Located squarely in the U.S. Midwest, it may be obvious that Duluth, Minnesota, doesn't have mountains, but what it does have is quality trails easily accessible from a larger urban area. Located on the far southwestern tip of Lake Superior and on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin, what Duluth lacks in alpine terrain, it more than makes up for with accessibility, character, and community.
Shouldered by sandstone cliffs, these caves in Bayfield, Wisconsin, form when water-and, notably, waves-that would normally flow through the sandstone freezes instead, birthing icicles, columns, and curtains. During the winter of 2015, the caves attracted just shy of 40,000 tourists within a nine-day period, the Associated Press reported at the time.
While much of the West has limped through a snow-starved season, Keweenaw Peninsula has officially blown past the 200-inch snowfall mark, logging 216.75 inches so far this season as of February 3, according to the Keweenaw County Road Commission. That's more snow than has fallen this winter across Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho, and California-a stat that feels fake until you look at the data.
The fall colors in Minnesota don't get the attention of the foliage in Vermont or Maine, but while every other leaf peeper heads east this autumn, our tip is to head north, where you can experience two distinct peak foliage seasons. Along Minnesota's North Shore, which runs along Lake Superior between Duluth, Minnesota, and the Canadian border, there are two distinct fall foliage seasons: the colorful maple trees in the mountains, followed by the aspen and birch trees that run along the shore.