Tag Archives: Split Rock Lighthouse

Getting the Shot–Split Rock Lighthouse Under the Stars

After reserving my campsites at Split Rock Lighthouse last winter I began to explore different photographs I wanted to attempt to get. With several weeks passing pondering several ideas I finally decided I would love to capture the lighthouse under the Milkyway. The direction didn’t line up great but with the dark skies of the North Shore in Minnesota I expected to at least see a partial band of the our galaxy over Split Rock. Continuing my research I discovered the moon could be a problem as it would be nearing it’s full phase. Armed with this information I waited until the camping trip in June to make further preparations to capture the lighthouse at night.

The lighthouse from a distance

During the afternoon, while at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, I began to scout out potential locations and compositions. Starting from a distance I took a look at the overall scene attempting to figure out how much of Lake Superior I wanted in the photo and how much of the night sky I could get in a picture and still see the lighthouse well. From here I continued to move closer to the building as there was no way it would stand out this far away.

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As the afternoon was nearing the end and evening was about to take over, I continued to climb over the sharp granite of Lake Superior searching for an interesting place to set up later that night. I began to feel more confident in a location to start at once darkness arrived. It may work well but it could be less interesting once the moon broadcast its light over the landscape.

Adjusting the composition

Pressing on to find an alternative location or two I continued on closer to the lighthouse perched on top of a cliff overlooking the grand lake. Finding a couple more spots closer to Split Rock Lighthouse I was finally satisfied. Time had arrived to return to the campsite for a delicious dinner cooked over a fire and a little rest before journeying back during the night.

First photos under the stars

Now with a full stomach and the sun falling below the horizon it was getting time to head out. But now the days activities were beginning to wear on me and I was ready to crawl into my sleeping bag. In addition, the temperature was dropping quickly which had begun to penetrate through to my bones really causing me to question just how bad I wanted to go out with the camera underneath the dark sky. After fighting with myself for nearly 20 minutes I forced myself to get up, put on a coat, and grab the backpack containing my gear. Still reluctant to take the 15 minute walk to the lighthouse, I just kept putting one foot in front of the other until my motivation returned. I knew where I wanted to go and in no time I arrived. Scanning the scene now under moonlight, I became less convinced it was the spot for the photograph I wanted. Still I knew that if I didn’t pull out the camera and take a couple of shots I would likely not make it back here. What if this turns out to be the best location? After a few pictures, I wasn’t satisfied with my results.

A different camera position

The first thing I like to do is change my cameras orientation to see how that alters the scene. I liked this look better as the boulders became more prominent for a more complete picture. Still it wasn’t giving me the photograph I was after. The lower boathouse was a huge distraction under the near full moonlight and I couldn’t compose the shot in a way that the boathouse was removed and the lighthouse was located nicely. It was time to move closer as I suspected I would have to do. Under the moons illumination along with my flashlight I continued to crawl over the rocks slowly getting closer to the lighthouse and the cliff it guarded. By this time I was beginning to warm back up from my efforts to safely maneuver the rocky shoreline.

Getting closer to the Lighthouse

Finding a spot close enough to capture the lighthouse with stars above I scoured the shoreline seeking out boulders positioned in an interesting way to give me the picture I was attempting to capture. While doing this a voice called out from the dark. It was another photographer camped among the rocks photographing the Milkyway. Proof that each photographer sees things differently to create a unique picture. He had come here on a rare free night with no work the next day to capture the beautiful band of stars but having a difficult time due to the moon. I wanted to capture the Milkyway also but knew it would be a challenge due to the moon and altered my plan to use the moonlight to my advantage. It lit up the shoreline and lighthouse better than I could have expected creating a photograph that appears to have been taken during the day but then the stars shining above let you know it was not. It made for a scene very few people get to experience let alone photograph. It did take a bit of time to get an appropriate exposure due to this high light with a dark sky and water. Once I found a good exposure I kept snapping photos making little adjustments until I had what I thought would be a nice photograph. I actually like the picture above better than the one at the top of the post but that doesn’t show as well on the website which is why I used the landscape oriented picture for the post.

