconnected lakes and portages where motors are banned across most of it, which makes the Boundary Waters the best canoe wilderness in the country. Ely is the outfitting town, and even without an overnight paddle you can day-trip into genuine roadless country and see the wolf and bear centres in town.
The route: I-35 north to Duluth then US-53 and MN-1 to Ely. Outfitters in town supply canoes, routes and permits. The Echo Trail north gives road access to several entry points for day paddling.
The honest warning: overnight travel in the wilderness area requires a quota permit that is competitive for popular entry points and is released on a fixed schedule, and June brings serious black flies and mosquitoes. Best suited to paddlers and campers with three nights, and travellers who want wilderness rather than a resort.
6. Minneapolis to Door County
A limestone peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan with five state parks, cherry orchards and a chain of harbour villages that reads more like coastal New England than the Midwest. It is the most complete resort region within a day's drive and the one that best suits travellers who want villages rather than wilderness.
The route: I-94 east through Eau Claire to Green Bay, then north on WI-57 to Sturgeon Bay and up the peninsula through Fish Creek and Ephraim to Gills Rock, with the Washington Island ferry at the top.
The honest warning: five and a half to six hours is a long drive for a three-night trip and the single road up the peninsula bottlenecks in July and August, while much of the accommodation closes by late October. Best suited to couples and families wanting a village-based resort area, and cyclists.
7. Minneapolis to Voyageurs National Park
The only national park in the country where the main routes are water rather than road. Voyageurs is a network of large interconnected lakes on the Canadian border, and seeing it means getting on a boat, whether a park tour, a rented houseboat or a canoe. The dark-sky quality here is exceptional.
The route: I-35 north then US-53 to International Falls and Kabetogama. Base at Kabetogama or Ash River, and book a park boat tour or a houseboat, since the visitor centres alone give little sense of the place.
The honest warning: without a boat you will see very little of this park, houseboats and tours book well ahead for the short season, and the biting insects in June and early July are genuinely severe. Best suited to travellers who will get on the water, houseboat groups, and dark-sky observers.
8. Minneapolis to the Black Hills and Badlands
The longest drive here and the most varied destination. The Badlands are an eroded moonscape of banded rock, and the Black Hills two hours west hold Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park's bison herds and the Needles Highway with its granite spires and one-lane tunnels. Together they make the strongest week-long trip from the city.
The route: I-90 west the whole way, stopping at the Badlands Loop Road before continuing to Rapid City. Base there for Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Needles Highway and Wind Cave, and add Devils Tower over the Wyoming line.
The honest warning: I-90 across South Dakota is a genuinely monotonous eight hours, the Sturgis motorcycle rally in early August fills the entire region at inflated prices, and summer afternoons in the Badlands are very hot with no shade. Best suited to travellers with four or five nights who want national parks and are prepared for a long interstate haul.
How to choose between them
If you have two nights, the North Shore is the answer nine times out of ten, and the tenth is October, when the Great River Road bluffs south of the city are closer and just as good.
If you have three nights, the choice is what kind of northern trip you want: Boundary Waters for wilderness and paddling, Apostle Islands for sea caves and boats, Voyageurs for water-based remoteness, or Door County for villages and a resort rhythm.
If you have four or five nights, the Black Hills and Badlands is the only entry that justifies them, and it is the one trip here that feels like a different region rather than a further stretch of the same lakes and forest.
Season is unusually decisive. June brings the worst of the black flies and mosquitoes in the north, late September and early October bring the best colour and the tightest accommodation, and from November the northern routes become a winter expedition rather than a road trip.
Planning notes for driving out of Minneapolis
- North Shore accommodation for late September and early October colour weekends books months ahead along the whole of MN-61. This is the single most competitive lodging window in the state.
- Boundary Waters overnight travel requires a quota permit for a specific entry point, released on a fixed schedule and competitive for the popular ones. Day paddling does not need one.
- Voyageurs is a water-access park. Without a boat tour, rental or canoe, most of it is simply not reachable, and both tours and houseboats book well ahead for a short season.
- The Apostle Islands ice caves need a sustained hard freeze and safe lake ice, which occurs only in some winters. They cannot be planned for in advance.
- Black flies and mosquitoes in June and early July are a genuine factor in the north, not a minor nuisance. Head nets are normal equipment in the Boundary Waters.
- The Sturgis rally in early August fills accommodation across the Black Hills and much of western South Dakota at heavily inflated prices. Avoid that week unless it is the reason you are going.
- Minnesota and Wisconsin both charge vehicle entry at state parks and both sell annual stickers that pay off quickly on a North Shore trip using several parks.
Related planning
- Best weekend getaways from Minneapolis, including the shorter and fly-to options
- Best weekend getaways from Chicago, which overlaps the Door County routing
- Best road trips in the world, for longer routes on this scale
Road trips from Minneapolis: FAQ
What is the best road trip from Minneapolis?
The North Shore of Lake Superior, at about two and a half hours to Duluth and four and a half to Grand Marais. MN-61 runs alongside the lake for 150 miles past a chain of state parks with waterfalls, which gives it more scenery per mile than anything else within a day's drive.
How far is the North Shore from Minneapolis?
Duluth, where the shore drive begins, is roughly 155 miles and about two and a half hours north on I-35. Grand Marais near the Canadian end is roughly 260 miles, or four to four and a half hours. Most people base in Duluth or Two Harbors for two nights, or Grand Marais for three.
Do you need a permit for the Boundary Waters?
For overnight trips into the wilderness area, yes. Permits are tied to a specific entry point, are released on a fixed schedule and are competitive for popular entries, so they need arranging well before the trip. Day paddling from road-accessible lakes along the Echo Trail does not require a quota permit.
When is the best time for a road trip from Minneapolis?
Late June to early October covers almost everything here. Late September and early October give the best colour on the North Shore and the Great River Road, though lodging is booked months ahead. June has the worst black flies and mosquitoes in the north, and from November the northern routes become winter trips rather than road trips.
How long does it take to drive to the Black Hills from Minneapolis?
Rapid City is roughly 600 miles, typically eight and a half to nine and a half hours on I-90 without stops, with the Badlands about an hour short of it. Because the drive is long and the region holds several parks, four or five nights is the realistic minimum for the trip to be worth it.
What this page does not claim to know
- Drive times are estimates for clear summer conditions. Winter driving on these routes is a substantially different proposition and the times do not apply.
- Permit schedules, boat tour availability and park entry fees change between seasons and need confirming for the year of travel.
- Autumn colour peaks vary by a week or more year to year and progress from north to south along the shore.
- The Apostle Islands ice caves depend on ice conditions that occur only in some winters and are never something to build a trip around.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
