'Highest waterfall entirely within Minnesota’

High Falls in Tettagouche State Park.
Photo courtesy of Minnesota DNR.

Three waterfalls, cascades await hikers in state park

A trail to a 70-foot high waterfall awaits day hikers in Minnesota’s Tettegouche State Park.

High Falls Trail

Located on the North Shore, the High Falls Trail, including a couple of spurs, runs 3.2-mile round trip, as it heads past three falls and rapids. Though unnamed on park maps, the popular trail is christened here after what most hiker taking it come to see – the High Falls.

To reach the trailhead, from Silver Bay drive north on Minn. Hwy. 61. After crossing the Baptism River, turn right/southeast into the park. Veer right/south on the park road and pass the visitor center, heading into a wooded area. Park in the pullout lot on the road’s right/northwest side. You can pick up the trailhead on the lot’s southwest side.

Baptism River gorge
Take a right onto the trail, heading northwest. The trail goes under Hwy. 61 and parallels the Baptism River.

A short spur heads to the scenic river’s shore. The Baptism runs a mere 8.8 miles, as it flows from the Minnesota Arrowhead’s uplands then through a gorge of ancient rock into Lake Superior.

From the spur, the main trail curves northeast and quickly gains in elevation until it follows the rim overlooking the Baptism River gorge.

Below the rim are the Cascades, a set of rapids in the Baptism River. The hard black rock the river tumbles through is more than a billion years old.

Farther up the river, the trail passes Two Steps Falls, a pair of small waterfalls that flow into a large pool. The pool then drains downhill as the river rushes toward Lake Superior. A spur trial leads downhill to an overlook of the falls.

'Controversial' High Falls
Continuing north on the main trail, the route reaches the Superior Hiking Trail. Go left/west on that trail to High Falls.

One of four waterfalls in the park, High Falls is an impressive sight as it drops more than six stories over a black basalt cliff capped by stately evergreens.

There is some controversy over the bragging rights to the highest waterfall in Minnesota. Some would argue the tallest is the 120-foot high High Falls on the Pigeon River in Grand Portage State Park. As part of that waterfalls is technically in Ontario, however, the same-named High Falls on the Baptism River sometimes is advertised as “the highest waterfall entirely within Minnesota.”

A trail bridge crosses the Baptism above the falls, offering a dramatic view of the river valley below. The bridge also marks a good spot to turn around on this out-and-back trail.

Read more about day hiking Northeast Minnesota in my Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota guidebook.

Canadian border trail heads to highest waterfall in Minnesota

High Falls from Main Deck observation platform.
Photo courtesy of Minnesota DNR.

High Falls plummets 120-feet
over cliff on Pigeon River

Minnesota’s highest waterfall awaits day hikers at the end of the High Falls Trail at Grand Portage State Park.

The paved, handicap accessible walkway heads to a boardwalk with three observation decks for a 1.25-mile round trip hike.

To reach the waterfalls, from Duluth take Minn. Hwy 61 north. As the road reaches the U.S. Customs Station on the Canadian border, the park entrance is on the left/west. The entrance enters a parking lot with the trail leaving from the lot's northwest corner.

The trail parallels back channels of the Pigeon River, the main course of which forms the U.S.-Canadian border.

High Falls
In about 0.3 miles, the trail reaches a small 0.1-mile loop that takes hikers to the river’s shores.

The Pigeon River runs 31.2 miles east into Lake Superior. In pre-industrial times, the river was an important route connecting land west of the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River. Because of rapids and waterfalls, early traders and travelers had to portage nine miles around the river, leading to the park’s name, Grand Portage.

Once the side loop reconnects with the main trail, go right/west. In about 0.1 miles, it reaches a boardwalk that heads to viewing platforms overlooking High Falls.

The Pigeon River tumbles 120 feet over the falls, a shale rock cliff with a window through the stone wall. Rainbows often are visible in the falls’ mist.

There is some controversy over the bragging rights to the tallest waterfall in Minnesota. As part of High Falls technically is in Ontario, the 70-foot same-name High Falls on the Baptism River in Tettegouche State Park sometimes is advertised as “the highest waterfall entirely within Minnesota.”

Extending the hike
Returning from the falls to the main trail, hikers can extend their walk by taking the Middle Falls Trail. It heads 2.3 miles one-way (4.6 miles round trip) to Middle Falls, a smaller waterfall farther up the Pigeon River. Some will find the backcountry terrain challenging.

Alternately, just before returning to the parking lot, take the intersecting trail that goes left/east. It runs 0.2 miles (0.4 miles round trip) to picnic tables overlooking the Pigeon River and ends at a historic site commemorating the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, which in 1842 established the part of the current border between the United States and British Canada.

The land making up the park actually is owned by the Grand Portage Indian Reservation and leased to the state. The park’s Welcome Center is an excellent location to learn about Ojibwe culture via a number of interpretive displays.

The land making up the park actually is owned by the Grand Portage Indian Reservation and leased to the state. The park's Welcome Center is an excellent location to learn about Ojibwe culture via a number of interpretive displays.

Read more about day hiking Northeast Minnesota in my Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota guidebook.