Coffee & Up to the Launch
7:45 AM · Logistics · be there by 8:45
Quick breakfast in Silver Bay or Beaver Bay and a short drive to the meet point near Tettegouche — Day Tripper sends exact directions with your confirmation, so check it the night before. Wetsuit under a swimsuit, dry layer for after.
~15 min → the launch
Tettegouche & Palisade Sea Kayak
Highlight · Proposal · 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM · $183 / paddler
Day Tripper would open their Tettegouche tour just for our group — three hours paddling the base of the shore's biggest cliffs, the one view you can't get on foot. Under Palisade Head, into the sea caves, along Shovel Point (watch for peregrine falcons on the wall), and out to the mouth of the Baptism River by the old sea arch. It asks more fitness than their other tours: the cliffs mean few places to pull out, so it's a committing three hours. Wetsuits, jackets, and gloves provided; needs the full group of at least four. Weather-dependent — if the lake kicks up, they move to the sheltered Split Rock paddle or reschedule. $183 a paddler, about $915 for the five of us.
~35 min south → Betty's
Lunch at Betty's Pies
Worth the detour · ~1:00 PM · ~35 min south, then back
Off the water and hungry — double back down toward Two Harbors for Betty's Pies, the North Shore's landmark pie-and-lunch stop (open daily 9–8). It's ~35 minutes south of the launch, so it's a there-and-back — but you're paddled out, and it's the one meal worth the miles. Then drive back north for the two hikes.
~35 min back north → High Falls
Tettegouche — High Falls
Highlight · ~2:20 PM · 1.4 mi · 337 ft · ~1 hr
A short hike from the Baptism River trailhead to High Falls — the tallest waterfall entirely inside Minnesota (~70 ft). Wide, well-kept trail with boardwalks and a suspension bridge above the falls.
~10 min → Palisade Head
Palisade Head
Highlight · ~3:20 PM · drive up + ~5-min walk
Now see it from the top. You can drive nearly to the summit of the shore's tallest cliff — a few minutes on foot for the biggest view of the day, straight down the same wall you paddled beneath this morning, with climbers often out on the ropes below.
~40 mi → Lutsen
Into the Airbnb
Fixed · ~5:00 PM · nights 2 & 3
Between the paddle, the Betty's detour, and both hikes, it's a long Friday — roll into the Lutsen place around 5, home base for the next two nights. Dry out the gear, settle in, and figure out how hard you want to go tomorrow.
