Last updated on September 18th, 2024
Minnesota’s North Shore has a lot of stunning beaches, but only one is pink and sings when the waves wash over it! Here’s what you need to know to visit the Iona Beach Scientific and Natural Area to see (and hear) this unusual beach for yourself.
A quiet summer day at Iona’s Beach.
The Iona’s Beach SNA is, obviously, most notable for its unusual pink rock beach. But this 11-acre Scientific and Natural Area also has a an aspen and birch forest, an alder swamp, and a rock headland that creates another small beach right next door. Bird watchers will also find quite a variety of warblers.
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Exploring Iona’s Beach
Iona’s beach is 300 yards of salmon-pink wave-tossed rocks that curve along Lake Superior’s shore.
Even on a sunny summer day, Iona’s Beach has space for everyone.
It’s pretty dramatic.
The beach goes all the way up to where the forest starts.
While you’ll find pink and salmon-colored stones mixed in with the black and grey rocks at many beaches in this area, this is the only place where they are the dominant stone. (Don’t take any of them! Leave them on the beach for others to enjoy.)
From a distance it looks as if the stones are relatively uniform in size. But they are not. Many are well-rounded and the largest are cobbles are of a size that makes walking on them a bit of a challenge!
We took the scenic muddy route to the beach. (More on that below.)
The beach “sings” when waves wash over the stone. Their song is the tinkling sound the rocks make as they rattle against each other while settling back into place. That song is said to be a high-pitched ring. But the waves have to be just right to really hear the rocks sing: Not too weak or the song is too soft to hear, but not too big or the sound of the waves over-powers the sound of the rocks.
Unfortunately, I was there on a day beautiful summer day when the lake was still. But it was fun to see the beach anyway. And now I know that this beach is best visited on a less-than-perfect summer day!
Wonder how this beach came to be?
Around a billion years ago the area we know today as North America began to split apart. Known as the Midcontinent Rift, huge amounts of lava once flowed through fissures in this rift – a rift thought to have run from what is today the state of Kansas, through central Iowa, eastern Minnesota, and western Wisconsin to Lake Superior, and then down through Michigan. In Minnesota, you can still see exposed rock from this time along the Saint Croix River and the shore of Lake Superior. Minnesota’s Interstate Park and North Shore features like Shovel Point and Palisade Head are all trace their creation to this same period. That’s also true of Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands and Michigan’s Pictured Rocks.
And these ancient lava flows are also responsible for creating Iona’s Beach.
Show more about how Iona's Beach was created . . .
Along the North Shore a lot of this rock is dark basalt. But the north end of Iona’s Beach has a 30-foot cliff made up of pink rhyolite and felsite bedrock. (Palisade Head is also rhyolite.)
That cliff is the source of the rock on Iona’s Beach.
Unlike dark basalt, both rhyolite and felsite can be found in colors that range from white and grey to pink, red, and even purple. And the salmon-colored rhyolite and felsite cliff at the north end of the beach gets battered hard when storms come over the lake.
As the waves pound the cliff, chunks of the colorful rock break off and wash into the lake. After tumbling around in the water, the now-much-smoother rocks eventually wash up on Iona’s Beach.
Lake Superior is a natural rock tumbler!
And the big black basalt headland that juts into the lake just to the south of the beach traps those lovely tumbled pink rocks on Iona’s Beach.
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But Iona’s beach isn’t the only thing to enjoy here
This scientific and natural area was created to protect the unusual beach and its colorful singing rocks. But nature lovers will find other good things here as well.
Take a walk through the forest
The main access is through a pine forest just off the Gitchi-Gami State Trail.
It’s hard to miss the main path to the beach.
This entire area has been logged at least once in the past, and the groundcover is dominated by thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus).
A pine forest filled with thimbleberries.
Thimbleberry is much more common in the Pacific Northwest, but there’s a lot of it along the North shore. It’s pretty enough in late spring and early summer when in bloom. However, it seems to crowd out other (more interesting) native plants.
Thimbleberries in bloom.
This is an easy, flat path with lots of shade. And it takes you pretty much directly to Iona’s Beach.
There’s another beach here too
If, instead of finding the main trail, you walk from the parking area toward the lake, you’ll likely stumble across another trail that closer to the edge of the ridge above the lake.
Look for a grassy path with a view over the lake.
Besides offering some great views over the lake, this trail leads to a small beach tucked into a cove in the rocky outcrop that marks one end of the SNA.
This is a nice enough beach, but it is NOT Iona’s Beach.
This is not Iona’s Beach and this beach (which doesn’t seem to have a name) is not part of the SNA. It is, however, more sheltered than Iona’s and seems to be more popular with people who want to actually get in the water.
You’ll see a lot of the same rock here as at Iona’s Beach. However, overall, the rocks aren’t worn as smooth. And it is mixed with a lot of other rocks and driftwood of all sizes.
It’s a nice little beach, but (despite the pictures you might see on the internet) it is NOT Iona’s Beach!
To get to Iona’s Beach from here, you have to get to the other side of the basalt headland that separates this beach from the SNA.
But there’s no direct path connecting the two beaches. (At least, not one I could find!)
There’s no good route right over that chunk of rock.
To get to Iona’s Beach from here, you have to look for a trail that cuts back inland. (There are a couple.) These take you around the alder swamp and into the SNA. It can be a little wet, but the trails go through some interesting vegetation before connecting with the main path to Iona’s beach.
