If you have ever driven up the North Shore on Highway 61, just past Two Harbors, you’ll likely recognize the Silver Creek Cliff tunnel pictured above. However, you might not know its interesting history.
History of the Silver Creek Cliff Tunnel
The 1,344-foot tunnel, which was built in the early 1990s, has dramatically changed the experience of driving on Highway 61. Prior to the 1920s, drivers had to take a detour away from Lake Superior, adding many miles to their commute. After the 1920s, a narrow two-lane road took drivers along the cliff’s edge which dropped into Lake Superior. The Road remained for 70 years, on the route drivers were always in danger of rocks and boulders tumbling down from the cliff walls overhead.
As time went on Natural forces started to take its toll on the road making it unstable and unsafe for drivers to use. MnDOT decided to tunnel through the cliff to resolve the problem, allowing the road to be used while the new route was being constructed. Since the tunnel was built right through the Silver Creek Cliff, it took over three years of dynamite blasting to remove the 500,000 cubic yards of rock and to construct the tunnel. It was completed in 1994.
Silver Creek Cliff Tunnel Today
After construction, the old road was temporarily abandoned before becoming apart of the Gitchi Gami trail preserving the beautiful view of lake superior. A multi-use trail was constructed along with a convenient parking lot of the North end of the trail.
If you wish to still see the views from the old road you can do so by parking in the parking lot on the east side of the tunnel and walk onto the old road grade which is now part of the Gitchi-Gami State Trail. The trail runs parallel to the road on the lake side of the cliff.