Minnesota – Black Beach

This beach is very interesting. It’s black sand is not natural, but instead was formed from miners dumping taconite tailings long ago. I’m unclear if that meant it was intentionally made or was just a happy accident but either way Black Beach makes for a fun visit. For a long time the area was privately owned but recently they have made a public park of it, appropriately named Black Beach Park. Located in Silver Bay, MN, there is a campground at the site, which seemed quite popular, and public restrooms at the edge of the parking lot.

We arrived late afternoon in July and with overcast skies and a stiff wind blowing, we were unprepared for the chill factor. Minnesota isn’t just flip flops and bikinis all summer, so keep that in mind when packing. The area is gorgeous, with weathered rocks for climbing, clear water and picturesque drift wood. I’m sorry for the less than stellar pictures, I was partially frozen and focused on keeping my hands jammed deep in my pockets.

Even with the cold weather, there were a lot of people there. Or at least I thought it was a lot for a somewhat remote beach on an overcast chilly day. The area is large and there was lots and lots of room to spread out. Kids were running around in swimsuits, which made me colder just looking at them. The area is truly gorgeous, despite my sad pictures, and has water front access and bizarrely beautiful sand.

things i want you to know
  • The sand was more like itty bitty pebbles, which was fine but likely difficult to build and play in like normal sand, so don’t have dreams of large sand castles.
  • The water was freezing, even in July. Don’t plan on swimming a lot unless you’re part penguin. Most kids were just wading around.
  • You can climb on some rocks around the beach and scale a small cliff so if you’re interested in doing that, bring appropriate shoes.
  • On a sunny day, the beach is black, the water is turquoise and the lichen on the rocks is a bright beautiful orange. You should go see it.
  • The campground is approx ¼ mile up the drive, its not on the water’s edge. We drove past it on the way to the public parking lot, which is just a short walk to the water’s edge. As mentioned above, there are public restrooms, which is fabulous.
  • There was no charge to park or go on the beach.