This 60 acre park is located north of County Road Number 88 (170th Street) and three miles from Nerstrand Woods State Park in the eastern part of the County. Caron Park became reality in 1990 and development continued through 1997. A cor-ten steel footbridge and 1.5 miles of trail have been established at Caron Park. The park is a remnant of the Big Woods Forest Community and serves as an excellent environmental study area. Caron Park features are as follows: Picnic area complete with a shelter, Biking trail, Hiking trail and Nature study. ~Rice County
A nice little park in Rice County; only a few miles from Nerstrand Big Woods State Park and Hidden Falls. To my surprise, there were actually two falls there. Caron is the larger of the two. I see on Google Maps that the other falls is identified as Wellstone Falls. I don’t know if that is accurate or not, but having visited it on the anniversary of the death of Paul Wellstone, I’ll go with that.
The path to the falls is along a slight grade; it’s most steep at the top – you won’t notice it until the return trip. The uneven ground, due to a bit of erosion, meanders its way to a valley where the river flows. The beautiful mature woods opens up to where both falls are located. There is a large metal bridge that will get you to the other side without getting your feet wet.
iPhone photos
DSLR Shots of Caron Falls with 10 stop ND filter
Top of Caron Falls
I did not get any usable photos of Wellstone Falls, the sun was not in an optimal position and the light was a bit too bright.
It was a perfect morning to explore Willow River State Park. Photographing Willow Falls has been on my list for a long time now. At only 45 minutes from Red Wing, I am not sure why we haven’t been sooner. After seeing numerous posts on facebook, I could not resist any longer. The trail to Willow Falls is short, but steep. The steps up to the lookout after you cross the river via the bridge appeared to be numerous. We’ll have to explore the three lookouts on a return trip. I’d like to explore more of the entire park. In looking at the full map, there are several trails to hike throughout the parks 2,891 acres.
The trail to Willow Falls is short, but steep. The steps up to the lookout, after you cross the river via the bridge, appeared to be numerous. We’ll have to explore the three lookouts on a return trip. I’d like to explore more of the entire park. In looking at the full map, there are several trails to hike throughout the parks 2,891 acres.
The centerpiece of the park is Willow Falls, a powerful cascade in a 200-foot (61 m) deep gorge. Another popular feature is Little Falls Lake, a shallow reservoir on the Willow River. Because of its proximity to Minneapolis-St. Paul it is one of the most visited state parks in Wisconsin. Trilobite fossils found in the lower layers of the gorge indicate the rock is around 600 million years old.
History
Santee Sioux and Ojibwa lived in the region and clashed over rights to wild rice lakes. European explorers witnessed one of their battles in 1795 at the mouth of the Willow River.
Settlers moved in, and by 1830 logging and wheat farming were common in the Willow River Valley. The river was invaluable for the former, as logs were floated downstream to the St. Croix. A German immigrant, Christian Burkhardt, realized the river could also be harnessed for the latter industry, and built a grist mill here in 1868. Burkhardt became a wealthy landowner and followed developments in water-powered industry. He traveled home to Germany to examine hydroelectric power plants and returned in 1891 to build his own on the Willow River. Burkhardt eventually built four power plants and dams on the river, which provided electricity to Hudson. Northern States Power purchased Burkhardt’s power company in 1945 and operated its sites until 1963, when damage to one of the plants from a lightning strike prompted the company to liquidate their Willow River holdings.
In 1967 Northern States Power sold the land to the Wisconsin Conservation Commission for a state park, and stabilized the dams at a financial loss. The state park opened in 1971. Some of the dams were removed in the 1990s to improve the scenery and trout fishery, and now only one remains. The land is still being restored from damming and farming. source-wikipedia
Our last day in the Black Hills we headed to Spearfish. Our travels brought us through Hill City on our way to our first stop, Silver City, situated on the West side of Pactola Reservoir. It is a cute little town nestled in the hills with a small one-room church. We existed the town through Nugget Gulch on Edelweiss Mountain Road – the wrong direction – and ended up quite a ways south of the reservoir need Clear Creek. It was a beautiful drive and worth the time; the kind of back-roading I had wanted to do if not for the snow.
Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway was delightful as anticipated. I hadn’t been here is quite some time (Cyndie’s first time here), but it was as I remembered. We stopped at the first dam to stretch our legs and take in a bit of the canyon. There was a nice little reservoir and cascades below the dam. Our second stop heading down canyon road was at Roughlock Falls on Little Spearfish Creek off of 222. Another picturesque place to get out, tromp about and snap some photos.
Small cascades on Spearfish Creek.