A faint view of the Milkyway over Lake Superior

I decided to snap a couple of pictures of the Milkyway shining dimly in the night sky just to see how it would turn out. Some time I hope to work with the photo a bit more and see if I can extrapolate this band of bright stars more. While talking with the other photographer, he mentioned that using a good telephoto lens you could actually capture Jupiter with its four visible moons. Once I was done with my session at the lighthouse I headed towards my car to retrieve my Sigma 200-500mm lens and attached it to the camera. After a little searching through the viewfinder I spotted Jupiter. Focusing in on it I could definitely make out four other objects around it. These must be the moons! Playing with the camera a bit I snapped some photos before decided I had enough fun and was now cold again and ready for sleep.

Jupiter with four of its moons

Splitrock Lighthouse State Park

The only full day at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and I wanted to make the most of it. Sunrise in the middle of June is about quarter after 5 in the morning. That’s a difficult choice to make while on vacation. Roll over and go back to sleep for a couple of hours or make yourself climb out of a warm sleeping bag to watch the sun rise over Lake Superior. Rising behind the lighthouse which is peering over a cliff? Clearly from the photo above I chose to get up, but it was not easy as I needed to be out of the tent before 5am to get to a good viewing spot. I rarely regret getting up after I begin moving and get out of the door. It’s such a peaceful beginning to a day. Quiet and calm, often times with a serene scene. You can here the wildlife around or in this case, listen to the waves of Lake Superior crashing softly into the shoreline under a foggy landscape. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful sunrise at the lighthouse. The fog was such a nice surprise definitely worth waking up early for as it rolled out over the big lake on this cool, summer morning.

A black sand beach near the lighthouse

As the sun continued higher in the sky, the fog disappeared revealing interesting black sand beaches in a more northern setting. I’ve been fortunate to visit a black sand beach in Hawaii a few years ago and what struck me as a little weird is that the black beach of Split Rock State Park was similar even though the sand was made of from different rock. Or maybe the rock is not that different as they are both volcanic, I believe, and both get pounded into small bits and pieces from the forces of water crashing over them. Thousands of miles separate these different black sand beaches and quite different environments but they are not all that different to walk on. On this morning I had the beaches to myself to enjoy for a little while. A great opportunity to take some pictures of these beaches with large pieces of granite interspersed among the sand while enjoying the peacefulness of the quiet part of the day.

Beautiful morning on the beach

Hungar was beginning make itself known at this point which became a bit annoying. It required heading back to the campsite to find food and that meant leaving the tranquil warming sun over this beautiful beach. I fought this hungar for awhile longer which was not as hard as I thought it might be. The many distractions of every part of the landscape helped immensely. While the sun’s intensity continued to grow, I shifted from taking in the overall landscape to focusing in on a bit more of the details. There where so many different interesting rock formations, colors, and textures. Seeing some orange ribbons of stone traveling from the shoreline into Lake Superior which become interrupted by waves splashing up as they meet the shoreline. I could have spent a lot more time just exploring these places on the beach but on to more important things like nourishment.

Rocks and waves

Much of the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon were spent exploring some of the nearby state parks I love to see like Tettegouche and Gooseberry before returning for some R & R. My intent was to return to my sleeping bag for a little more sleep because my intention for the night time was to attempt astrophotography over the lighthouse. With the sun setting just after 9 pm at this time of year it would be well after 10 pm before I could start photographing the stars. Shortly after my hit the pillow I could hear a lot of water splashing down on the shores of Lake Superior near the campsite. I figured it would go away in a few minutes but it persisted over and over again. Finally I decided to see what was going on and noticed ducks making all kinds of noise back and forth along the shoreline. Of course by the time I would grab the camera and get to the shore they would surely be gone. But they continued which allowed me to set up next to a tree and capture some pictures of male Common Mergansers chasing each other. No doubt over a female. This went on for over 45 minutes before they where out of range. I returned to the campsite to see if I could now get a little sleep. And very little it was before hunger once again forced an exit to the tent.

