Iona’s Beach SNA

 

 

     
 
About
 
 

Ownership

 
 

Minnesota DNR logo

 
     
 

Links

 
 

Minnesota DNR

 
     
 

Overview

 
 

 

 
     
 

History

 
 

 

 
     
 

Management

 
 

 

 
     
 

Comments

 
 

 

 
     
 
Location
 
 

Maps

 
 

Detail map (MN DNR)

 
         
 

Printable Map(s) with GPS coordinates

 
  Printable map      
         
 

Size

 
 

10 acres

 
         
 

Parking

 
 

Parking lot
N47 10.001, W91 25.488

 
         
 

Driving Directions

  Area and County  
 

Get driving directions from Google Maps to this destination from any address, and send those directions to your phone.

   
          Lake County  
          Northeast Minnesota  
     
 
Activities
 
 

Hiking Trails

 
 

A short trail leads from the parking area to the site and then to the gravel beach. The paved Gitchi-Gami State Trail skirts the western edge of this site.

 
     
 

Hunting

 
 

No hunting

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Ecological Classification

  Ecological Classification  
  Ecological Province    

Laurentian Mixed Forest

   
  Ecological Section    

Northern Superior Uplands

   
  Ecological Subsection    

North Shore Highlands

   
  Land Type Association    

Split Rock Till Plain

   
             
 

Native Plant Communities*

   
 

Alder - (Maple - Loosestrife) Swamp

Aspen - Birch Forest: Hardwood Subtype

Gravel/Cobble Beach (Lake Superior)

Lake Superior Rocky Shore

   
  * Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources      
         
 

Natural Features

     
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

Share your photo of this destination.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.
 
 

 

 
 

 

 
           
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Parking

 
    Iona’s Beach SNA      
           
 

Wood Routed Sign

 
    Iona’s Beach SNA      
           
 

Gravel/Cobble Beach (Lake Superior)

 
    Iona’s Beach SNA   Iona’s Beach SNA  
           
 

Lake Superior Rocky Shore

 
    Iona’s Beach SNA      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
Iona's Beach SNA
minnesota_snas
  Iona's Beach SNA  
 
About

Iona's Beach SNA lies on a narrow strip of Lake Superior's North Shore between Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse State Parks. This site is named after Iona Lind, former owner of Twin Points Resort (which previously occupied the current parking area).

 
Iona's Beach SNA
Misty Garrick
  Iona's Beach SNA  
Iona's Beach SNA
Martha Decker
  Iona's Beach SNA  
 
About

Photos taken at Iona's Beach Scientific and Natural Area on Lake Superior north of Two Harbors, Minnesota. Also includes photos of some old postcards from Twin Points Resort that used to be at this location.

 

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

Share your video of this destination.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.
 
 

 

 
     
     
       
       
 
Other Videos
 
  ona’s Beach Scientific and Natural Area Virtual Hike
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
 
   
 
About

Apr 2, 2020

Iona’s Beach SNA protects one of the few undeveloped beaches on Lake Superior’s north shore. Cobbles of pink rhyolite make it more unique. One day it might be calm with water as clear as glass, and the next day the waves might be crashing, making the cobbles on the beach sing!

mndnr.gov/snas/sna01000

 
  Twin Points Resort / Iona's Beach - Lutsen, MN - August 1986
Brian Klier
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Jan 21, 2012

What today is Iona's Beach SNA on Lake Superior, was, for at least 3 decades, Iona Lind's Twin Points Resort. As I have been unable to find anything but old postcards and a sign at Iona's Beach referencing "what used to be", I uploaded this video. The video is from August of 1986.

Twin Points Resort consisted of a main office, motel, and several lakeshore cabins owned by "Grandma" Iona Lind, and run by both her and her son Alden Lind. The cabins were quaint, rustic, but always clean, and offered some spectacular views from one of the best Lake Superior beaches.

Later in the video, you will see a cabin in very poor condition right on the beach. Every time we stayed here at the resort, we were just waiting for this structure to collapse. The irony is that Twin Points Resort is now demolished and gone, yet this cabin, right on the beach, still remains today.

   
  Exploring Minnesota’s ‘Singing Beach’ | FOX 9 KMSP
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
 
   
 
About

Nov 10, 2021

On the North Shore, there is a beach where you will not find any sandcastles or sunbathers. But what you will find is something incredibly unique.

 
  Iona's beach
MsZoden
 
   
 
About

Nov 20, 2011

Cool beach on lk superior

 

 

Camcorder

           
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Share your sightings or comments about of this destination.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
 
 

Cairman

 
 

I just love this place. Haven't visited recently, but one day a couple years ago I hung my hammock between trees to at the end of the trail from the parking lot (west of the actual beach). I spent the day alternating between wandering the beach and lounging in the hammock. There was a line of low clouds dividing the water from the equally blue sky. Am just recommending it for a lunch stop for friends who will be in the area.

 
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

Visits

5/25/2011                
 
 

Birds

 
 

One bird species with conservation status in Minnesota has been seen here:

Endangered

Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)

 
 

Minnesota DNR Bird checklist

eBird Field Checklist

 
         
 

Fungi and Lichens

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Lichens List

 
         
 

Plants

 
 

Two plant species with conservation status in Minnesota are found here:

Endangered

pale sedge (Carex pallescens)

Special Concern

spike trisetum (Trisetum spicatum)

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List

 
 

Plants frequently found in:

Alder - (Maple - Loosestrife) Swamp FPn73a

Aspen - Birch Forest: Hardwood Subtype FDn43b2

Gravel/Cobble Beach (Lake Superior) LKu32e

Lake Superior Rocky Shore LKu43

     
   

common dandelion

early meadow-rue

wild strawberry

wood anemone

yellow marsh marigold

 

 

 

Binoculars

 

Created:

Last Updated:

© MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved.

About Us

Privacy Policy

Contact Us