Cutface Creek
Minnesota
Find: Lake Superior Agates, amygaloidal basalt, possible thomsonite
GPS: 47.73102, -90.43976
Nearest city: Duluth, MN
Recommended Vehicle: Any
Season: Accessible year round, Winter is likely to have significant snow, ice, and frigid temperatures.
Summary:
Cutface Creek is a very popular stop for tourists just South of Grand Marais. It gets a lot of traffic, especially during peak Summer months. As you head North (if you’re coming from Duluth) you will see a very stark contrast in the rock exposed along the roadcuts.
Down at the bottom of the hill is the parking for Cutface Creek Wayside, which is also the start of the Gitchi-Gami trail. It is a planned 86 mile trail that is supposed to connect Two Harbors to Grand Marais. So far, they have 36 miles done and its in segments. I’ve been on a couple different portions of the trail and it’s been pretty well maintained and takes you to some beautiful views.
(It also gives the family something else to do if you’re the only one obsessed with rocks.)
Video
Check out the video for a better look at what can be found when exploring this spot.
Jump to the 3rd timestamp on the video to see Cutface Creek.
3 Helpful Tools
Chest Waders
Chest waders are great to stay dry if you want to get in the lake.
Agate Scoop
An agate scoop is helpful to pick things up faster and farther away from you.
Classifier
A classifier is fun to sit with if you’re a fan of small agates and stones. One with a larger, 1-inch mesh would be what I’d pick.
An example of the white almost-banded chalcedony.
I don't think these are Lake Superior Agates, though.
Wildflowers seemingly growing out of stone.
We found many here that had this same larger white outer banding.
Possibly an agate in the matrix.
An example of the large roadcut that you'll see on the left side of the road if you're coming up from Duluth.