Itinerary

Collect your Cruise America motorhome from our Minneapolis depot, then head to nearby base camp at the Minneapolis Southwest KOA in Jordan for the next two nights. Tour the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, one of the greenest metropolitan areas in America with over 1,000 lakes and 400 parks including Mississippi National River and Recreation Area and the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway.

Visit the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Walker Art Center and the huge Mall of America for serious shopping. One of the most visited tourist destinations in the world, Mall of America contains 520 stores, 50 restaurants and attractions including Nickelodeon Universe, the nation’s largest indoor theme park. Take a paddlewheel cruise on the Mississippi River or tour the city by bike.

· 90km to Jordan

Today, head to Itasca State Park, Minnesota’s oldest state park. Enjoy the park’s 100 lakes, 32,000 acres and walk across the mighty Mississippi as it starts its winding journey over 2,500 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. Visit Itasca Indian Cemetery, Wegmann’s Cabin and the 2,000-acre Wilderness sanctuary.

· 380km to Itasca State Park

Today you drive to Ely, named America’s coolest small town by Budget Travel magazine. Visit the North America Bear Center for insight into the black bears roaming Minnesota’s woodland and watch bears living in a two-acre wooden enclosure with pond. Also located at Ely is the International Wolf Center, featuring a resident wolf pack and a variety of educational programs. Enjoy fun activities including night-time howling with the wolves. Tonight you camp at Bear Head Lake State Park.

· 335km to Ely

Head to the Canadian border to explore the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) on a canoe trip. This million-acre wilderness area within the Superior National Forest is accessible only by water. Try fishing for pike, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and lake trout, and look out for beavers, bears, moose and bald eagles.

· 160km to Boundary Waters

Now head for Duluth via the famous North Shore Scenic Drive along the coast of Lake Superior. This 154-mile North Shore drive is truly dramatic.
Lake Superior encompasses eight state parks and is renowned for its natural beauty. Explore Bob Dylan’s birthplace Duluth, known for its rocky shoreline and iconic Aerial Lift Bridge. You could stop off at Split Rock Lighthouse Historic Site and Gooseberry Falls State Park or hike the Superior Hiking Trail.

· 190km to Duluth

Drive south to Wabasha today along Veterans Evergreen Memorial Scenic Drive, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway and Great River Road. You could stop off at Jay Cooke State Park or the historic river towns of Stillwater and Red Wing.

· 400km to Wabasha

Visit the National Eagle Center today in Wabasha with four residing eagles and interactive exhibits explaining the bird’s significance as a national symbol and importance to American Indian cultures. Minnesota has over 1,300 nesting pairs of eagles and Wabasha has one of the largest concentrations of wintering bald eagles in the USA. Watch eagles soaring overhead, perching in trees or fishing along the river. Drive through the charming river towns of Bluff Country, visiting antique shops, wineries and apple orchards. Tonight, camp at the Old Barn Resort and River’s Bend golf course in charming Lanesboro.

· 100km to Lanesboro

Drive 200km back to the Cruise America depot in Minneapolis. Unless you have booked the Earlybird departure, you have until 3pm.