Fall 2013 MN North Shore series

Any long-time follower of this blog knows that with Cyndie and I; although destinations are great, it is all about the journey in between those destination that really stand as lasting memories through the years for us. This trip tot the MN North Shore was no exception. The in between was great on the MN North Shore!

Our first day we made it as far as Grand Marais. This is by far my favorite area on the MN North Shore to be. Its close proximity to The Gunflint Trail, Judge CR Magney State Park, Cascade River State Park, Temperance River State Park and all of the back roads, forest roads and loops you can travel are via car are phenomenal. It’s beautiful country.

Along the way to Grand Marais we stopped at Temperance River State Park. Later in the afternoon we made out way out to Honeymoon Bluff. There was no sunset to be had as it was cloudy and overcast, but we made the best of it. It was full day. Even Though the color was 100% or past peak (in most areas), there was still some great color and likely 80% less people than a week ago. Day 1 was pretty smooth sailing; Day 2 though, we were part of a 3 car traffic jam on a forest road. The congestion cleared soon enough though. Here are some shot from day 1.

Judge CR Magney State Park

Judge C.R. Magney State Park is the seventh park you will encounter along the North Shore. Devil’s Kettle Falls is the main draw here. This is a very unusual, and even mysterious waterfall. As you can see in the featured image, the river is split in two as it goes over the falls. The section on the right, lands at the base of the falls and continues downstream. The section on the left vanishes into a pothole known as the Devil’s Kettle and no one knows where it goes. It is believed that the water makes its way out to Lake Superior by means of underground passages, but the exact details are unknown. They have thrown dyes and logs and other things into the pothole, but apparently nothing ever comes out. If you have ever worried about falling over a waterfall, imagine falling into the Devil’s Kettle. Read more on Devil’s Kettle…

History

Concrete foundations in the campground and picnic areas of the park are remnants of a transient work camp built there in 1934 by the State. The camp provided work and lodging for men displaced during the Depression years. In addition to building trails, logging, and completing public service projects, these men helped fight a fire in 1935 that burned more than 10,000 acres in the area. Later the men set up a sawmill and began to salvage fire-damaged wood.

In 1957, a 940-acre parcel of forest along the Brule River was set aside as Brule River State Park. The park became Judge C. R. Magney State Park in 1963 when the Minnesota legislature selected this park as a memorial to the late Judge Magney, a lawyer, mayor of Duluth, justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, and a strong advocate of Minnesota State Parks, especially those along the North Shore. With his influence, he was instrumental in establishing 11 state parks and waysides along Lake Superior. Over the years, parcels of land have been added to the park which today totals 4,642 acres.

Park Features

More than half of those 4,642 acres have no trails. The upper two-thirds of land this park occupies has almost no trails. The only trail runs parallel with the Brule River and eventually veers off to connect with the Superior Hiking Trail. There are 9 total miles of hiking trails in the park. This park has a good amount of semi-modern drive-up campsites. Fishing opportunities are plentiful here on the Brule River or a tributary, Gauthier Creek, for Brook and Rainbow Trout. The Spring time brings on the Steelhead run and Fall host the Salmon run.

Here are my shots of Judge C. R. Magney from a recent visit.