Burns Landing Historical Park
Before arriving in Big Bay, we knew that we’d end up at Burns Landing Historical Park at one point or another. We didn’t know much about it before arriving, but we knew it had a beach on Lake Superior, and that was enough to entice us. We assumed from the name that someone once arrived or landed here—and we found that to be true.
Maurice LeClaire built a cabin in the present location of the park in the 1860s, and it would eventually be home to Charles Burns. Check out our Historical Guide to Big Bay for detailed information about LeClaire, Burns, and Big Bay’s history. Today, the cabin is a staple of Burns Landing Historical Park—although most folks just come to visit Lake Superior.
The park is within walking distance from the main drag of Big Bay and offers a large sandy beach on Lake Superior. At the end of the road, there’s a culdesac to park in and hop out right by the water. To the right of the sandy beach is the break wall for Big Bay Harbor–which was getting pounded upon our first visit. When we returned the next day, Lake Superior had calmed enough for us to swim—and the water was quite refreshing, even in September.
To the left of the sandy beach at Burns Landing Historical Park are miles of wilderness, sandstone cliffs, and beautiful scenery. After a short walk down the beach, the journey becomes much more difficult–but the view is quite lovely. Some rocks are to be picked over here, but I wouldn’t recommend coming here just to look for stones.
Returning to the log cabin we mentioned earlier, there’s a small grassy area and a parking area. The side of the cabin reads ‘The Burns Family Homestead,’ and the front side has a placard that says ‘Maurice LeClaire 1849.’ When we visited, there wasn’t anything inside the cabin, but it had been rehabbed and stabilized. Behind the cabin is a boardwalk through the dense woods leading to the beach. At the end of the boardwalk, there’s a small pavilion-like structure with seating. Someone has built an arch out of fallen white birch trees for weddings, which is extraordinarily beautiful.
Whether you are looking to walk the beach, see a slice of Big Bay’s vibrant but elusive history, or go for a swim, Burns Landing Historical Park has a lot to offer. It should be noted that the beach is often referred to as ‘Squaw Beach,’ but I will not call it that because it’s a slur, and no public place that was stolen from native peoples should be named that.
