Fall Color and Events – Duluth & North Shore

What’s Happening in Duluth and along the North Shore in the fall

Duluth September Events

The Duluth-North Shore fall season begins the second weekend of September with Duluth’s annual LakeWalk Festival. See more about Duluth’s Lakewalk here. Later that month the annual Oktoberfest will be held in Duluth’s Bayfront Park. German Beer & Food, Oktoberfest games like Hammerschlagen, Polka music, and more. That same weekend you can visit Hawk Ridge for the fall raptor migration and also enjoy the special programs of the annual Hawk Ridge Hawk Weekend Festival.

Steam Locomotive #2719
Steam Locomotive #2719 makes the trip between Two Harbors and Duluth, Minnesota

Duluth October Events

In October weekends, until mid0October, the North Shore Scenic Railways Fall Color Train will be running its scenic fall color trip between Duluth and Two Harbors. A few years ago they used to run this trip with Steam Locomotive #2719 but now it is Diesel powered – but still a fun trip. If you love old-time railroading, you’ll really enjoy visiting the Lake Superior Railroad Museum at the Depot. Another fun activity in Duluth is touring the S.S. William Irvin when it is turned into a haunted ship in honor of Halloween. The historic Glensheen Manor will also be running some special Halloween-oriented programs, Oct. 20-22nd & Oct. 27th – 30th.

Fall migration count, Hawk's Ridge
Fall Migration Raptor Count at Hawk Ridge
Fall picture from Hawk's Ridge, Duluth, MN
View from Duluth’s Hawk Ridge late September

North Shore Fall Color

While there aren’t any major events along the North Shore during September and October, fall color begins mid-September and continues into mid-October. A great time to visit and enjoy the villages like Two Harbors and Grand Marais when the towns are less crowded with summer tourism. Also a great time to get out on the hiking trails of the Superior Hiking Trail Association for “bugless” hikes and great scenery. This fall Jo and I will their Seven Summits Challenge hiking to 5 of the top 7 peaks overlooking Lake Superior. We’ll have some pictures of our trips later. You can keep track of our reports on the progress of fall color along the North Shore on our SuperiorTrails Fall Color Report page.

For more on Duluth and Minnesota’s Lake Superior North Shore go to SuperiorTrails Lake Superior Travel Directory.

Maybe we’ll see you along the North Shore this fall?

Cheers, Roscoe and Jo

roscoetrails@gmail.com