I was excited to find a patch of Western Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis).
Who was Iona?
Iona’s Beach is name for a real person, a Finnish immigrant named Iona married to an ore dock worker named John Lind. Iona loved the beauty of this beach and the singing sound it made. So, she and her husband cleared land nearby to build simple cabins and opened a small resort in 1938. Twin Points Resort expanded over the years to include more cabins, a motel, and a restaurant.
“We got beautiful cabins with a fine view.” Iona Lind in 1950
Beautiful cabins, a fine view, and a magical beach.
The Linds ran the resort until 1994.
At that point the family, long active in efforts to protect Lake Superior, sought to save the property from further development. Foregoing the very large amount of money they could make by selling to a developer, they worked out a deal where the land would become a protected natural area instead.
The area where the resort once stood is now the parking lot for the boat launch and SNA. The rest of the property – and Iona’s beloved beach – will never be developed.
Plan your trip to Iona’s Beach SNA
Iona’s Beach Scientific and Natural Area is located along Lake Superior on Minnesota’s scenic North Shore. And it’s in a particularly scenic area along the lake – right off Highway 61 about midway between Gooseberry Falls State Park and Split Rock Lighthouse.
Iona’s Beach SNA is in the lower third of the scenic North Shore. That makes it an easy trip from Duluth! But it’s just one of many great stops on Minnesota’s best road trip!
Want to add another unusual beach to your North Shore road trip? Check out Black Beach just a bit farther north in nearby Silver Bay!
Another fantastic (and very unusual) beach is just up the shore!
Getting to Iona’s Beach
If you drove straight to Iona’s Beach from Duluth, it would take less than an hour. But, you’ll probably want to stop to take a photo at a scenic overlook or at Gooseberry Falls!
Show more about getting to Iona's Beach . . .
Keep an eye out on Highway 61 for signs for Iona’s Beach SNA or the Twin Points Protected Access or the Silver Creek township boat launch. (The signs vary.) Once you see the driveway and turn off the highway, the parking lot and boat launch area is right there. In summer there will be good-sized docks as well.
Docks at the boat launch by the parking area.
From the parking lot, the main path to Iona’s Beach is accessed a bit closer to the highway. (Walk up to the bike trail, then follow that to the northeast.)
Or, be like me and wander toward the lake and past the port-a-potties to the trail that leads to that little unnamed beach. From there you just follow the paths into the woods, heading generally north and maybe a little west. Eventually, you’ll find the nice wide trail that leads to the beach!
Bike to Iona’s Beach
Cyclists traveling on the Gitchi-Gami State Trail will find the trail leading to the beach very well marked. There’s even a bike rack at the trailhead.
The Gitchi-Gami State Trail connects with the path to Iona’s Beach.
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Once you get to Iona’s Beach SNA
Iona’s Beach and the surrounding area are part of a protected Scientific and Natural Area. SNA’s were originally designated to protect fragile and/or rare natural features, plants, and wildlife. They weren’t intended for use by recreational users, although (as far as I can tell) the public has long been allowed in most of them. With the Department of Natural Resources current focus on increasing recreational uses everywhere, the SNAs are getting a lot more trails and visitors.
An SNA is NOT a state park, and few have maintained trails or visitor facilities of any sort. The well-developed trail and access to portable toilets at the boat launch make Iona’s Beach a bit of an exception.
There is no fee to visit Iona’s Beach and you don’t need a state parks sticker on your vehicle.
Portable toilets are located near the parking area. There’s usually a picnic table near the boat launch too.
All the rules of any state park (no collecting rocks, plants, animals, etc.) apply at Iona’s Beach SNA.
In addition, because this is a Scientific and Natural Area, there are lots of other activities that are not allowed either, including rock climbing, organized events, and geocaching.. Before you visit, check DNR’s information on SNAs and the rules for visitors. Please do your part to protect these precious places for future generations!
Lodging near Iona’s Beach
There really aren’t a lot of lodging options right by Iona’s Beach. There’s a large house available through VRBO and Expedia, but otherwise options within easy walking distance seem to be non-existent.
Just to the north you’ll find Split Rock Cabins. This is where I want to stay someday! It’s a long walk or a short bike ride along the Gitchi-Gami trail from Iona’s Beach. Unfortunately, they don’t even advertise because they are ALWAYS booked. But you and I can dream that we’ll be the lucky ones who just happen to call when they have an unexpected cancellation! There’s an unofficial Facebook page that may or may not have up-to-date information and a website that says “Coming Soon.” Good luck.
There are a few more options around Gooseberry Falls State Park and a lot more in Castle Danger (six miles south) and Beaver Bay (eight miles north). You can check all those options on Expedia. In addition, both Gooseberry and Split Rock state parks have campgrounds.
The other option in the area is Two Harbors, which is less than 20 minutes south of Iona’s Beach and has a number of interesting things to do right in town. You’ll find a wide range of options on Expedia, including private homes on VRBO.
But keep in mind that this area is a VERY popular summer and fall destination, so plan way ahead if you want to visit then. That’s true whether you are looking for a rental house, cabin, motel room, or campsite. They will all book up during summer and fall.
Iona’s Beach is located in the homeland of the Ojibwe.
See more pictures from Iona’s Beach SNA and Minnesota’s North Shore on CindyCarlsson.com