Minnesota’s North Shore In October

Earlier this October I was able to get up to Minnesota’s North Shore. It was nice to get away for a few days with Husband and get some hiking and photography done. I hadn’t been up north of Duluth for a few years so it was a needed escape after a busy fall start at work.

We were able to snag three nights at the wonderful Gooseberry Cabins, just south of Gooseberry State Park. Their property is right along Lake Superior and for the most of the time the lake was still and the skies clear. Follow their social media for cancellations for last minute planning. Their cabins were a perfect location for playing around with long exposures. Just an hour north of Duluth and two hours south of Grand Portage it makes a great spot for a relaxing base for your explorations.

We had a lovely time exploring Grand Marais as we had never stopped in town before. Downtown was a great place to explore and see the North Folk School’s ship Hjordis sail the lake. Grand Marais’ downtown is lovely and walk-able with stores restaurants and stores to stop in and explore. I was able to find some gluten free food for lunch and had a huge plate of nachos. We beat the lunch crowd by stopping into a restaurant right at opening, so plan accordingly it is a popular stop along highway 61.

Most of the hiking we did was focused on waterfalls in the state parks along the North Shore. On our honeymoon 24 years ago we hiked and camped the state parks and we were tried to recreate that just a little. We made it up to Grand Portage for the first time to see High Falls, Devil’s Kettle in Judge CR Magney, Illgen Falls in Tettegouche.

The trail to High Falls was mostly paved with some decking and stairs and not very long at all.

The trail to Devil’s Kettle was way more than I remembered. Changes in elevation and lots of stairs there and back. Forty year olds get out of breath, but it’s a fun hike!

Illgen falls was a new stop for us. With just a small hike from highway 1 it’s a easy hike.

The hike to Shovel Point in Tettegouche was lovely with very pretty, just ahead of peak, fall colors. There were more stair there and back so be prepared for that. The lookout at the end of Shovel Point is windy so hold onto your belongings.

It was a great trip, I got to do some long exposure photography, play with my new CPL filter for darker skies and contrast in the foliage. The hikes did highlight my need to take care of my IT band issues. But it was fun! Spending time with Husband alone for a few days was great and we can’t wait to get back.

The last day we headed out to Gooseberry falls early before the crowd and got to play around the falls with very little people around. The salmon were running so it was a touch smelly but only below the falls. The fish splashing around was new to us and great to watch.

Thanks for taking a look!