The Cliff Dweller on Lake Superior

About The Cliff Dweller on Lake Superior

The lodge is named for its perch, and the name earns itself. It stands on a cliff above Lake Superior just north of Tofte, on the stretch of Highway 61 that hugs the North Shore between the water and the deep green rise of the Sawtooth Mountains. The building runs long and low along the cliff edge so that its south-facing rooms look straight out over the lake, with the wooded shoreline curving away to the west. Inside, the design leans modern-rustic: warm and simple, decorated with a light hand, letting the window do the talking. Nothing here competes with the water, which is the whole point. On a clear morning the horizon goes on forever, and the light off the lake fills the rooms without you asking.

What The Cliff Dweller on Lake Superior Is Known For

The single thing this place gets emphatically right is the view, and it gives it to everyone. There are no lesser rooms facing a parking lot; every door opens onto a balcony over Lake Superior, and guest after guest comes away talking about the same thing, the astonishing water, the sunrise, the star-filled sky over the lake, the hummingbirds working the balcony rail. It is a rare property where the best feature isn't reserved for a suite. Here it is simply the standard.

Amenities

• Pets Welcome
• Breakfast Included
• WiFi
• Private walk-out balcony with lake view in every room
• Lakeside sunroom with a light morning breakfast
• Modern-rustic rooms, consistently praised as spotless
• In-room mini-fridge and microwave
• Eco-friendly bath amenities
• Accessible king room with grab bars and walk-in shower
• Shore and cliff-edge access with a lakeside walking path

The Room

There are two ways to sleep here, a room with two double beds or a room with one king, and both share the thing that matters most: sliding glass doors onto a private balcony over Lake Superior. Each balcony comes furnished with a pair of chairs, so you can sit out with coffee and watch the water change color through the day. Some of the double rooms sit lower among the wintergreen trees for a treehouse feel, with green in the foreground and the lake beyond. Rooms are clean and well kept, with comfortable beds and eco-friendly bath amenities, and an accessible king room offers grab bars, a walk-in shower, and ground-floor access. Guests reliably single out two things in their reviews: how spotless the rooms are, and how astonishing the view is from the balcony.

The Grounds

The heart of the shared space is a lakeside sunroom where a light breakfast is set out each morning, a bright room that looks straight over the water. From the lodge you can reach the cliff edge and the shore below, and a walking path traces the grounds along the water. It is worth being clear about the shape of the outdoor space: the generosity here lives in the per-room balconies rather than a single big communal courtyard or gathering hub. Your private stretch of Lake Superior is the balcony off your own door, which for most guests is exactly the trade they came for.

The Experience

This is a North Shore stay, and the whole coast is your yard. The Superior Hiking Trail threads the ridgeline nearby, and the rivers of Superior National Forest tumble down to the lake through cedar and pine. You can spend a morning on the water-worn rock at the shore, a day up on the trail, and an evening back on your balcony as the sky fills with stars over a lake so big it behaves like a sea. Lutsen and Grand Marais are both an easy drive up the shore for a meal or a change of scene. The lodge makes a quiet, well-placed base for all of it, the kind of spot you return to at dusk grateful the view is still there.

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