Common Mergansers chasing each other

As evening was approaching it was time to explore closer to the lighthouse to scout some possible locations for shooting the night sky. Viewing the lighthouse perched on top of a cliff looking out over this vast lake from the shores below really gave a different perspective of the Split Rock Lighthouse. One that I’d never seen before. It was so impressive from this angle. As luck would have it, there was such a nice blue sky with white, puffy clouds floating by for a great summer’s day picture. What made it even better is that the lighthouse was now closed to tours so there were very few people here in the area allowing for an even more relaxed time of exploring around the rocks along the shoreline.

Splitrock Lighthouse under a beautiful blue sky

With the sun getting even lower in the sky, it was time to return to the campsite for an evening fire as the air was growing colder. It was expected to get down into the upper 30’s Fahrenheit overnight which is a bit chilly when sleeping in a tent. The campfire would feel really good After a beautiful day exploring a small part of the North Shore. There’s so much more to Split Rock State Park than I had anticipated and this was only a portion of this park. There are other trails which I must return to explore another time.

A little island in Lake Superior on a calm morning

Camping at Split Rock Lighthouse

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is one of the most familiar locations visited when traveling to Minnesota’s North Shore. I have stopped there a few times to view the this iconic lighthouse a few times. Usually I would pull into an overlook for a few minutes to view it towering over Lake Superior. On one occasion I drove up into a visitor’s parking lot to see the building up close but never really stopped and participated in a tour of these structures. Until recently I didn’t really know there was more to this beautiful state park other than the lighthouse itself. A couple of years ago I saw pictures taken from places I wasn’t familiar with and began to wonder what I was missing.

View from the campsite - Lake Superior is just beyond the trees

Earlier this summer, a college friend and I decided to spend some time camping in Northern Minnesota. He had never seen what amazing scenery Minnesota is known for before. We talked about some of the different places we could go which would provide some fun adventures during a week of camping under the stars. Narrowing down the destinations I knew the North Shore needed to be on the list. I’ve never camped next to Lake Superior and this would be a good opportunity to do so. Split Rock Lighthouse State Park was not one of the places I really wanted to camp because it’s closer to Duluth than I wanted to be making this a busier park than I was interested in staying at. Looking a little further north for camping destinations I suggested a few places but decided to research Split Rock also. It didn’t take long to begin to become more interested in this relative unfamiliar state park because all of the campsites were walk in sites. This meant no RV’s with loud generators and air conditioners to ruin the experience. Exchanging a few texts and emails, my friend and I decided to take an opportunity and camp at Split Rock Lighthouse.

A storm passes just as we set up camp

Once you take the short drive towards the beach and camp ground, the crowds of people begin to disappear. At least in early summer anyway. The campsites are beautiful with locations next to Lake Superior or views of the majestic lake. Because they are only walk in tent sites it was very quiet and peaceful. Just what I was looking for in a camping experience. There were only two nights in this place so we had to make the most of this short time. I wasn’t disappointed as we were absolutely blessed with a great mix of weather and beauty. The way our time here began, I was certain it would be a disaster and I would be looking to leave as soon as our sentence was up. We arrived mid afternoon and decided to scout out the campground before checking in and setting up. After a brief time looking over the different campsites we became anxious to get our gear and begin this new camping experience. As I looked to at the reservations to check in I realized they were for the next night and the night after that. We had no reservations for this night. I couldn’t believe I had made such a mistake. We discussed our options and I began to try and make some changes. At first I was attempting to change our reservation at another location in two nights. Unfortunately that place was almost 2 hours away. Driving that distance today after already driving half of the day to get to Split Rock was not appealing at all. I began to feel anxious and ill. Those reservations were unable to be changed so now what? It was difficult to research options as cell service was very limited and the ranger station had just closed. Eventually I found that there was a nice campsite available for the next couple of nights. There was a modest change fee to make this adjustment but that was minor in my opinion. Relief! Now we were ready to move our tent and food into our temporary home just as a crack of thunder radiated through the park.

