High Falls in October, Grand Portage State Park
For my birthday my wife and I recently spent a long weekend on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Our only plan was to visit as many of the eight state parks on the North Shore as we could fit into three days. Scanning weather forecasts leading up to the trip we saw sunny days turn to cloudy, foggy and rainy days. Despite the grim weather forecasts, I am pleased to report that we made it to seven of the eight parks, even though those three days were marked by consistent clouds, fog and quite a bit of rain. I was not too daunted by the forecast since it is possible to capture some beautiful fall foliage in cloudy, foggy weather, but the trip quickly turned into the “waterfall vacation.” We ended up searching out the waterfalls in the state parks on Superior’s North Shore.
Shown above is highest waterfall located (partially) in the state of Minnesota at 120 feet. The highest falls solely contained within Minnesota’s borders is the 70-foot High Falls in Tettegouche state park. The High Falls on the Pidgeon River in Grand Portage state park are on the border between Minnesota and Canaada and are the reason, along with the Middle Falls, that the “Grand Portage” was created as a way to get around the falls.
This trip was my first exposure to the parks on the North Shore, despite being a lifelong Minnesotan. I consider these three days to be merely a scouting trip and plan to return “up north” whenever I am able to make the trip.
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