North Shore Scenic Railroad

The North Shore Scenic Railroad offers stunning excursions along the majestic western shore of Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, running from the port city of Duluth through some of the most dramatic freshwater coastline scenery in North America. Operating over former Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway trackage dating to the 1880s, the railroad carries passengers on daylong round trips to Two Harbors — the historic ore-shipping community at the heart of Minnesota’s Iron Range region — with breathtaking views of Lake Superior’s vast blue expanse, rocky shoreline bluffs, and dense boreal forest. The railroad is operated by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, which maintains a remarkable collection of iron ore railroad equipment, including the legendary Yellowstone steam locomotive, one of the most powerful steam locomotives ever built. The museum depot in the Duluth Union Station is itself a magnificent 1892 Richardsonian Romanesque landmark. Shorter pizza and dinner train excursions run north along the lakeshore from Duluth on weekends throughout the operating season. Winter Polar Express holiday trains are among the region’s most popular seasonal events. The Lake Superior Railroad Museum’s galleries within Union Station trace the extraordinary history of the Duluth and Iron Range railroads that made Minnesota an industrial giant.