Gooseberry Falls State Park - Minnesota's North Shore

If you are driving Minnesota’s scenic North Shore, a stop at Gooseberry Falls State Park should be on your list of “must see” things.  The park officially opened in 1937 and features a rocky Lake Superior shoreline, five waterfalls, Gooseberry River and gorge, Agate Beach and the ancient lava flow known as the Picnic Flow.

    Middle Falls

    Middle & Lower Falls

There is not an entrance fee for this part of the Gooseberry Falls State Park and the Visitor Center/Gift Shop is a good place to start your visit (it has restrooms!). 

We spent two hours hiking the trails and photographing the Upper, Middle, and Lower Falls (a total drop of over 100 feet).  The Falls View Trail is a nice loop trail with a couple of pedestrian bridges crossing the Gooseberry River.  

    Falls View Trail

The bridges offer good views of the waterfalls. 

    Pedestrian bridge over the Gooseberry River

The trail splits – one direction goes up these stairs but the Falls View Trail continues along the river.

Take a few minutes to sit, relax, and enjoy the view – even this chipmunk is taking a break.   Please remember do not feed the animals - no matter how cute and tempting it may be to do it!  

The Falls View Trail continues along the river offering a different view of the waterfalls.  Near the end of the trail is a ped-way that goes under the road bridge.  From here, you get a nice view of the Upper Falls. 

    Ped-Way Bridge under Hwy 61

    Upper Falls

Gooseberry Falls State Park has a picnic area, campground, and lots of trails for hiking and cross-country skiing. 

For information on Gooseberry Falls State Park, click on the following link:

Gooseberry Falls SP

For information on the North Shore Mile-By-Mile Guide (PDF), click on the following link

MN North Shore Mile By Mile Guide