McQuade Road Safe Harbor
McQuade Road at Scenic Highway 61, Duluth, MN 55804
About McQuade Road Safe Harbor
McQuade Road Safe Harbor sits at the northeastern edge of Duluth, at the point where Congdon Boulevard and the city limits both end and the North Shore proper begins. It is a small craft harbor and wayside built behind a protective breakwater, with a launch, shoreline access, restrooms, and parking.
The reason it exists is the shoreline itself. Between the Duluth ship canal and Two Harbors there is essentially nowhere for a small boat to get out of weather, and Lake Superior can turn from flat to dangerous in under an hour. McQuade gives boats on this stretch somewhere to run to, and gives anglers and paddlers a launch that is not a cobble beach.
For the North Shore strip neighborhood it marks the end of the road and functions as the corridor's northeastern anchor, the counterpart to Brighton Beach at the southwestern end. For visitors driving up Highway 61 it is a wayside stop with a view and a place to stretch.
Good to know: small craft harbor, boat launch, protective breakwater, shoreline access, restrooms, parking, wayside rest area.
Neighborhoods it serves
Duluth's last two miles: lakefront on one side of the road, woods on the other.
Lester ParkNine miles of trail, two rivers, and a waterfall you can hear from the driveway.
LakesideDuluth's dry-town-turned-walkable-village, three blocks from the big lake.
Where these facts come from
- North Shore Visitor, Scenic 61 corridor guide accessed 2026-08-13
Last reviewed 2026-08-13 by Guide editorial.