The portion of the North Shore surrounding Lutsen Mountains and Eagle Ridge has long been recognized as the Heart and Soul of Minnesota’s North Shore. This is where you will find the highest peaks of the Sawtooth Mountains, with their spectacular views and stunning cliffs and rock formations. This is where numerous mountain rivers form cascading waterfalls and rapids in gorges that plunge hundreds of feet over the last mile to the Lake. And serving as the inland backdrop to this spectacular North Shore scenery is the Superior National Forest, the largest boreal forest in the continental U.S, with its many lakes and streams and millions of acres of spruce, fir, cedar, pine and tamarack forests.
The formation of this unique stretch of the North Shore began 1.1 billion years ago when the North American continent began to rupture. This splitting apart of the Earth’s crust unleashed fiery volcanic activity and massive volumes of molten rock erupted through fissures in the crust. The rugged, serrated look of the Sawtooth Mountains, which resemble the teeth of a saw when viewed from the shoreline, was created by the cooling lava which flowed southeast (toward what is now Lake Superior), creating gentle slopes in that direction and leaving the steep pitches and cliffs on the northwest side of the mountains.
The rifting process stopped short of splitting the continent in two, but it did leave behind a massive depression that from 530 million years ago up until 70 million years ago was part of the ocean that stretched from Hudson Bay to Kansas. At the end of the Great Ice Age when the last glaciers melted about 10,000 years ago, Lake Superior was left behind. Seemingly as large as an ocean, Lake Superior is the world’s largest lake and a regular destination for ships from around the world.
The famous North Shore agates also originated from the volcanic and glacial activity that defined the topography of the North Shore. The process of forming agates, Minnesota’s state stone, began with the eruption of the iron-rich molten rock. Small cavities left behind in the molten rock over time filled with water carrying quartz, iron and other minerals that hardened to form the multi-colored agates. Advancing glaciers about 2 million years ago unlocked many of these agates by fracturing the molten rock and then, acting as a giant rock tumbler, rough polished the agates. The waves of Lake Superior and waters of the many rivers have further smoothed the agates that have long been so prized among visitors to the North Shore.
It is really the ancient Sawtooth Mountains, however, that defines the shoreline, give it its rugged character, create the elevated views and allow for the many cascading rivers and streams that rush into Lake Superior. It is the mountains that create the many recreational opportunities and adventures that draw enthusiasts to the North Shore. Eagle Ridge and Lutsen Mountains are strategically situated in the center of four of the highest peaks on the North Shore with the cascading Poplar River running along the base of the mountains. Eagle Ridge, in fact, takes its name from the resort’s location on the shoulder of one of these peaks, Eagle Mountain.
In the winter, you can ski out from Eagle Ridge onto the slopes of Mid-America’s largest ski area with 87 runs spread over four mountains or enjoy cross country skiing or snowshoeing over a network of trails traversing between Ullr, Mystery and Moose Mountains. In the summer, you can get directly access the heart of the famed Superior Hiking Trail or enjoy the mountain biking, alpine slide, gondola rides and other recreational opportunities right outside your door. All year around, from the decks and raised walkways at Eagle Ridge, you can enjoy fabulous views of the North Shore’s tallest mountain*, Moose Mountain, and can watch the sunset across the Poplar River valley over Mystery Mountain.
