As Circle Tour grows in popularity, Lake Superior Magazine relaunches travel site
Contributed by Phil Bencomo
SUPERIOR WI – TRAVEL – “Do it in your Corvette; do it on your motorcycle; do it in your tin car or pickup truck. It doesn’t matter how you travel this route, just do it!”
So said Susan Schaeffer of Whitby, Ontario, after completing the 1,300-mile Lake Superior Circle Tour, following the shoreline of the world’s largest lake through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Minnesota father-son duo Greg and David Massey, of Blaine and Minneapolis, respectively, biked around the Big Lake this summer. “After my Dad retired, he wanted to do something crazy,” David said, “so he asked me to bike around the Lake with him.”
It turned out to be crazy fun. “The trip was great!” he said.
The route, traveled most often in the summer and fall months, is growing in popularity with adventurers, road trippers, retirees and especially motorcyclists. Outside magazine featured the Circle Tour this spring, calling it “the country’s most overlooked playground.” A favorable exchange rate has also invited many U.S. travelers to cross the border to the spectacular and rugged Ontario shore.
This year, travelers have a newly revamped resource for planning their trip – LakeSuperiorCircleTour.com.
The relaunched website features hundreds of trip reports submitted by travelers (including Susan’s and Greg and David’s). The reports chronicle, among many other things, travelers’ favorite stops and views, moose and eagle sightings, hidden gems and dog-friendly spots. Folks even chime in on the old debate: Should you go clockwise or counterclockwise? LakeSuperiorCircleTour.com also has a photo gallery and maps.
It’s the latest project from Duluth-based Lake Superior Magazine, which reaches Lake lovers in all 50 U.S. states, most Canadian provinces and 20 foreign countries. The company also produces an annual Lake Superior Travel Guide, drawing on nearly 40 years of experience traveling the region, along with books, calendars, gifts and LakeSuperior.com.
Anyone who has circled Lake Superior can contribute their own trip report to LakeSuperiorCircleTour.com. In return, they’ll become an official member of the Lake Superior Circle Tour Club and receive a certificate and window cling, all for free. They can also join in person at the Lake Superior Circle Tour Club headquarters, 310 E. Superior Street in Duluth, and snap a celebratory selfie in front of the Circle Tour photo wall.
