Boating on Minnesota portion of Lake Superior
Minnesota's Lake Superior shoreline-rugged and scenic-has for decades been a recreational destination for travelers from throughout the Upper Midwest. Numerous parks, trails, forests, resorts and related tourist facilities have been developed along the shore to serve the recreating public. Most of these facilities have been land-based, with the Lake largely appreciated from shore.
In recent years, attention has focused on more fully opening up the Lake to recreational boating, from sea kayaking to sailing to multi-day trips from port to port. Lake Superior offers Minnesota recreational boaters a truly big-water experience, not dissimilar to big-water experiences in coastal areas.
Providing for recreational boating on the Minnesota portion of Lake Superior, however, is more challenging than on Minnesota's numerous inland lakes and streams. The rugged shore, coupled with occasional large waves, means that launch facilities and marinas need protection from the Lake. In addition, Lake Superior waters are quite cold and the weather can be unpredictable. At times, boaters need sheltered places to get off the Lake in an emergency due to weather or other boating-related problems.
To better understand Minnesota Lake Superior boating, the Minnesota DNR conducted a study during the summer of 2002. No similar study, to our knowledge, had been conducted for the Minnesota portion of Lake Superior. The study was designed to answer a wide variety of questions, from the amount and origin of boating, to the experiences boaters had on the water, to facility preferences and future needs of boaters.
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