is a
Highway in northeast
Minnesota , which runs from the
Junction of
Interstate Highway 35 and Minnesota 61 in
Duluth (at 26th Avenue East) and continues northeast to its northern terminus at the
U.S. -
Canadian border near
Grand Portage . The road becomes
Highway 61 upon entering Canada at the
Pigeon River Bridge , and terminates in
Thunder Bay .
The route is a scenic highway, following the
North Shore of
Lake Superior , and is part of the ''Lake Superior Circle Tour'' designation that runs through Minnesota,
Ontario ,
Michigan , and
Wisconsin .
This roadway was designated
U.S. Highway 61 up until
1991 . This highway (including U.S. 61) is the road that musician
Bob Dylan referred to in the album and song ''
Highway 61 Revisited ''.
Minnesota 61 is one of three state marked highways to carry the same number as an existing U.S. marked highway within the state. The others being Highways
65 and
169 .
Minnesota Highway 61 is 151-miles in length and passes through the communities of:
Minnesota Highway 61 serves as a northeast-southwest route between
Duluth ,
Two Harbors ,
Silver Bay ,
Grand Marais , and the
Canadian border in northeast Minnesota.
21-miles of Highway 61 from Duluth to Two Harbors is a four-lane expressway officially designated the ''Arthur Rohweder Memorial Highway'', however there are no markers on the highway showing this, but there is a plaque at a wayside.
Minnesota Highway 61 passes through the counties of:
The road is located close to and in many places next to
Lake Superior . Sights include forests, wildlife, cliffs, state parks, and a national monument.
Highway 61 passes through the
Superior National Forest and the ''Grand Portage State Forest'' in
Cook County .
The following state parks are located on Highway 61:
The
Grand Portage National Monument is located adjacent to the town of
Grand Portage on Highway 61.
( National Parks Service - Grand Portage National Monument - Link )
A listing of more attractions located on or near Highway 61 is at
North Shore (Lake Superior) .
The southern terminus for Minnesota 61 is its
Junction with
Interstate Highway 35 in
Duluth in northeast Minnesota.
(Located in Duluth at 26th Avenue East, this is also the national northern terminus for
I-35 .)
The northern terminus for Minnesota 61 is at the
U.S. -
Canadian border (near
Grand Portage, Minn. ), where it becomes
Highway 61 upon entering Canada at the
Pigeon River Bridge .
Minnesota Highway 61 was designated and signed in
1991 .
Minnesota 61 was originally part of
U.S. Highway 61 from
1926 to
1991 .
After construction of
I-35 in the
1960s , U.S. 61
Overlap ped I-35 until
1991 . During that year, U.S. 61 was
Decommissioned from the
Canadian border south to its present day
Junction with I-35 at the city of
Wyoming, Minn. (near
Forest Lake ). The section of U.S. 61 north of
Duluth was re-designated ''Minnesota 61'' that same year.
Highway 61 (between Duluth and the Canadian border) was commissioned as part of
U.S. Highway 61 in
1926 , ready for use by
1929 , and paved by
1940 .
The section of Highway 61 from
Hovland to the
Pigeon River formerly ran inland, bypassing
Grand Portage . The new highway alignment and border crossing were constructed in the early
1960s .
The Highway 61
Expressway between
Duluth and
Two Harbors was constructed inland in the
1960s . The state then turned over management of the original U.S. 61 (between Duluth and Two Harbors) to
St. Louis and
Lake counties. The two counties then re-designated this section as "''County 61 / Scenic 61''".
