Day Hiking Trails: Gooseberry Falls offers variety of great trails

Friday, February 12, 2016

Gooseberry Falls offers variety of great trails

Vista of Gooseberry River flowing into Lake Superior.

Imagine a place where five waterfalls spill over billion-year-old rock, where both incredible vistas of the world’s largest freshwater lake and paths pass an array of sweet-scented wildflowers, where you can traipse through historic handcrafted stone buildings or alongside a creek meandering about an evergreen forest.

The place is real: It’s called Gooseberry Falls State Park. Many consider the crown jewel of Minnesota’s multitude of natural gems.

Located along the North Shore about 30 miles northeast of Duluth, Gooseberry Falls is an outdoor recreational paradise. Minnesota’s second most visited state park, it’s popular among hikers, campers and nature lovers of all stripes. With about 630,000 annual visitors, more people visit Gooseberry Falls than half of all national parks.

Some great trails to hike in Gooseberry Falls include:
• Waterfalls
• Lake Superior vista
• Wildflowers
• Historic CCC buildings
• Forest stream

Learn about more day hiking trails at and near Gooseberry Falls State Park in Day Hiking Trails of Gooseberry Falls State Park.

Meet the Author

My name is Rob Bignell. I'm a long-time hiker, journalist and editor. My son Kieran and I have been hiking together for the past decade. Before Kieran, I taught middle school students in New Mexico and Wisconsin, served as an infantryman in the Army National Guard, and worked in newspapers. I've won several journalism awards, from editorial writing to sports reporting. In 2001, The Prescott Journal, which I served as managing editor of, was named Wisconsin’s Weekly Newspaper of the Year. Currently I own and operate an online editing business, Inventing Reality Editing Service. After spending several years in Southern California, my son and I now live in Wisconsin on the scenic Red Cedar River.