"Superior" Minnesota
- thewanderwomanrv
- Sep 12, 2023
- 6 min read
24-30 Jul 2023
I only had a week to visit Minnesota and was able to snag a cancellation at Tettegouche State Park (thanks again CampNab)! There were so many other places I wanted to go, but not enough time to see them all this trip. If you love waterfalls, the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota is the place to be!
I loved my campsite. Once again it was tucked back in the woods and I only had neighbors on my left. I couldn't see them for the trees and vegetation so it was very private.
The weather was gorgeous the entire time we were there. It was in the low 60s-mid 70s. Perfect.
Right behind my campsite was the trail to High Falls. Part of the trail was closed for repairs so you really couldn’t see the entire falls but here’s a shot from the top.
There are no dog parks near Tettegouche (pronounced Te-te-goosh) so I had to get creative. Coming into the park, there was a bridge that crossed Tettegouche River where it flows into Lake Superior. I saw little beach there so we hiked down to it. There were only a few other people around and I asked if they minded if I let Sage off leash. They all said ok so she got to run and play in the water.
I was looking on Google maps to see what was around there and saw a place called Sea Caves Trailhead. It was intriguing and only a couple of miles away so the next day we went there. Wow! It was worth the hike down the cliff!
The slippery hike down was so worth it though!
How gorgeous is this water? It’s turquoise like the Caribbean and makes a beautiful contrast against the reddish rocky beach. If you look to the right of the picture about where the rock cliff ends you'll see a mama duck and a bunch of ducklings. Sage thought about swimming after them but quickly changed her mind and came back. The girl swims like a rock. She's all muscle and has no fat to help her float!
Once again, the few people there didn’t mind if I let Sage off leash, so she played with some of the kids and found a big stick to chew on. Much safer than chasing ducks.
I found a piece of seaglass! I sat down at the shore and was sifting through the rocks. I looked over to find this beautiful cobalt blue piece. I was so excited! I’ve never found seaglass before.
From there we ventured down the shore to Gooseberry Falls State Park. We hiked along the river and watched the people jumping off the falls (right in front of the sign that says no swimming 🤦🏼♀️).
After all that hiking I worked up an appetite so we drove down to “World Famous” Betty’s Pie and picked up a Great Lakes pie.
It has rhubarb, apple, strawberry, blueberry and raspberry with a crumble topping. Let me just say, it was delicious. I probably should’ve only gotten a slice, but I went for the whole pie. I still have a couple of pieces in my freezer!
The next day we took a drive up to Palisade Head. It’s a beautiful overlook where you can see for miles. We stopped in at Black Beach, but it was so crowded I couldn’t let Sage off leash, so we walked around a little and moved on.
Next we visited Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. Since Sage wasn’t allowed in the lighthouse itself, we took the trail to the beach below it.
Split Rock Lighthouse sits on a 130 ft tall cliff over looking Lake Superior. American novelist James Oliver Curwood call it "the most dangerous piece of water in the world." After a November gale in 1905 that wrecked 29 ships, Split Rock lighthouse was built. It was completed in 1910. In 1969 it was decommissioned but remains in operational order and is lit every November 10th, during the Edmund Fitzgerald Beacon Lighting Ceremony. It commemorates the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, and all the other ships lost on the Great Lakes.
Next to the 172 stairs we had to climb up, are the remnants of the tramway built in 1916. It was used to transport supplies to the lighthouse keepers. The keepers used this tramway until 1934 when a road was built from the lighthouse to the highway. Prior to the tramway being built, supplies were unloaded at the dock and carried by hand up the original staircase. Could you imagine having to bring your groceries all the way up those stairs?
The following day, I decided to drive way up the north shore to Grand Marais. I saw there was a dog park and I’d heard it was a cute town to walk around. Well, the dog park was a bust. They had one, but it was all woods. There was no place to throw the ball without losing it (we tried and lost it). Sigh. It was frustrating for both of us. She loves chasing her ball so much.
We were very close to Judge C. R. Magney State Park where Devil’s Kettle Falls is located. I really wanted to see it but my knees were pretty sore from the past few days. I just couldn’t be so close and pass up the chance though, so we went for it. It’s only a 2-mile round trip hike but I swear to you it was uphill both ways! I’m so glad we did it but this one about did me in.
Before I take you to the falls, I wanted to share that the reason I'm having trouble hiking, is that in May I was diagnosed with COPD. I’d been having breathing problems for a while but after my bout with a nasty case of bronchitis last winter, it got a lot worse. While I was in Georgia this spring, I saw a pulmonologist, had all the tests done and got the diagnosis. I wasn’t surprised, but it’s really affected my quality of life. I have an inhaler I use daily and a rescue inhaler I use when active, but I still get out of breath very easily. Hiking is now a lot harder than it used to be, but I refuse to give it up. It takes me a lot longer to complete a trail and there are some I won’t even attempt but I’m still out there. For instance, this trail said it’d take about an hour to complete. It took me two and a half. There’s a staircase with 192 steps I had to go down and back up. I can only take about 23 stairs (yes I counted) before I have to stop and catch my breath. It’s very frustrating getting older and not being able to do the things you want (or used to be able) to do. I also have to heed the air quality warnings now. The smoke from the Canadian wildfires have drifted down here and I’ve had to curtail some of what I want to do. I have to admit, I'm having a really hard time accepting my limitations and it's been an emotional roller coaster. If anyone else has this condition, I’d love to hear what you do to improve your quality of life. Anyway, back to Devil’s Kettle…
Devil’s Kettle is a split waterfall. Half falls straight down and the other half goes into a hole in the rocks and seems to disappear. For centuries, this waterfall to nowhere perplexed everyone. Researchers dropped objects such as ping-pong balls and dye into the hole in attempts to trace the underground flow but could not figure it out. In 2017, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources scientists announced that they had finally solved the mystery. As it turns out, the water that tumbles into the kettle simply rejoins the river a little way downstream!
On the way back to Tettegouche we came across this beach right next to the road so I stopped to throw the ball to Sage (yes the girl still had energy) and dip my aching feet in the freezing cold Lake Superior water.
When we got home, it was dinner, shower, and bed for me! I was exhausted but so glad I got to see the falls.
On our last day, I wanted to walk to another overlook in the park called Shovel Point. I obviously had a blonde moment because I thought the brochure said it was right behind the visitor center. Well, the trail was behind the visitor center. The overlook was .6 miles up over 300 steps! I was not prepared for this one at all. No bug spray, no water, no rescue inhaler. After walking about halfway and finding out I had about 200 more stairs to go, I called it. We were getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and I just wasn’t up to climbing all those stairs. I did see get to see a beautiful hidden cove and more sea caves though.
We ended up driving down to Two Harbors, walked along the breakwater and saw the lighthouse.
The Minnesota Iron Company began shipping iron ore through the Two Harbors docks in 1884. The increased boat traffic, combined with commercial fishing made navigation extremely hazardous. Many ships ran aground or were smashed to bits along the rocky shore. The Two Harbors Lighthouse was completed in 1892 and alleviated the danger. It's the oldest, continuously operating lighthouse on the North Shore of Lake Superior.
If you've always wanted to stay at a lighthouse you can do that here! They have a Bed & Breakfast. You can stay in the keeper's house with 3 bedrooms or a one bedroom cottage with a jacuzzi!
I hope you enjoyed Minnesota as much as I did. It really is a beautiful state.
From here we head to North Dakota. Hope to see you there!
You are such an inspiration! You go girl!