One of the beautiful campsites of Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

We couldn’t see the storm to know which direction it was going as there were tall, rocky bluffs behind us blocking the view from the west. Let’s hurry and get the tent set up so we at least have a dry place to hide. With the booming thunder becoming louder and more frequent we rushed to get stakes pounded into the ground and the tent poles standing. Just as the last of our gear was brought into the tent it began to rain. Perfect timing! Maybe luck was with us. We were hopeful a storm would be a part of our time at Split Rock Lighthouse. I would love to photograph a bolt of lightning behind the lighthouse itself. There wasn’t a lot of lighting on display with this fast moving thunderstorm so that photograph would have to wait. It was still relaxing to just listen to the storm overhead as it wasn’t severe by any means. Once the rain stopped falling we emerged from the tent with enough time to cook something to eat before nightfall. The rest of our time provided nice clear skies with a few white, puffy clouds and perfect temperatures cooling off at night for some very much appreciated deep sleep. This has become a favorite place to camp and I definitely want to spend more time here relaxing and exploring.

From the shores of Lake Superior in Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

A Winter Trip North

A cold, windy winter weekend exploring the shores of a cold Lake Superior provided a beautiful landscape to those who were willing to venture into seemingly inhospitable conditions. Arriving in Duluth the night before with temperatures just below zero and a strong northern wind made me question my own sanity and the safety of the conditions to be venturing outside the next day. Just a few minutes outside was enough to make any portion of skin exposed to the elements burn and start to lose feeling. How would it be to spend hours outdoors with these conditions which were forecast to be even worse in the morning even though the sun was expected to be shining bright?

Hoping to see the sunrise from the shores of Lake Superior, two friends who had never been to Minnesota’s North Shore and I got up well before the sunrise to grab breakfast and travel from Duluth to Tettegouche State Park.  Anticipating a beautiful sun rise over the vast lake to begin a day full of exploring some absolutely amazing sights, our day began to a blaring alarm clock startling us quickly and reluctantly awake. After breakfast the outside temperatures were reading 15 degrees below zero. That’s Fahrenheit! I began to wonder if my car would even start at these cold temperatures. Maybe staying in the nice, cozy hotel would be a better way to spend this day. Instead I pulled on my heavy winter jacket and headed outside. That immediate blast of cold air took my breath away bringing the cold instantly to my uncovered hands and face as I looked up at the sky to see bright shining stars looking back at me. Unlocking the car I quickly got in the drivers seat and hoped for life to return to my vehicle. Turning the key was met with some resistance, almost as if the car was trying to tell me we were going nowhere on this clear, cold morning. Then the engine fired bringing life back into the quiet parking lot. Loading any gear we could possibly think of needing, we were off to endure this cold challenge nature was presenting. A little over an hour later we arrived at one of my favorite state parks – Tettegouche.

Wind pushing against the waves

During this time in the car it had only barely begun to warm to a comfortable level making it a difficult choice yet again to crack open a door to venture into the frigid conditions waiting for us. The sunrise was supposed to have occurred several minutes before we arrived but there was so much sea smoke rising from the completely unfrozen waters of Lake Superior creating a cloud filled sky that there was no sign of a warming sun piercing the horizon. How could the lake be completely open in such freezing conditions? Deciding it was time to begin our adventure our doors opened to the cold air blasting from a wind blowing so hard from the north it was tough to even close a car door against its power. This icy wind made it feel like it was more than 30 degrees below zero! There could be no exposed skin if we were to stay outdoors for more than a few minutes. Thankfully there is a Visitor Center and rest area that remains open 24 hours a day allowing us to grab the winter gear and head inside to change in a more comfortable environment.

