BLACK BEACH: MINNESOTA'S UNEXPECTED BLACK SAND BEACH

When researching beaches along Minnesota's North Shore, Black Beach in Silver Bay kept appearing on every list of places worth seeing. A black sand beach on Lake Superior? Of course I had to see it for myself.

I've always been fascinated by unusual beaches. Every once in a while, you hear about a beach with pink, green, red, or even black sand, so finding one along the North Shore of Minnesota immediately caught my attention.

And Black Beach definitely lives up to its name.

The dark shoreline against the blue waters of Lake Superior and the surrounding rocky cliffs makes this beach unlike any of the other places we visited along the North Shore.

Why Is Black Beach Black?

The unusual color of Black Beach has a fascinating connection to Minnesota's mining history.

The beach is made up largely of taconite tailings, the crushed rock left over from processing taconite, a low-grade iron ore found extensively in northern Minnesota.

Mining operations in Silver Bay once discharged taconite tailings into Lake Superior. That practice began in the 1950s and continued until 1980, when the discharge was stopped following years of environmental and legal battles.

Today, those dark remnants of Minnesota's mining history help give Black Beach its distinctive appearance.

Standing there, it's hard not to think about how much the North Shore has changed over the years. What was once part of a controversial chapter in the region's mining history has become one of the most unusual beaches to visit along Lake Superior.

And for someone who loves finding different and unexpected places while traveling, this was exactly the kind of stop I was looking for.

A Beach Unlike the Others

Black Beach isn't a typical Minnesota beach.

Instead of pale sand, you'll find a striking dark shoreline backed by rugged rock and surrounded by the forests of the North Shore. It's especially photogenic when the sunlight hits the water and contrasts with the dark beach.

GETTING TO BLACK BEACH

When I originally visited, many of the directions I found online said visitors had to park along the road and walk to the beach. Some older information also described the property as privately owned and fenced.

That information is outdated.

The City of Silver Bay and the Minnesota DNR entered into an agreement with Northshore Mining that created legal public access to the Black Beach shoreline. The beach officially opened to the public in 2015.

Today, Black Beach is recognized as a public beach in Silver Bay and is included in Minnesota's Lake Superior Beach Monitoring Program.

The beach is located just off Highway 61 near Silver Bay. Current visitor information places the access near Lakeview Drive, with the Black Beach Municipal Campground at 200 W. Lakeview Drive, Silver Bay, Minnesota 55614.

The Minnesota DNR also lists Black Beach Access as a carry-in access with parking and a rest area.

So unlike some of the more strenuous North Shore stops, Black Beach is a relatively easy place to add to a road trip.