Roughlock Falls Area
Roughlock Falls Area
Roughlock Falls Area
Roughlock Falls
Roughlock Falls
Roughlock Falls
Roughlock Falls
Roughlock Falls
Roughlock Falls
Further down the canyon we had brief roadside stop at the apply named Bridal Veil Falls.
Bridal Veil Falls
My favorite stop along Spearfish Canyon had was Spearfish Falls. Once we found the trail to it that is; the trail to the falls was a bit obscured by trees.
Spearfish Falls
Spearfish Falls Trail
Spearfish Falls Trail
After a lengthy stop at the DC Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery we made our way back up the canyon. We took the long way back to Custer, crossed into Wyoming for some different, but similar views. It was a long day and I was enjoying sitting back and driving. I couldn’t resist shooting this pano at the Salt Creek Overlook off of Canam Hwy (Wyoming 85) on our way to Newcastle.
Salt Creek Valley
We had a wonderful week in South Dakota. The next day we woke early, packed quickly and began the 10 hour drive back home.
Cascade River State Park is the sixth park you will encounter while traveling the North Shore. This park doesn’t have much of a presence right off the road; there is a wayside that looks out over Lake Superior, but the best parts are along the easy hiking trails opposite the lake. These cascades are spectacular. The River cascades over one ledge after another as it drops 900 feet in the last three miles as it makes its way to Lake Superior. The volcanic canyon is home to many fragrant cedar trees and we even stumbled upon some lady slippers in bloom. The 18 miles of hiking trails loop up around Lookout and Mouse mountains as well as parallel Lake Superior right along the beach (1.5 miles) where you will find seven picnic sites. This park offers a variety of camping options which include several semi-modern drive-up, two group camps and five back pack-in sites.
I think this was by far our favorite park of the trip. The cascades are just so beautiful as our your complete surroundings. I definitely would like to make plans to return here in the Fall for the leaf color. From Temperance River on up is my favorite stretch of the MN North Shore. I stumbled upon the Trifecta: Three Parks. Three Trails. Three Days. This would be absolutely fantastic to do – especially along this stretch of the North Shore.
Park History
Years ago, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had a camp at the Cascade River. The men in this camp worked on a variety of conservation projects. Today, you can see some of their handiwork on the trails that wind along the river. One enrollee told how they cut and moved the large pine logs from Cascade down to Gooseberry Falls State Park to finish buildings in that park. From the beginning, Cascade was thought of as a state park, but it wasn’t until 1957 that it was officially designated as such. – wikipedia
Here are my shots from my recent visit to Cascade River State Park.
Temperance River State Park is the fifth state park you will encounter along the shore. In 1957, Minnesota organized 539 acres into the Temperance River State Park. This park is a gorgeous. The river plunges through a narrow gorge just before reaching Lake Superior; the surround tails provide ample opportunities for viewing the wonderful water. There are several miles of hiking trails to explore and direct access to the Superior Hiking Trail. The Superior Hiking Trail passes through the park, along the river gorge before climbing to the top of Carlton Peak, almost 1000 feet above Lake Superior. Two campsites grace the shoreline here, one on either side of the river.
History
Pierre Esprit Radisson and Medard Chouart, Sier des Groselliers, were probably the first white visitors to the North Shore when they traveled up the shore of Lake Superior during 1660. Along with the Ojibwe Indians, the French controlled the North Shore area until 1763. The first white settlers in the area were probably clerks at American Fur Company posts located along the shore in the 1830s. It is said the park got its name because, unlike other North Shore streams, the river had no bar at its mouth. At one time, the waters of this particular river flowed so deep and so strong into Lake Superior that there was no build-up of debris. This meant that there was no “bar.” What could you call a river without a bar? For an appropriate, if slightly tongue-in-cheek selection, “temperance” fits perfectly. The area became a state park in 1957. Campsites on both sides of the river, plus the park’s hiking trails and picnic areas, draw a steady stream of visitors to this North Shore park.
Here are my shots of our visit to Temperance River.
Gooseberry Falls State Park is the first state park you will encounter heading North from Duluth. This “gateway to the North Shore” is situated 40 scenic miles North from Duluth along Hwy 61 and the beautiful Lake Superior shoreline. Known primarily for its waterfalls, five in all, this park offers some tremendous views of the awesome power of water. The 23 mile long Gooseberry River runs through the park with varying degrees of volume as it is highly dependent on rain water runoff. The river was plump with water for our visit in July; we photographed all but Fifth Falls. Other items of interest include Agate Beech and the 18 miles of hiking trails, of which 8 are mountain biking trails. There is no shortage of things to see at this park.