Now, with everything covered as well as we could, we headed to the beach to discover whatever beautiful sights Lake Superior had for us. Within a minute my glasses became covered in frost from the moisture in my breath quickly freezing to each lens making them useless in this environment.  Hands and feet became a little cold to start but warmed up as the heat packs began to work their luxurious, hot magic making this outside ice world hospitable for a little while. Exploring along the shoreline, as we traversed icy and snow covered stairs making it treacherous requiring each step to be carefully placed, the beautiful winter landscape enveloped us helping to forget the extreme winter conditions surrounding us. Even though the water was without ice covering it, the entire shoreline showed January’s wrath as anything touched by a drop of water was now covered in layers of thick ice from the shore to cliffs 30 – 40 feet above the now calm waters. A warning of Lake Superiors potential power.

Ice coating every branch and rock high above Lake Superior

After climbing over ice covered boulders and walking along a beach or two, we decided it was time to head inland for more explorations and be witness to the waterfalls now frozen in place under a thick blanket of snow. Before venturing off to the waterfalls and river that make them, a short stop inside the visitor center was needed to bring feeling back into our faces. A few minutes next to the roaring fireplace and comfortable chairs made it near impossible to leave. Finally prying ourselves from these warm chairs we were back outside hiking along the Baptism River in search of a winter wonderland and any potential wildlife daring to venture out of their dens. There was about two feet of snow covering every portion of the ground slowing down travel over summer hiking trails. Fortunately others had forged a path making it passable without the aid of snowshoes. Trudging along the frozen rivers edge, the bright sun made its forecasted appearance highlighting each turn of this beautiful winter landscape. With the river running well below the surrounding hills we were given a much appreciated reprieve from the strong north winds making the outdoor environment much more tolerable. We could even remove some of the heavy pieces of cloth protecting our skin from freezing. Eventually the waterfalls appeared covered in several inches of ice and snow. In some areas running water could be seen through the ice along with a few spots of actual open water captivating us in this beautiful winter scene.

Frozen river with snow covered boulders scattered throughout

After tiring from the deep snow it was time to return to the now cold vehicle and find a warm place to sit and eat as we have felt the pangs of hunger for awhile. Recovering it was decided to continue on to some of the other treasures of the North Shore. Our next highlight was the popular Split Rock Lighthouse which was bathed in a warm afternoon sun now shining over the vast lake providing for some nice photo opportunities. Others were stopped at the same overlooked we decided to view this iconic lighthouse from hoping to catch the full moon rising over the ledge this building sits next to. Unfortunately the moon was coming up in the wrong place to be able to create this desired photo but it was still a beautiful scene.

Split Rock Lighthouse

Our final destination was Gooseberry Falls but daylight was becoming less and less so we needed to continue on from the lighthouse down the shoreline. We arrived with enough daylight to walk over the now heavily frozen river to view these popular waterfalls which were now covered with layers of ice which were covered by the beautiful glistening snow hiding almost any sign of water flowing over these solid cliffs. Laying on the snow the soothing sound of moving water could be heard almost lulling us to sleep on top of the soft, white powder we were laying on. I could have stayed there listening for a long time if it weren’t for the call of another scene needing to be photographed. I wanted to stay until well after sunset to capture the bright moonlight shining bright on all of the snow and ice so after the sun went down we spent a few minutes recuperating in the heated visitors center before grabbing camera gear and finding our way through the dark onto the solid river for some nighttime photos. Finally the stars began to shine and the moon rose high enough to shine on this sleeping landscape bringing a different view of Gooseberry Falls than I had looked at before. With numerous shots now recorded in the camera it was time to end our day and search out a warm place to eat once again.

Frozen Gooseberry Falls lit up by the full moon