Living on Minnesota Point -

If you’re loooking for a really neat spot to live for a bit while in Duluth, Lakehead Boat Basin on Minnesota Point might be the RV park for you. Jodie, the owner, told Andrew that they normally book up pretty far in advance. We were only able to get in, last minute, because we arrived at the beginning of April (basically, still winter here) and she happened to have an open space without a sailboat stored for the winter. Very lucky for us!

the Aerial Lift Bridge is in the background. The view has Duluth in the background and some construction between. — Aerial Lift Bridge

Kona sniffing pipes along the walkway at Lakehead Boat Basin. Our RV and the sail boats are parked in the background. — Aerial Lift Bridge

RV Park

Lakehead Boat Basin is a winter sailboat storage and summer RV park. During the late spring through early fall there is 50 amp electrical hookups, and water at each site. The dump station is near the front entrance by the Marriott hotel (which is also a part of this property). We (understandably) didn’t have access to water in our site because it was below freezing almost every night. Here, the water pipes are run above ground. The PEX pipes in our rig even froze on one particularly cold, and windy night!

RV Life

Being resourceful, we found ways to fill our 5 gallon water jug and then add the water to our tank. We also made use of the inexpensive off-season rates at nearby hotels for hot tubs, saunas, pools, doing laundry by hand in the bathtub in the room. We simply brought our wet clothes home to use our dryer, and hang dry inside. We have learned to be resourceful and flexible. By using a hotel for a night we get all the above amenities plus a continental breakfast for the price of a massage or a spa for one person. We don’t even sleep in the room – Kona needs us in our bed so she can rest at night.

Andrew and Gigi are next to a tree trunk that likely washed up onto the beach. — Gigi’s last beach walk🐾🐾

Lake Superior

The views on Minnesota Point in early spring are wide open and beautiful on the Basin and Lake side. We enjoyed walking about a quarter a mile away from the RV to the beach public access on Lake Superior. The ice was all along the shore and even heaved the sand up several feet. One warm day (when it was a high of 40 degrees) we walked from the RV to Park Point Recreation Area and back. To the park entrance and back is about 7 miles. It’s beautiful to walk along the lake!

Ice chunks on the beach appear to be sinking into the sand leaving little sink holes. — The frost appears to be leaving sink holes in the sand.

Huge ice chunks make a little cave where water can be seen between them. Ice is covering the water in the foreground. — The frost appears to be leaving sink holes in the sand.

Minnesota Point

When we first arrived, the Duluth Harbor Basin was covered in ice. As April wore on it melted and broke apart mostly thanks to the ice breaker that opened up Lake Superior and allowed the ships to begin coming into the Basin. Across the Basin is Rice’s Point where there was some construction by the Army Corps of Engineers, and a bit further away is Wisconsin. After the sun sets we see the hillside of Duluth lit up in lights. It’s quite beautiful.

In the dark of night the sky is a blue-black. From Lakehead Boat Basin, the city of Duluth is twinkling lights with reflection in the water. — Evening lights of Duluth

In the dark of night the sky is a blue-black. From Lakehead Boat Basin, the city of Duluth is twinkling lights with reflection in the water. The lift bridge is lit and shines in the dark. — Evening lights of Duluth

Aerial Lift Bridge to Minnesota Point

Looking across Rice’s Point we could see the over 100 year-old Aerial Lift Bridge. This bridge lifts the entire roadway and sidewalk straight up to allow ships to pass. When we first arrived, there was no reason to lift the bridge because there was ice on the lake. After it was broken up, there were days with as many as five ships moving in and out of the Basin. I have not seen another bridge like this before and it was really fun to watch – except if you’re waiting in traffic to get across to get home on Minnesota Point!

Andrew and Lara with Lake Superior in the background. — These were photos of the lake and the Aerial Lift Bridge from the path along the lake.

Aerial Lift Bridge from a distance - looking across Lake Superior at Minnesota Point. — These were photos of the lake and the Aerial Lift Bridge from the path along the lake.

While living on Minnesota Point, in early spring, we experienced wicked winds, snow, sleet, rain. There were a few beautiful sunny, yet cold days. This was only the second time we visited Duluth and getting to live near the Canal Park area was fun. I think it would be a lot nicer in the summer, though!