North Shore's ‘Black Beach’ to open to public by Memorial Day

“Black Beach” in Silver Bay is slated to open Memorial Day weekend, and a campground at the beach is in the works.
On Monday, the Silver Bay City Council passed a resolution accepting a grant from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board for the initial stages of creating a beach-area campground at Black Beach.
The campground’s completion date is not set, but city officials expect the beach area to be open by Memorial Day weekend.
The site, owned by Cliffs Natural Resources, recently was leased in a partnership between the state of Minnesota and city of Silver Bay. The $125,000 IRRRB grant will be used to improve the site and make it welcoming to visitors and tourists as they pass along the North Shore.
The beach is near the Superior Hiking Trail and has access to snowmobile and ATV trails. It is within a mile of Silver Bay city limits.
“This is one of the most exciting things to happen to our town,” Silver Bay Mayor Scott Johnson said. “We will be able to offer a safe place to have tourists visit our community and camp on at a beautiful spot along the North Shore.”
Despite being a popular sightseeing and gathering place, the beach technically has been off-limits to the public for years, and “no trespassing” signs were made more visible last fall.
The unique beach was blackened by the dumping of taconite tailings into Lake Superior, but time and nature have restored the beach’s health while it has retained its black color.
“I feel this gem that has been known by local people for some time will bring in business to the community,” Johnson said.