History
The area known as Gooseberry Falls State Park is intricately tied to human use of Lake Superior. At different times, the Cree, the Dakotah, and the Ojibwe lived along the North Shore. As early as 1670, the Gooseberry River appeared on explorer maps. The river was either named after the French explorer Sieur des Groseilliers or after the Anishinabe Indian name, Shab-on-im-i-kan-i-sibi; when translated, both refer to gooseberries. In the 1870s, commercial and sport fishermen began to use this area.
By the 1890s, logging became the principle use of the land around the Gooseberry River. In 1900, the Nestor Logging Company built its headquarters at the river mouth and a railway was used to carry the pine to the lake for rafting to the sawmills. Because of fires and intensive logging pressures, the pine disappeared by the early 1920s.
With the rise of North Shore tourism in the 1920s, there was a concern that the highly scenic North Shore would be accessible only to the rich. As a result the Legislature authorized preservation of the area around Gooseberry Falls in 1933. The following year, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began to develop the park. CCC crews built the park’s stone and log buildings and the 300-foot long “Castle in the Park” stone retaining wall. They also laid out the original campground, picnic grounds and trails. The area officially became Gooseberry Falls State Park in 1937. The CCC camps closed in 1941, but the park’s CCC legacy lives on. Designed with ties to the CCC, a new visitor center/wayside rest and Highway 61 bridge was opened in 1996. CCC camp photo albums: Camp life, Buildings/historic site, Legacy Self-guided Tour checklist & map.
Grand Portage State Park is the last and final state park along the North Shore. It was the newest state park in Minnesota until 2010. Lake Vermilion State Park is now the newest. I look forward to visiting this location soon. For more information, check out the Master Plan.
Grand Portage State Park is situated on the northeastern tip of Minnesota on the Canada-Untied States border. The tallest waterfall in the state is located here; at 120 feet, it is impressive. I can only image how it must have been to happen upon this waterfall in a canoe loaded down with supplies, crew and furs. The nine mile portage around this falls and rapids downstream was a very laborious process no doubt.
The day we visited there was rather thick fog to contend with. At times, the visibility of the falls was impossible and you just had to stand there listening to the thunder of the water until it came back into view. This is one of the few handicap accessible park that will bring you up close and personal with this gorgeous waterfall via ramps and board walks. This is a day use only park with 5 miles of hiking trails. The views of the falls and river are very picturesque.
Park Creation
The land adjoining High and Middle Falls was purchased as a possible commercial property by Lloyd K. Johnson, an attorney and land speculator from Duluth, who held onto it for decades. In 1985 a park advocacy group, the Minnesota Parks and Trails Council, suggested complementing Ontario’s Pigeon River Provincial Park with a Minnesota state park. Johnson, who in the 1930’s and 40’s had sold hundreds of thousands of acres to the U.S. Forest Service to help create Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, agreed to sell 178 acres and donate a further 129 acres. The Parks and Trails Council raised Johnson’s asking price of $250,000 through contributions from individuals and foundations and completed the sale in 1988. -wikipedia
Since the land was within the Grand Portage Indian Reservation, the state park bill was drafted with several provisions establishing a novel collaboration. Legislation establishing the park passed unanimously in both houses of the Minnesota Legislature in 1989. The Parks and Trails Council sold the land to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for $316,000, an amount well under its appraised value. The DNR then began the complicated process of transferring the land to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which would hold it in trust for the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa, who in turn would lease the park back to the DNR for $1 a year. Grand Portage State Park finally opened to the public in September 1994. It took so long to finalize the land deal that another entire Minnesota state park, Glendalough, had been authorized, developed, and dedicated in the meantime.
History
Git-che-O-ni-ga-ming and Grand Portage are Ojibwe and French words for “a great carrying place.” Grand Portage State Park and the surrounding area is rich in Indian and fur trade history. To American Indians, voyageurs and fur traders in the 1700s, the natural features of the area were an awesome sight. Travelers and traders were faced with a 120-foot waterfall, the thundering rapids of the Pigeon River, cliffs, and rocky terrain that was impossible to cross. The only option was to go around these obstacles. The nine-mile trek became known as “The Grand Portage” and ultimately gave the area its name. The park lies within the Grand Portage Indian Reservation and is bordered by Canada on the north and east. Lake Superior is about one mile east of the park. The park was established in 1989 through the cooperative efforts of the State of Minnesota and the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa Indians. A unique situation exists in that this is the only state park not owned by the State of Minnesota. The land is leased from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) which holds it in trust for the Grand Portage Band. The development and operation of the park rests primarily with the Department of Natural Resources and is implemented through the Division of Parks and Recreation. -wikipedia
Here are my shots from my recent visit to Grand Portage State Park.
