Hibbing to Silver Bay

Hello,

My husband and I are meeting some cousins from Sweden in International Falls and then taking a family heritage tour through Minnesota. Part of the trip is a drive from Hibbing to Silver Bay. I mapped out this trip on AAA and these are the directions they give for that route:

18. Start out heading NORTH on 1ST AVENUE towards W 25TH

STREET. Drive for 0.1 miles.

19. Turn RIGHT onto E 25TH STREET. Drive for 0.8 miles.

20. Turn RIGHT to get on US169

S. Drive for 1.3 miles.

21. Turn LEFT onto 40TH STREET E. Drive for 1.6 miles.

22. 40TH STREET E becomes MN37.

Drive for 13.7 miles.

22a.Continue on MN37

23. Turn LEFT onto CR7.

Drive for 4.1 miles.

24. Turn RIGHT onto HIGHWAY 101. Drive for 0.7 miles.

25. HIGHWAY 101 becomes CR101.

Drive for 3.4 miles.

26. Go STRAIGHT on MN37.

Drive for 3.5 miles.

27. Turn RIGHT onto MN135.

Drive for 2.8 miles.

28. Turn RIGHT onto HERITAGE TRAIL. Drive for 6.2 miles.

29. Turn RIGHT onto VERMILION TRAIL. Drive for 6.7 miles.

30. Turn LEFT onto TOWNLINE ROAD. Drive for 23.5 miles.

31. Go STRAIGHT to get on CR15

heading EAST. Drive for 24.3 miles.

32. Go STRAIGHT on CR4.

Drive for 2.1 miles.

33. Turn LEFT onto CR5.

Drive for 1.9 miles.

34. Go STRAIGHT on PENN BOULEVARD. Drive for 0.5 miles.

35. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto HORN BOULEVARD. Drive for a short

distance.

36. Turn LEFT onto OUTER DRIVE. Drive for 0.4 miles.

As someone who has never traveled in this part of MN, these directions are a bit daunting! At the bottom of the directions there was a section in red that said part of this road would be under construction beginning August 1st. Our trip is before that, but I like to error on the side of caution.

Does anyone have any information about the route from Hibbing to Silver Bay that could enlighten us? How long does it take to drive this route?

Thanks so much in advance for any help you can give.

Janis

Hibbing to Silver Bay

Wow, what a convoluted route that is. I%26#39;ve driven that area and I%26#39;d be lost quickly following those directions.

How about this. Highway 169 goes around Hibbing on the south and east sides with a 90 degree turn at the southeast corner. How you get to that corner is up to you since I don%26#39;t know where you will be staying. From that corner turn (or continue depending on how you get to it) east on highway 37 and follow it to the intersection with highway 53. Turn right onto south 53 and follow it to Duluth. As you near the airport, highway 53 will be joined by highway 194. Continue on highway 53/194 until highway 53 makes a sharp turn to the right. You can follow 53 or take 194 straight ahead until the highway you choose intersects Interstate 35. Take I-35 north until it ends, then continue on highway 61 to Silver Bay. It should take about 2 1/2 hours driving time but you may want to make some stops along the north shore of Lake Superior. Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse are two very nice state parks to stop at if you have the time.

Hibbing to Silver Bay

Hey JKCarlson-

You for sure have a Minnesota name! Lets make this easy- out of Hibbing take 169 / 73 to Ely. Out of Ely, take Highway 1 ( very scenic ) all the way to Bob Dylans Highway 61 which runs along the north shore of Lake Superior. Take a right, and go to Silver Bay. If you have time check out Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls State Park-

http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/srl/ ENJOY!

Thank you both for your reply. RM, that looks like a direct route. Around 2 hours is what I had planned. Dano, I love the sound of that route. How long do you think it would take?

Yes, my dh and I are both very Scandinavian, so this will be a fun trip. Our Swedish cousins have read lots about Swedish immigration, so they are excited as well.

Thanks again.

Janis

The route through Ely is scenic and fun route and my mapping program says the distance is nearly the same and so is the time, but I%26#39;m sure it lies. I%26#39;ve driven the route from Ely to Silver Bay and I think that part takes longer than 2 hours because of the curvy road. If you can spare the time, take this route.

Janis the Swede...

Either route will do. If you want to see Duluth on the way up, the other route mentioned works well. Stay away from that route on a Friday afternoon...the traffic through Duluth is S L O W as all of us city folk are going ';up north';. Either way we hope you enjoy your visit, ya sure, you betcha...