Knife River Marina
Marina Road, Knife River, MN 55609
About Knife River Marina
Knife River Marina sits at the mouth of the Knife River and provides the principal public Lake Superior boat access between Duluth and Two Harbors, which on this stretch of coast is genuinely scarce.
It was built in the early 1970s and operated as a private marina under Lake County ownership until the Minnesota DNR took over its operation in 2001 (Minnesota DNR, accessed 2026-08-13). That transition secured public access at a point where the shoreline is otherwise mostly private or cliff.
For the community of about 212 people around it, the harbour is the working centre rather than an amenity: it is why a settlement exists here in its current form, and the parking along Marina Road fills with anglers whenever the steelhead or salmon runs are on. Lake Superior is cold enough year-round to incapacitate quickly and this is open water, so small-craft judgment matters more than the sheltered harbour suggests.
Good to know: boat launch, transient slips, breakwater, Lake Superior access, fish cleaning station, harbor of refuge.
Neighborhoods it serves
212 people, a working harbor, and the smokehouse that has been curing fish here since 1908.
Two HarborsThe North Shore's working town: ore docks, a lighthouse, and a real grocery store.
North Shore (Duluth)Duluth's last two miles: lakefront on one side of the road, woods on the other.
Where these facts come from
- Minnesota DNR, Knife River Marina and Access accessed 2026-08-13
Last reviewed 2026-08-13 by Guide editorial.