Visit Lake Superior Reserve

With support from NOAA and University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension, the Reserve renovated a disused building on Barker's Island for our new public science and interpretive learning center, The Lake Superior Estuarium. This new public space has become a destination for residents and tourists alike to learn how ecology and culture can coexist and thrive in the Lake Superior watershed.

The Lake Superior Estuarium houses fun, family-centered exhibits that tell the story of the St. Louis River Estuary, Lake Superior and the communities on their shores. It also includes a well-equipped classroom and meeting space and offices. Exhibits provide an engaging, intuitive environment that reflects the integration of our communities and Lake Superior ecosystems. The Estuarium offers a hopeful story of the St. Louis River Estuary and Lake Superior watershed and coasts.

The Lake Superior Estuarium meets all standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is committed to creating a space that is equally accessible to all visitors. Parking is free and accessible on site.

The Lake Superior Reserve spans more than 16,000 acres on the Wisconsin side of the confluence of the St. Louis River and Lake Superior—the largest and most pristine of the Great Lakes. The Reserve adjoins the Superior-Duluth harbor, which has been the economic center of the Twin Ports region for over a century and remains the largest freshwater port in the world. The Reserve’s location within the St. Louis River Estuary is important not only because of its proximity to the industry that drives our local economy but because the estuary is deeply connected to the health of the entire region, its ecosystems and human communities.

The Reserve is composed exclusively of public lands and waters and contains many terrestrial and aquatic habitats in a relatively small area, including riparian and riverine habitat; riverine islands; emergent freshwater marshes, interdunal wetlands and scrub swamp; aspen, dry and hardwood forests; and open sand beach and dunes. Although the Lake Superior Reserve’s technical boundaries lie within a small portion of Wisconsin, our work directly benefits Wisconsin and Minnesota residents in the Twin Ports area and residents and natural communities throughout the Great Lakes.